Adding include_directories catkin_INCLUDE_DIRS gives bizarre VTK errors

edit

Hello, I am trying to compile a c++ project (X) as a ros package in my workspace. The c++ project has multiple modules (Y,Z). Here is a generic structure of the project

X
|-src
  |-CMakeLists.txt (2)
  |- Y
     |-CMakeLists.txt (3)
  |- Z
     |-CMakeLists.txt (4)
|-CMakeLists.txt (1)
|-package.xml

I've numbered the CMakeLists here to refer them later. for The C++ project depends on a number of libraries and modules (one of them being vtk8.2). Here is a part my CMakeLists.txt (1)

set(PROJECT_INCLUDE_CONTENT "include(\${VTK_USE_FILE})
# if(VTK_VERSION VERSION_LESS \"8.1\")
#   message(ERROR \"Wrong VTK version! At least 8.1 required!\")
# endif()")

find_package(catkin REQUIRED COMPONENTS
    roscpp
    message_generation
    pcl_ros
    pcl_conversions
    eigen_conversions
    geometry_msgs
    sensor_msgs
    std_msgs
    tf
    tf2_eigen
    )

catkin_package(
    #  INCLUDE_DIRS include
    #  LIBRARIES hello_world
    #  CATKIN_DEPENDS roscpp std_msgs
    #  DEPENDS system_lib
    )

include_directories(
# include
   ${catkin_INCLUDE_DIRS} 
   # src/X
)

### Compile- and install-related commands.
add_subdirectory(src/X)

Now, if I comment out the include_directories part, the entire project code compiles without errors. But in this case, I cannot really write a ROS node, since ros.h is not found. However, if I uncomment the include_directories part, I get vtk errors: ‘class vtkTextProperty’ has no member named ‘FrameOff’ and error: ‘class vtkUnsignedCharArray’ has no member named ‘InsertNextTypedTuple’; did you mean ‘InsertNextTuple’?

I don't really understand why this is happening, as my understanding of catkin is not great. But I'd like to get this working.

Thanks.