Mental Health Anxiety

[superjonboy]

I'm looking for people whose Health Anxiety has centred around Mental Health issues and what resources/tips they have used to deal with this.

I have always worried about 'going mad' and I think that is my primary fear. Physical symptoms then kind of appear secondary to this then. Which in itself then feeds worries about physical illness.

My latest bout, which started on Saturday, seemed to start with me feeling really sad/flat/empty/numb. I'm not really sure why, maybe it's been building for a while due to the amount of work I've been doing, amongst other things. Since then the negative thoughts have really taken over and I feel unable to deal with them. The worst thing is I've got so much to look forward to and I'd been doing really well for 3+ years, with only occasional bits of anxiety which I managed to deal with.

In the past I've always feared things like schizophrenia and psychosis or dissociative illnesses. I guess that's along the lines of most peoples idea of 'going mad'.

One other thing I've always wondered is whether the medication I've taken for Depression/Anxiety (Citalopram 2001 - 2010, Sertraline 2010 - 2014) could have stopped something like schizophrenia or psychosis developing.

I went to the doctors on Tuesday who gave me different options about going back on medication or giving it a bit more time and counselling e.t.c, but I'm thinking I should just cut to the chase and ask to go back on Sertraline as it has helped me in the past.

[Fuzzy]

dear superjohn
please do not worry about going mad if you were you would not be aware of it .I am now an older lady who suffered from this condition 30 years ago I have brought up three well rounded children and am still here to tell the tale so .upseting thoughts are just thoughts just let them go and try not to ruminate watch a film or play a computer game keep busy hope this helps kind regards

[MyNameIsTerry]

Hi,

I don't from a HA point of view but I can tell you people with GAD or OCD also talk about these types of thoughts but its more born out of feeling like you are losing control of your mind eg GAD can be 24/7 without even a trigger and OCD can be very irrational in terms of bizarre rituals or intrusive thoughts that we may have previously believed were only thought by people with serious mental health problems (violence, obsessions about religious figures, extreme taboos or acts against non consenting Paris, etc).

So, you will find threads about this subject on those boards too. I guess the difference is going to be that you wound search information of because you are convinced you have this whereas with GAD and OCD it will be because the person is concerned they are developing it.

Perhaps though, this means that there may be more support through people that you can obtain than you thought?

I know I've worried about my OCD being a sign of spiralling into something more sinister because of how it had developed years after my GAD. I couldn't understand the panic it would bring you to research it but it does mean you have some people who are more able to be rational about it that can help.

[superjonboy]

I just feel like these last couple of days I've completely broken down.

I've worked so hard for the last few years and felt better but I just don't think I can do it anymore :(