Psychotic or crazy?

[Penny crayon]

Hi all,
Can anyone shed some light on my current problem/s.
Let me start with some background information. I'm 30 this year and suffer with depression and have done so for 7 years. I have also been a worrier most of my life. In 2009 I got promoted at work but after only 9 month in the role I started to hate me job and blame my boss for my depression. I changed jobs but then I was made redundant. I quickly found a new job but in a higher position ( management) again after 8 months I became depressed but this time it was worse, I have had racing thoughts, think people hate me and conspiring against me. I worry I have done something bad and will be reported to the police. Although I know this is irrational I cannot help thinking I am loosing the plot. I have convinced myself I have got 3 different mental illness and will end up sectioned. I spent large parts of my day thinking I am mentally unwell. My job is very stressfull and understand that stress can cause lots of worry but this is spiralling out of control. I constantly analyse my thoughts, my behaviour. I forget things and reinforce myself that I'm not the person I used to be. I'm to worried to speak to anyone about this because of the fear of being sectioned myself. I fit into several catagories of mental illness and worry I have one. Am I loosing my mind?
Help please

[bignik]

I would say by the contents of your post would say no your not Psychotic or Crazy, irrational thoughts are common symptom of anxiety, you have got to try and think about your thoughts logically and rationalise them, I often find writing them down helps as once out your head the thought is out your head and changes to think of the answer if that makes any sense.

Do not try and self label your condition it will only make matters worse and dont google , speak to your GP to be referred to your local mental health team who will be able to assess you and advise.

The police wont come and get you , you wont be taken away to mental hospital. Look and consider what your fears are and are they real. Anxiety and the mind can play evil games with you dont trust it.

When anxiety hit me first bad, I convinced my self I was mad , I wasnt making sense etc , I spent 3 months in hospital , was put on anti pyschotics for 8 weeks which made me really crazy and after 3 months I got out and guess what ........

I was still on same medication I went into hospital with , on release they acknowledged it was anxiety and pyschological problems and I was referred to a Pyschologist for therapy and allowed home. Simply my depression had turned into anxiety coupled with acute stress disorder ... basically source STRESS and my body and mind had crumbled because I had allowed it to by not seeking help in the first instance.

Dont think as a result of this I was hospitalised I wasnt , there were other factors.

Youve took the time to write an informative post , you know what your feeling and you sound rational to me, so tomorrow pick up the phone and speak to your GP and express your thoughts, he or she has heard it all before and will be able to help you start your road to recovery.

Remember Health not Wealth :)

ps all what you describe by the way , I experience also ... only now I understand the feelings and thoughts better ..

[suzy-sue]

Hi Pennyc.. Beieve me when I say you will NOT be sectioned..Stress can make you very Anxious and YOU are very Stressed right now .Paranoia is often present in people when they are acutely anxious .You have an overtired Nervous system .Nothing that cant be put right .The mind cannot concentrate when you feel like this and everything seems hopeless .You do need to tell your Dr how you are feeling .He will advise you whats available in the way of Medication and maybe some councelling &or CBT THERAPY .. Please tryto get plenty of rest and sleep .Its essential for your nerves when you are like this .You will get better but the sooner you book that appointment the quicker that will happen .T/c AND :hugs:Sue x

[lauz_lea]

PennyC, I could have wrote that myself (and have over the years). I first suffered when I was in my mid to late teens and was convinced I was going mad and would have welcomed being sectioned just to get help - I had no knowledge or understanding then, but I got through it without meds, but it was a long, hard and painful couple of years. It returned a few years later but I sought medical assistance and used anti-depressants for the first time and felt great again. I could think clearly and felt "cured", came off meds after about 5 months, and declined quite rapidly, so went back on meds again and felt "cured" and stayed on meds long term, only coming off them in January 2010. I never received any kind of therapy during my years on meds and after 10 months off meds, felt that I needed to go back on them again.

Over the last few months I have learnt many things about anxiety and depression and realise that everything I experienced, when I thought I was literally mad are very common in anxiety, depression and stress.

I can relate directly to many of the things you have mentioned:


Hi all,
I have also been a worrier most of my life. In 2009 I got promoted at work but after only 9 month in the role I started to hate me job and blame my boss for my depression.

I blamed my mum in my teens and my husband last year. I went as far as making a 5 year plan to save money and leave him.


I have had racing thoughts, think people hate me and conspiring against me. I worry I have done something bad and will be reported to the police. Although I know this is irrational I cannot help thinking I am loosing the plot.

SNAP! My racing thoughts often lead to worsening symptoms of anxiety and depression and I was so convinced I was going to hurt my daughter last year that I thought if I ever mentioned it to anyone she would be taken away from me. I never hurt her, and I never would, but the thoughts scared me so much I felt as if I actually had hurt her.


I have convinced myself I have got 3 different mental illness and will end up sectioned. I spent large parts of my day thinking I am mentally unwell. My job is very stressfull and understand that stress can cause lots of worry but this is spiralling out of control. I constantly analyse my thoughts, my behaviour. I forget things and reinforce myself that I'm not the person I used to be.

We all convince ourselves we are suffering with A, B, or C - we are in a fragile state and very susceptable to suggestion, so we read up/research things and convince ourselves that's what we're suffering with - we want a label because we hope that with a label we will get better quicker because we will "know" what is wrong with us and will get the right kind of treatment. We find it hard to believe it is stress, anxiety or depression because we're so used to hearing and using those words in normal day to day contexts, rather than applying any medical definitions.


I'm to worried to speak to anyone about this because of the fear of being sectioned myself. I fit into several catagories of mental illness and worry I have one. Am I loosing my mind?
Help please

You're a worrier, like me, and many others on NMP, our "normal" worrying can quickly turn into catastrophic thinking which we find really hard to reverse, which is where therapy can be useful. I had a session today with an Occ Health therapist at work. It made me realise a lot of things 1) I always need feel I am in control, not of everything, just the big things. If I cannot control something, the uncertainty makes me worry. 2) When I can't control something, or have no idea of outcomes I always think of the worst case scenario and dwell on it, not the other way around - this has made it hard for me to get out of my current "blip", instead of thinking and believing I will get better, I've been thinking "I'm worse", but actually, it has been 51 days since my REALLY bad period, and whilst progress may be slower than I want (i.e. I want to be better NOW, but I can't control this), I have to recognise that I am making progress.

Sorry my response is long, but I know how you feel and where you are coming from and YOU ARE NOT GOING MAD, but I understand that feeling the way you do, and as I do, is maddening and painful.

Try not to consult Dr Google looking for a label for what you are experiencing, I know how hard this is but you have to accept that you feel how you feel, but it is not perminent - you haven't always felt like this, and you won't always feel like this, you just need the right tools in your toolbox to help you through this. Those tools may not be the same ones that others use, but some general tools that many fnd helpful are a good diet, exercise, proper rest and relaxation - for some medication helps too.

You are very unlikely to be sectioned if you see your GP, but it may be worth seeing if you have access to any kind of therapist via your employer, if not, you can ask for a referal from your GP.

[Anxious_gal]

Google pure OCD