Need help with this fear

[Pacific]

I have a very intense fear of going crazy. Just the thought of going crazy makes me sweaty, dizzy and exremely scared. About to panic. Then i panic and i feel like im actually going crazy because panic makes me feel derealization and dizzy etc. I am SO scared of it i feel like crying.

I went to the doctor and she gave me a book about panic.
The fear of going crazy paralyzes me and when i even hear the word schizo or another bad mental illness i start to panic..

How do i get over this fear it's too scary for me..
Can someone assure me im not going crazy :weep:
Sorry for another negative thread:weep:

[obligingstraw]

I've been feeling similarly vulnerable lately, but I promise you, you will NOT go crazy from anxiety. The derealization is unpleasant (to say the least) and I suffer it too, but it's a transient symptom and it'll go away as you relax more day to day.

Stay strong! :)

[Stormsky]

Its been a big fear of mine too over the years... but you wont go crazy... those that are , dont know they are crazy... the fact you are rationally here talking and asking says your not at all crazy... all the anx symptons make us feel we must be losing it, we cant find another explanation for it sometimes...

[BobbyDog]

You are not alone, when I am deep into a panic attack or just anxious, the 'I'm going mad/crazy' keeps going through my mind.
I think it is a common feeling for anxiety/panic sufferer's.
I am sorry, because I know how bad the fear is.

[Pacific]

Thanks for the reassurance. After the panic calms down i always feel somewhat normal again. it just leaves me feeling very confused. The fear and scary thoughts stay in my mind and im just trying not to freak out, no matter how many times i tell myself it's anxiety or panic, i still fear the worst. This is really hard to deal with i used to have fear about something being wrong my heart but this is so much worse. :scared15:

I actually cried today and felt better afterwards i quess its really good to release emotions.

[Pacific]

I can't stop thinking about it....i feel like im about to panic all the time..

[PanchoGoz]

A lot of people feear going crazy because with anxiety you feel like you are going crazy, as if it's a taster of what it's like. The symptoms of anxiety make people feel like they are going crazy because they are so confusing. Odd thoughts happen a lot with anxiety, or stuck unneccassary thoughts or songs.Then of course the symptoms you associate with going crazy which could be odd thoughts, derealization etc. get worse because your anxiety gets worse and you feel more like you are going crazy so you create more adrenaline which makes more odd symptoms and you end up in a cycle of fear.
The fact you are on an anxiety forum in itself proves you are not going mad - anxiety is the other end of the spectrum from madness and you can't have both.
You need to start facing this - even if it's just the word CRAZY or SCHIZOPHRENIC then start repeating those words over and over or writing them out in lines or something till you get used to them. Then move on up to something more difficult and do the same "exposure" with that - repeating it over and over till you feel very little anxiety.
Keep reassuring yourself whenever you feel the thought, say to yourself - this is just anxiety, adrenaline is creating these odd thoughts in my head, people have told me im not going mad, this is very common, this fear will go when I am less anxious.
Make sure you are getting enough sleep, food and drink :)

[Pacific]

Pancho thank you so much for ur reply!! What you said really reassured me. Does repeating the word 'crazy' really help because i'm trying not to think about it and forget about it (not that that seems to work) The fear seems too overwhelming... I sleep pretty good suprisingly, i try to eat & drink healthy aswell.

[PanchoGoz]

Glad to help Pacific, and very glad you are getting enough sleep and food.
You trying to forget about it and not think about it is exactly what's keeping it going - because you do this, you are giving the thought importance. You are using up your energy trying to blcok it out, but it just tries harder to get back in. You register this and add more fear the next time. Also, when have you ever been able to forget something with sheer will power? You have to remember something to bring it to mind in order to forget it - so if you are trying to forget it, you are thinking about it more lol.
You need to desensitize to this fear - set up little targets for yourself to face it. Start simple and work your way up. If you said the frightening word enough times, yes you would stop feeling afraid when you hear it, a bit like when you first fly in an airoplane it's terrifying, but you do it 10 times and it just seems normal, or a first day at school is frightening, it eventually becomes boring.
It is a horrible fear I know, any fear that questions your own reality or reality as a whole makes you feel so lost and confused, you end up feeling like you don't know your arse from your elbow anymore! It does feel sooo overwhelming to start with but trust me, if you verrry gradually desensitize to it and keep that understanding that it is just your anxious brooding thoughts and not reality, you will look back one day and wonder why you ever thought that in the first place :)