Am I schizophrenic or am I just panicking

[Shyplane]

Hi, I'm currently goin through hell with my brain. I have panic disorder and hypochondriasis. I recently met a girl who suffers from schizophrenia and so for the past 2 weeks, I've been feeling absolutely dreadful. I feel like I'm hearing noises that no one else can hear, but I'm too scared to ask if they can hear them too. I also have been having this problem that's been going on for years now, but is just now freaking me out. In my vision, things look kinda splotchy, like I can't explain it at all. It's kinda hard to describe. But I only notice it when I begin to panic. When I'm not focused on my anxiety, it's just not there. But I just want some reassurance that I'm not going crazy. I've been so depressed and I've been having such a hard time at work because all I can think about is if I'm schizophrenic.

[ana]

It could be that you're panicking about your health and attributing any anxiety symptom you feel to the schizophrenia you fear so much. People do that with physical illnesses, too. For instance, if you fear you've got brain tumour, you'll try and find 'evidence' that you've really got it. I believe this is because it's much easier for us to place the 'blame' for how we feel on something that's our of our hands, an illness that's happened to us. Saying that, though, it might be a good idea to speak to someone about the voices and the problems with vision you've been experiencing, just to be on the safe side. If schizophrenia isn't what you suffer from, then you'll know it's your anxiety that you need to focus on in order to get better.