Worrying that mental health will get worse

[hjess1]

So I've recently noticed my mental health is getting bad again, and I just wanted to know I'm not alone in my specific worries.
I worry that my mental health is getting worse. I find myself carefully listening to every person around me to check none of their voices are unreal. I keep thinking I'm going to develop more and more mental health illnesses that'll make my life extremely difficult. It seems that one of my new worries is that I'm going to develop psychosis or acute OCD or something.
Its a hard one - its like worrying about physical health - but if its mental health it feels even harder to diagnose accurately and it makes me feel like pretty crap.
I'm feeling angry about the return of my anxiety and its very tiring.

[SLA]

What life changes have potentially caused this change?

How are your sleep patterns?
What is your diet like?

[hjess1]

I think I know what caused it - I've started back at university after taking time out because of my anxiety - so its definitely having an effect
Also my doctor thinks my medication is causing high blood pressure and I might have to come off it - so that really didn't help me this week!
Sleep is okay - seems to be a case of wanting to sleep too much.
Diet is good

[ana]

I have the exact same worry as you do. I worry that my anxiety will get so bad that it will drive me insane (though I know this to be impossible) or that it would damage my mental health to the degree that would incapacitate me. :weep:
I think it's a very common worry, so perhaps knowing that you're not alone might make you feel better. :)

[beatroon]

Hello there,

I think this kind of worry is fairly common amongst anxiety sufferers. It is a bit of an obvious target for anyone to worry about their health, mental or otherwise, so I definitely wouldn't feel alone with it! I'm sure there are loads of other people on here who feel the same.

In case it's helpful, here's my way of dealing with this particular fear. I first think of the worst-case scenario (locked up in a mental hospital from a horror film, shame of friends and family etc) as hard as I can - and then realise that that is never going to happen the way I fear. Even in the case I were hospitalised, it would be because it was the best place for me; my family wouldn't be ashamed; plenty of people have very positive experiences in hospital etc etc etc. I have a mantra which is 'well it wouldn't be ideal, but....' So much of life is impossible to control, and so much of life turns out to be not ideal and then suddenly ideal in really beautiful and unforeseen ways.

Anyway, this is what works for me. I hope you have a good week.

[Hopeyet]

I've been having treatment for health anxiety and the therapist keeps reiterating that the disorder is 'on the OCD spectrum'. Although the two things are different, I think it's normal for anxiety sufferers to worry about their mental health. I certainly get it.