Fear of going mad!! cant be right

[flegger1]

my problem is that i was once told that unless you hear voices or feel that someone is in your head you are not mad! now being an anxious person generally, i immediatley thought- s**t! what if i do start these symptoms!
this was 5 years ago and i hated working with this girl at work cos she was a goth and so obviosuly i equated her lifestyle to goth things-the devil etc. i was so sure i would eventually begin to hear her in my head- BUT I DIDNT!!!
i overcame this and now know that the feelings of being mental are just those- feelings. they always say if u fear you are going mad then you arent!

a minor problem is that I have been stressed for the last 2 months for the first time in ages. I thought i would be brave and prove to myself that I was stronger these days so I added her on facebook. not a good idea! i am again petrified that I will lose it eventually and worry about getting the truly insane thoughts of hearing voices etc. its just an awful feeling of uneasiness

does anyone know how to overcome the anticipatry side of going mad? i think this is my main problem-losing control. in order to keep my anxiety ticking over it appears im expecting things to happen!
i have been good today apart from tonight so hopefully its just a really small blip and just "normal" anxiety

p.s . i feel sorry for the poor girl, shes probably just a really normal girl and im petrified of her!haha

[AntiLove_SuperStar]

Yes, she almost certainly is a "normal girl" - but what does normal really mean anyway?

"Mad" isn't a scientific term...you're probably best off ditching it. I say that because if you're thinking mad = mental illness..well, for a start, LOTS of people have mental illness. 1 in 100 - schizophrenia (voices not necessary at all to be schizophrenic, as a by the by!). Up to a quarter, depending on which stats you read..depression. 1 in 100...bipolar. It goes on and on. A huge chunk of everyone you meet will have been mentally ill, be mentally ill, or be mentally ill in the future. It isn't, unfortunately, rare.

You'll probably also meet people who have treated for a psychotic break, losing touch with reality entirely. This can happen not just in the sensationalised schizophrenic cases, but in severe depression, bipolar disorder, and the like. You can even make a convincing case for hallucination in eating disorders and body dysmorphic disorder, as a person isn't seeing what everybody else is.

Some people also hear voices but are NOT mentally ill, not schizophrenic. Its a very complex issue.

I think reading up on psychology would set your mind at ease enormously.

("Goth" pertains more to a tribe, later on an architectural style, and then literature surrounding death/the supernatural too. Devil worshipping is entirely different in its own right).

[Rom]

Ive had/still have the exact same worry for more than a year its not nice constent fear of being insane atm even after seing doctors loads of times and them saying the oppisate to my fear.From what i understand people who are insane dont usally have the abilty to notice it in themselfs thats what my gp said anyway i still dont believe her .