Images in my head and forgetting my daughters name :(

[sammie23]

Ok so this morning i woke up and i wanted to shout my daughter Katie to get out of bed, then when i was about to shout her name i just kept getting another name in my head claire? So i obviously began to panic and kept trying to say her name in my head and again this name kept coming to me. Eventually after afew minutes it had pasted but that feeling was horrible. Another thing iv been doing is getting images of faces in my mind. Its always someone i no or someone iv seen on the tele but i could be stud in my kitchen looking out of my french doors and i will just get this image of a face in my head.. Does this make sense or am i losing it? Im so afraid right know and just feel like im having a stroke or a breakdown or that something bad is happening to me. Someone if you can relate to this please do say.

[xlouloux]

hi there
im new to this forum but i know exactly what you mean. i was sat with my friends one day and they were talking about a member of my family. i kept hearing the name but i had no idea who they were talking about. they kept looking at me and looking at eachother like i was mad. i started to panic and went off saying the name over and over again in my head until it stuck. i realised who they were taking about and i was so worried because i should have known there was no reason not to. i spoke to my therapist about this and she told me it was fine and normal of anxiety to have "BLANK" moments. but i have experienced this and it was terrifying. if its any help x

[xlouloux]

sorry i forget to say i also get the faces. i dont know why they are there. i get songs stuck in my head a lot more than i used to as well. i suffer with gad and health anxiety

[Cat80]

I do that a lot, usually with my cats. I can't remember there names for what seems like ages and I won't let anyone tell me until I've got it. It's a common symptom of anxiety.

[joyce1980]

AHhhhhhhhhhhh I can solve this for you guys.

These are INTRUSIVE thoughts and images ..... basically OCD, I have OCD

If they interfere with your everyday life then make an appointment with a good psychiatrist they can help you, you are not crazy you would be shocked to know how many people have ocd .

x x x

[nomorepanic]

I don't agree that it is OCD - sorry

It is a symptom of anxiety

[nomorepanic]

Have you read this from symptome page:


Having difficulty concentrating, repetitive thinking or incessant 'mind chatter'

What you feel:

Normal tasks seem hard to focus on, or that your concentration is a lot shorter now than before. You may also start something, and uncharacteristically forget what you were doing soon after. You may also have difficulty remembering where you placed things, who you just called, or what you were looking for or thinking about.
Your mind is racing all the time, and it never stops its chatter. Even when you are trying to relax your mind is going a million miles and hour. Sometimes songs will pop up that you can't get out or your mind, and you sing them all day long.
What causes this:

High stress biology and an over stimulated nervous system will often cause us to think rapidly and incessantly. Many refer to it as 'unceasing mind chatter'. It's this fast paced unfocused thought generation that impairs the memory and concentration. Since high stress biology produces natural stimulants, these continual doses of stimulants make it difficult to focus because the body and mind are so agitated. As the stress biology and nervous system calm down, normal thinking patterns re-establish and this symptom subsides.
However, as long as the stress biology and nervous system are over active, individuals will continue to experience this condition. It will come and go and most often depends upon how the body is reacting at that time.
Another consideration is that for those who have been experiencing anxiety disorder for some time, may have established a mental habit of internal focus.
This is where they become so focused on their ill health that they are easily distracted by it and the pursuit to regain their normal health that they quickly lose interest in what they are doing and refocus their minds back on their problem. This action can be so automatic that the individual may not even realize that that's what they are doing.
Unfortunately, when this symptom appears, many become frightened by and think that they may be losing their mind or experiencing a serious mental illness. This adds more stress biology which only prolongs the symptom.
When this symptom appears, try not to react with fear, but remember that it is only a symptom, and that it is telling you that you need to rest the nervous system so that you can regain your concentration ability. Once you have sufficiently rested your nervous system, your concentration will return to normal.

[Kelley]

Hey there.
I completely understand what you are going through. Some years ago i worked with a girl younger than me who's name was Louise (had trouble just trying to remember it then)! For some strange reason, i kept calling her Nicole and even though i knew that wasn't her name, i couldn't recall her real name quickly enough to address her! When i told her about this issue months later (because it really bothered me) incredibly she was shocked and told me that her friends were too calling her nicole and lately her own grandparents were doing the same!!!!! This is one of the most bizzare things that i have ever witnessed and all i can put it down to is something perhaps spiritual to do with her that we will never know! Another thing i can relate to (which i do believe is also from planet unknown) is the faces you see. I too have images of people in my head but mostly they are people i have never seen! It is usually when i close my eyes to sleep. They are usually looking at me or doing something. And no, i do not have a mental illness, just a stress head and over anxious at times. What i can say is this.......i have used meditation and also read alot about wierd unanswered occurrances and all of the above are explained if you believe in that kind of thing. I know it's a sensitive subject for some but if you go through experiences like these you would understand how people like me go searching for answers when you know that you are not insane and there are millions of others who accept these happenings as touching base with the unknown!
Just take heart knowing that you are not crazy and certainly not alone :)

Kel.

[joyce1980]

Yep I used to think i had anxiety ..... I was diagnosed with OCD !!! ocd does not just mean Repetitive actions, it is also thoughts too.

http://www.anxietyaustralia.com.au/anxiety_disorders/ocd.shtml