going mad

[wendy28]

Hi i dont know what to do anymore i feel like im going mad..i have panic attacks im depressed,now i feel like pressure in my head and thoughts of what if i go mad and hurt someone its really scaring me.any feedback would be good x

[Baggs]

I have felt very similar, head pressure, going nuts, thoughts of harming people. I am much better now but I find it very hard to give advice. If you want to send me a pm, I will tell you what helped me. All the best. Baggs.

[lior]

to be honest, thoughts of harming other people are more healthy than thinking about harming yourself.

there is a big difference between fantasy and reality. are you generally in control of your behaviour towards other people?

the other day i had the same feeling as you really strongly, and i ended up hitting my brother. thank god there weren't any knives to hand. but that was the only time i've hurt anyone in years. i could have avoided hurting him by staying away from him. you will know if you're slipping out of control - at that point you can step back from the situation and walk away. your brain will warn you. trust your instincts. good luck xx

[Bill]

thank god there weren't any knives to hand.

A little example of what I think happens...

Picture yourself drying up and you pick a knife up to day. You're standing there with this knife in hand whilst the person in front of you is washing up. You suddenly get this thought "What if I go mad and cause harm with it to the person doing the washing up" and thi thought then makes you panic which re-inforces your anxiety that you could go mad and use it.

What I think is actually happening is that the knife represents "danger". We anxiety sufferers like to feel "safe" and "in control". However, because the knife represents a threat, our worst fear comes to mind due to our subconscious anxiety causing us to "think" what we fear most. In a way it's like going to bed after a troubled day causing us to have nightmares. Ever had running away nightmares? They surface in that form when we're under alot of stress or are worrying about things because we feel trapped and want to run away from our stresses.

Remember, these are just thoughts created by our fear and nothing more than that so we would never act on them because they are just our worst fears created by anxiety.:hugs:

[tinkytink]

bill i am suffering with this at the moment and i think you are absolutely right :O)

[JustBenn]

it definitely sounds to me as if this is Anxiety

Its a classic What If?? of Anxiety

What ifs dosnt mean you will hurt anyone.

Read your messages. I sent you somthing :) :)

Allso look at my post about Fear of getting Schitzophrenia (http://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=72719)
It will help you like it helped me. allso tell us why you think you are going mad? what symtoms are you having?

I too have had the fear that i will hurt somone and still do right this minute, I have had this for months and yet i havent touched anyone.

[VladJack]

Sorry to bump this folks, but this was exactly what was going on for me this week, got so so bad while the new meds were adjusting.

I've always suffered with thoughts coming into my head I didn't want.

Thing is I'm so terrorfied to tell my therapist about this.... maybe it'll make me seem like i'm completely insane?

Thanks x

[wendy28]

You should tell your therapist sometimes its like a relief and they say to you its normal,just anxiety x

[perpetualworriment]

the thing that you've said about going mad is the thing that is frightening me most right now. when i start obsessing and getting these horrible thoughts, it's as though it's not me that's thinking them, my mindset completely changes, and I feel vulnerable and also as worry that I'm going to snap. I can snap out of it, but the fact I let it get that far absolutely terrifies me beyond belief.

The harming people thing really makes me feel ill, and i work myself up about it and it constantly strugges in my mind.

for example, just after i've been reassured by messages and posts and similar stories, this little thing at the back of my mind tries to convince me it's not the same for me.

[wendy28]

I know i re read posts and messages to,and like you i think but what if its diffrent for me!!!.Its the scariest part of all this anxiety..

[eeyorelover]

Intrusive thoughts are very common and your therapist will definitely understand and possibly be able to help.
I once told a doctor that I had thoughts like these and thought I was going mad and the doctor told me that people who suffer with schizophrenia and the like think they are perfectly normal and that everyone else is a little 'off'.
Made me feel better anyway :)