Health anxiety gone from feeling medical conditions to mental illnesses?

[Avasmummy_x]

I have real bad ha have for about 2years over many conditions.

Now it seems to have gone from that to fearing bipolar and skitzafrenia ( hearing voices ) phycosis.

I'm absolutlley petrified of it and constantly keep my ears cos of it as im just so obsessed and fearing the hearing voixes just like your obsess over cancer.

Has anyone else's ha gone in this way? My doctor says it's still health anxiety as it's still a 'health' fear. He also says its partly ocd as I obsess over it. He says ocd and ha are very similar.

I genuinely believe I'm in the beginning stages of a serious mental illness. It's horrible.

I get other stuff with it like depersonalization and derealiseation and intrusive thoughs, racing thoughts and what not. All adding up to me thinking I'm mad.

I can't go on like this I can't even leave the house without having a panic attack any more ;(

[Avasmummy_x]

No one then lol

[herbie73]

I once obsessed that I was schizophrenic, I thought the devil was controlling my thoughts, don't worry its still anxiety, i have had terrible intrusive thoughts, if you were schizophrenic you wouldn't be aware of it, to them the voices are very real, try not to worry, I know its hard, but anxiety can take many forms and this is one of them xxx

[Vida]

When my HA started 10 years ago I started with fears of medical problems like you and then it spiraled into schizophrenia and psychosis. I actually worried so much and analyzed every single thought and sometimes thought I was thinking about hurting someone but I knew I wasnt. It was very frightening. I had a baby at that time and I was always so scared that I would hurt him. I saw a psychologist who conducted a test on me and determined I had GAD not schizophrenia. He didn't think I had schizo that's not why he tested me.
It's easy to get your mind going into all sorts of places. If you were schizophrenic you wouldn't worry about this.
Maybe see a dr about getting you on some medication and start CBT therapy.
Hugs

[Avasmummy_x]

Oh man herbie that's scared the life outta me as ive stopped watching horror films recently as im paranoid of stuff like that lol.

How did you both overcome this fear? It scares me more because it's not like you can have a scan or a blood test and get the all clear :(

I'm suffering real bad depersonalization and derealiseation with it which adds to my fear as they say they loose touch with reality ect.

I'm on 400mg of pregabablin and diazepam as and when needed. Going through cbt at the moment and waiting on my appointment for the physcologist x

[MyNameIsTerry]

No one then lol

Hi AV,

Trust me, its common, you see it on the GAD board off & on about schizophrenia, bipolar or thinking you are going crazy. There are a couple on there fairly recently. There isn't much traffic on the OCD board or it might be more common on there, especially with the intrusive thoughts issue as the Pure O stuff can be very worrying until you read about what it is and why it happens.

But, less so from a HA perspective it seems. This site has a lot of people with HA compared to GAD but if I'm honest, I've rarely seen it on the HA board so it is perhaps less common and more common in GAD? If so, if you are searching, you may find more on that board.

Here is a member posting in the HA and Depression board with the same worries as you are the moment so perhaps you can help each other?

http://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=164831
http://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=165008
http://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=165052

Please look at the responses in them, they will match what some of us have said on your other threads. I know its still going to be making you anxious and you've got the issues with waiting for your therapy (sounds like they need chasing up) and the meds, but its something on top of the responses here and they are relevant to you.

[herbie73]

Hi avasmummy, I was put on prozac, which helped a lot, I did have counseling, but I think it sort of run its course and eventually went, I was even scared to go into a church, cause I really thought I was evil, but I did get over it and that part of anxiety dosn't bother me anymore, eventually this worry will pass, try not to place to much importance on the thoughts, that gives them more power, if you need to talk I'm here xxxx

[Avasmummy_x]

Thanks herbie ive sent you a msg always warming knowing someones got through it.

Hi terry Thankyou. I agree it is slightly ocd ive posted in there already but like you say it's very quiet in there.

My doctor says its health anxiety as it is still health and wellbeing based but I do also have ocd and I obsess very easily. I'm just scared of everything lol.

My doctor emails them every appointment I have as I was reffered back in sept and still ive heard nothing. Xx

[MyNameIsTerry]

Yeah, this place is mostly HA, the Phobias & Misc boards is dead and the OCD & Depression boards get little traffic really. The GAD board sees as bit more though so you might find something on there.

Health & wellness are something found in GAD too but its the tendency to catastrophise, Google things to only see the worst and seek reassaurance that makes its more HA. With GAD, you can still feel a load of that but you tend to retain your ability to rationalise it better.

I think your GP should put a bit more effort into it. GP referral letters can be of less worth than if your GP gave them a call. My dad had a hernia op and was told to get his GP to refer him again if his pain complications didn't disappear and his GP sent one normal letter and an escalation and nothing happened in months and my dads follow up appointment came along anyway by then. His GP never informed him why nothing happened and when he asked he was given the usual GP brush off.

So, I think your GP needs to do what people all over the world do, if no one answers something written, you call them up as they can't ignore you then. Its just laziness really but all this communication failure really doesn't send out a good signal, I mean they could easily tell your GP that there were delays due to funding which is the same for their work and they would empathise but ignoring is just rude & arrogant really.