Originally Posted by
MyNameIsTerry
I guess for them on the other forum there is a limit to how anxiety has affected them. So, the irrational thought patterns and negative behaviours we engage in seem a bit OTT. Those that have learnt about mental health issues or been affected in some way will understand more but you can never really understand how it feels unless you go through it like many experiences in life.
Maybe there is the option to use both forums? Them for their support & knowledge on your eyes and us for thought patterns & behaviours? Many HAers, in my opinion, would really struggle with the line there so it depends heavily on you and how your anxiety works. I expect others on here will be able to offer advice on this from their experiences too which will obviously be worth hearing.
The thing about HA is - it's not a medical term. It's a sufferers term just as in OCD you have HOCD, TOCD, POCD, ROCD, etc. Medical manuals don't go that far into categorising them so they will have supporting documentation that covers known themes.
Under this sufferer's term of "HA" some OCD can be found. But the person could have a mixture that is seen as more "OCD related" (so in here you would find them posting about that more on the OCD board) but the underlying drivers and patterns that the professional uses to determine the name of the disorder isn't affected by this. Therefore, it's perfectly possible for any OCDer to have any theme including the ones that fall into this HA bucket.
For me, I don't. But there are plenty who are like me, only have a very limited number of themes, some who have tons of themes that jump around, and some that seem more related to health but are OCD sufferers.
Some "HA" can fall under GAD or the Somatoform Disorders. The latter have a lot of common aspects seen in OCD too. I think GAD tends to stick out as there is a lack of the obsessive-compulsive cycle but some can still have OCD "traits" that mean it's not enough to be diagnosed as OCD yet it still manifests in making them fall into the same traps to some extent.
Complicated stuff! But yes, it's perfectly reasonable to not have HA elements yet still experience anxiety over real health issues. When you see your OCD behaviours becoming involved, it's becoming a theme in your OCD. If you can identify cycles that are expected as OCD, then you will know. But some elements of OCD can be seen in any disorder too, such as trying to work out the difference between compulsion & safety behaviours.
Are you engaging in compulsions about your health?