Can't handle da HA

[AntsyVee]

I feel as though my own HA is just a manifestation of OCD, for what it's worth. The pattern of intrusive thoughts followed by needing to assuage them with self-checking is just too obvious.

Yeah, but you "see the light", Iris. We have a lot of HA'ers on here who seem to have no clue it's OCD. We also have another group who know it's OCD, but think feeding it with reassurance is okay.

[MyNameIsTerry]

Yeah, but you "see the light", Iris. We have a lot of HA'ers on here who seem to have no clue it's OCD. We also have another group who know it's OCD, but think feeding it with reassurance is okay.

I think they are hard to tell apart too. Some that appear so down the rabbit hole do sometimes let slip they understand it's anxiety...and why be here in the first place? Someone with a delusional disorder wouldn't waste their time here when they would go to the appropriate support group for their disease/condition.

A controversial factor in OCD has been insight. It has been argued some lack this but it's not accepted. I think this is where it gets complicated because there can be other mental health conditions in play, or ways if thinking, that spill over to interact with the anxiety disorder. Some struggle to take in information and I suspect this is where we might see this type of problem and perhaps professional help is more appropriate?

But there is also that argument about severity. Fever pitch anxiety can be hard to handle. When I was bombarded daily I spent well over a year doing the same daily routines and whilst I understand it was all detrimental and nonsense I just couldn't deal with stopping it. For some meds are a useful combination strategy for this reason because it might bring them down a little bit giving them the breathing space to then start to work on themselves. Whilst this wasn't the case for me, meds are what sent it so high, it was a matter of reducing my primary GAD down to a level so that it wasn't keeping my new OCD issue so high I was trapped by them.

I also question whether some just won't admit it but know deep down it's anxiety. They may be ashamed or embarassed so stick to seeking reassurance because they fear admitting it is failure.

Some also will be afraid to admit because once you do you then come to facing it. I can understand this myself because inertia has been a big problem for me over the years. Better the devil you know. It's anxiety doing it's job, keeping you safe. And this is where we learn that it's misfiring in situations it doesn't need to protect us from. But it is like putting your hand in the fire trying to change this as it can feel against all your instincts.

[MyNameIsTerry]

Hi Terry

I don't actually got HA but I can see the OCD connection because of obsessive thoughts. I never really come across it until I joined this here forum. I still don't know how I can help these guys. Docs must really hate the poor souls.

I guess this subject must of been discussed millions of times here sorry to revive it again.

Maybe I just answered my own question. Docs aren't too friendly towards HA sufferers so they is forced to come online.

My own experience of anxiety taught me that trying to beat it with logic don't work, you got to look for other ways

Don't worry about re-raising, Charlie. It may be useful to new people to see this discussion. After a while on here many things become repetitive anyway. Besides I bet a lot of us would rather see a discussion like this than yet another cancer, ALS, etc thread.

Yep, I agree. Logic only takes you so far. Many themes in anxiety are very much "out there" and much of our anxiety is illogical. And some themes can't be proved or disproved (i.e. solipsism, religious themes, violence or sexual themes which may be about the rest of your life remaining a possibility, etc) so acceptance methods are very important too.

I've never had HA themes in my anxiety either. Before I came here I attended a weekly drop in support group and HA was rarely mentioned. It was more about coping with the day to day, symptoms, work, battling the system for benefits, some overlap from the AA and NA meetings, etc. In over a year I barely heard about HA hence I didn't know much about it. Coming here showed it was dominant and this is why I wonder whether HAers avoid face-to-face support groups?

But don't do yourself down, you have plenty to offer. We all learn from each other anyway. I've learnt tons from people on here and continue to. You've offered excellent support on threads and it's clear you have a lot of life experience too. I consider myself very lucky not to have experienced many of the things people have on here but those that do bring another dimension to things that have to be experienced to truly understand.

[AntsyVee]

That is true Terry. It much more acceptable in society, especially if you are male, to have medical problems than it is to have mental health problems.

[lebonvin]

Hi Terry

Thanks for your nice reply

Charlie

[lebonvin]

Terry mentioned something really important what I struggle with a lot.

There are millions of folk out there with undiagnosed mental conditions who is in denial. They continue to be a pain in the ass to all folk around them who just say Oh they're a bit difficult or cranky or got a short temper.

Should we tell them? I guess pretty much all of us here can recognize mental conditions in other folk cozza our own experience.

But once they're adults, very difficult to interfere. This would be just about all my blood relatives and half of the folk living on my stretch. You know they ain't happy but what can you do.

Charlie

[Quinn1]

Hi Charlie,you can let relatives know that you are there for them if they need support.

How have been going.x

[Carys]

Terry mentioned something really important what I struggle with a lot.

There are millions of folk out there with undiagnosed mental conditions who is in denial. They continue to be a pain in the ass to all folk around them who just say Oh they're a bit difficult or cranky or got a short temper.

Should we tell them? I guess pretty much all of us here can recognize mental conditions in other folk cozza our own experience.

But once they're adults, very difficult to interfere. This would be just about all my blood relatives and half of the folk living on my stretch. You know they ain't happy but what can you do.

This just made me laugh, I love the language style.
I think it depends on how close you are to them, and just how 'unhappy' they are. I certainly wouldn't go blasting in with 'I think you have a mental health problem....' ....but certainly carefully and sensitively bringing things up in a supportive way to people you are very close to is surely ok. It shows you care ?!

[AntsyVee]

This just made me laugh, I love the language style.

Yes, Charlie sounds like he's from Jaw-juh That's Georgia for the rest of you who don't speak Suthun

[MyNameIsTerry]

That is true Terry. It much more acceptable in society, especially if you are male, to have medical problems than it is to have mental health problems.

Different challenges I bet. Men fear looking weak but how many women worry they will be stigmatised as over emotional as they always were for many things by men?