One of the most common symptoms of anxiety disorder is the belief that you’re going crazy.
You have the sense that you are losing your grip on reality and that you are literally on the verge of a mental breakdown. Anxiety disorder can cause a deep seated fear that sooner or later you’re simply going to go mad.
However, despite this overwhelming fear of possible insanity, the fact that you fear it, and are aware of insanity as a state of being, is precisely why you’re not crazy.
Crazy means a lot things to a lot of people, however, for the sake of clarity let’s say that for our purposes crazy means a mixture of insanity and psychosis . Let’s look at insanity first and how it is normally defined. In the United States, insanity is no longer a medical term and, in fact, is mainly used in legal definitions.
You have heard people say that someone is “legally insane” generally meaning that they cannot comprehend the meaning of “right” and “wrong”. They simply don’t understand what it means to do something horrible, like killing another human being, for example.
Under this definition of crazy or insane would you qualify as such a person? If you have an anxiety disorder the answer is no. You have your mental faculties in order, and you know exactly what right and wrong mean. You know the social norms of society and you follow them.
In other words, you don’t walk around with your underwear on your head because you know that society views this as unacceptable behavior. The second and highest level of so called crazy is a mental state of delusion and abstraction known as psychosis.
Psychosis is associated with conditions like bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. These conditions fall under the psychotic types of mental illness. These conditions are debilitating brain disorders that can seriously hinder ones life.
When someone is psychotic they may hear voices or have hallucinations. In addition they might have a serious paranoia and a feeling that everyone is out to get them.
When someone is deemed psychotic they exhibit disorganized thinking and strange behaviors of various kind. Their very perception of reality is not what you would call “normal.”
It is seriously distorted and disconnected from normal definitions of reality. Moreover one of the most critical aspects of psychosis that does not affect anxiety sufferers is a lack of insight.
Having a lack of insight is just another way of saying that you don’t know that you are behaving or acting strangely. As an anxiety sufferer you spend a lot of time thinking you’re crazy or on the verge of crazy but if this were true than you wouldn’t know it. You simply would not be aware of the fact that your thoughts and behavior were strange or “crazy.”
When you have anxiety you are certainly filled with dread and worry. You experience psychosomatic sensations that make you feel terrible and make you think that you might die soon. It’s pretty scary sometimes.
But the bottom line is that your level of mental fitness is not the same as someone that is psychotic or crazy – it’s much better.
You have the ability to make sound decisions, you don’t hear or see things that aren’t there, and you know the difference between real and unreal. Even if you experience feelings of unreality, or dream like states, you are still aware of them as such.
Unfortunately if you were to ask someone tagged as crazy if they were actually crazy, they would probably say something like “crazy, who me?” They just wouldn’t know that they were in mental distress the same way that you would be able to know.
As you can see you just don’t fit the profile of an insane or psychotic person. So the conclusion must be that you are not crazy. When you have anxiety disorder will you have tricks of vision? Yes. Will you have strange sensations and worry all the time?
Yes. But despite this your condition is a completely different tier of mental ailment. You have an anxiety disorder and you will not graduate to a greater and more terrible mental state.
You’re an excessive worrier racked with tremendous amounts of stress, but you are not crazy by any stretch of the imagination.
Hi everybody, nice to read your posts – reassuring. There’s nothing like
support from people who are suffering from the same thing. I have to tell
you, though, that I have found a medication that totally takes away my
anxiety and panic attacks. It is called Hydroxyz Pam and it is not
addictive. I have taken 25mg a few times now, about 8 hours apart, and
am feeling so much better. I find it works like magic. See if you can get
your doctor to prescribe it for you. Let us know how it works.
Thanks to randy! What happened to you also is exactly what i went through with the weed situation so its nice to know somebody else shares my experience. I just feel crazy at times cuz I have bad sinus probs to and mixed with anxiety my head feels so cloudy at times.. But the support helps a great deal 😀
I am wondering how to beat this. I have tried to pin point my anxiety and I have figured out that I have fear of being in a different state of mind because to me being in a different state of mind are people who are crazy and do bad things, I have always associated the two. I fear taking things for my anxiety because then I will be in a differnt state of mind. I fear if I will ever sleep walk. I have always believed that the people that do, do bad things are crazy there is something wrong with them mentally (different state of mind). I am wondering if anyone has any type of ways of thinking to stop this. I have done the whole this isnt me thing and I know its my anxiety. I have always been such a laid back person and LOVED life and everyone in it. I do have hashimotos and I wonder if once I get my levels right if this will go away completley.
Hi all first of all I’d like to say that you are not alone! I’ve recently just overcome really bad anxiety. I’ve had all the thoughts of going crazy, thoughts of hurting loved ones, (the worst of all) just to let you know your not going crazy, your thoughts and essentially yourself are your own worst enemy. It does get better eventually and I know you think right now that it never will but trust me no matter how bad you have anxiety it will get better, I didn’t go to a doctor or even talk to anyone about it due to fear what people might think, I just rode it out and came through it, I would advise that you try and keep yourself busy through out the day, sitting at home doing nothing only makes it worse, if you keep the mind occupied it helps a lot. Remember the fact that we fear it is a good thing and shows how good our mental awareness actually is! I hope this helps someone, and puts their mind at ease a little. Best of luck and remember you are not alone!
I wrote on this site last week, but somehow my comments went unheard. I would like to tell everybody again that you do not need to suffer anxiety or even panic attacks. At all. Never, never again. There is a simple remedy. Go to your doctor, get him/her to prescribe HYDROXY PAM 25mg. It really works, it does, and it is not addictive. Works like a charm. I take it 8 hours apart if I feel the beginnings of anxiety, and it always works. Why suffer from this horrible symptom. Make it easy on yourself. Don’t resist. Don’t allow yourself to feel bad all the time. Just take one little pill and I guarantee you WILL feel better. I hope this time I have convinced somebody. Regards, now ANXIETY free.
Hi my name is stephanie and im 23 years old… most of the time ive felt alone dealing with my panic and anxiety… ive delt with it most of my life and ive been to counsilling in the past…recently i had a nightmare and got woken up in the middle of it screaming during the process of waking up i had a severe panic attack because i was scared fron how realistic the dream was that i was actaully awake because of how my body was feeling…i know sounds weird but i have a tendency to over think biig time… and since that nightmare my anxiety has been through the roof… i feel detached from myself and like im not here but i am… half the time i feel like im going nuts but this always seems to happen when im stress level is at a high and it is because im out of work and need a job. I was reading some of the other stories and i cant tell you the sigh of relief i felt seeing other people have shared my exact feelings to the T… like same thoughts everything…i bookmarked this page i think im gonna need it because sometime this this isnt something simple everythings going to be ok statement from mom can fix.
Stefanie, do you get awful thoughts like me? 🙁
Hi my name is charlene I am 24 nd have 4 young kids I have suffered from anxiety nd panick attacks for about 2 years the panick attacks didn’t really happen till about a year ago I take beta blockers for them though the don’t really help ma anxiety I am so scared that I am losing my mind I always fear that I am having a heart attack if I get pains in my chest or in ma arm or if I have a headache I feel its a brain tumour or a hemorage I get so scared nd worry about the silliest things ever I feel like its starting to take over me my mind always feels as if its not responding or well I don’t know how to explain it but its like itss jumping from one worry to another worry nd I feel unwell sometimes my bones get sore I get sick or cramps in my tummy indegestion heartburn I take omeprazole for them and they help a lot is it all just in my mind or am I going crazy keep thinkin because they way my heads working right now that I am going bipolour or phycosis I am really frightened I have anti depressent but won’t take them because of the side effects in them I have been told to go for cbt cogneil behaviour therapy but I don’t know
hey guys! Just stopping by again, i always do when my anxiety is high. Its always nice to check back that you aren’t alone and that other people do suffer from the same thoughts. I had some people mention similar things growing up. I was wondering, did anyone here get to watch horror movies when they were very young? around 4-9?
haha Yes…and it really impacted me. I was so scared and thought what if the movies were real? I was obbessed with these thoughts and really impacted me.
sorry same sentence twice…watching the football game.
Sorry I haven’t been on in a while. I’ve been trying to work on myself and get better…. even though the intrusive thoughts are still there, I am trying to not let things bother me as much. Which turns into me thinking I must be going nuts… but it is getting better. I am getting more confidence in my ability to say “I am not crazy!” I can sense when my anxiety wants to come back – like, did you just hear that? sounded like ___, when I know my anxiety is wanting me to start to worry again about it. (Tip – it has helped me to make my anxiety into something else. Like, if your body is like a village, the intense anxiety can be the crappy neighbors next door.)
Look, you will all be ok! Again, sorry I haven’t really replied – but I agree with all of you that have posted. It is so nice to get these emails about people who have the same issues.
@Randy – Sort of. Haha. I am a really sensitive person, and was even more so as a kid. Like, everything had feelings. You know? I wouldn’t change that – it just could be a lot to handle at some points. So, when I was in middle school, I went through a point where I couldn’t even watch Law and Order because that scared me. But I never watched horror/scary movies. Only action. I can’t imagine what you all must have gone through!
Dear Charlene
I felt really bad for you when I read your post, but am so glad you had the courage to write to all of us. It is dreadful to feel so afraid, especially
having to look after four young children. I cannot imagine the responsibility you feel. Do you have any help from anyone? Family? Friends? First let me tell you that you are not going crazy because if you were going crazy you would not know it. You would not be here asking that question. Does that make sense to you? As for bipolar, I have had that for all my life, and even that is treatable these days. Very few people have bipolar, though, and even fewer have schizophrenia. What you have, by the sound of it, is anxiety and panic attacks (there is nothing worse than this in my mind). By all accounts you are definitely not taking care of yourself. People can suggest you do this or that, but at the end of the day only you can help yourself. I do hope you have a good doctor/psychiatrist as that is essential to feeling well. As you realize that being prescribed anti depressants and not taking them is a sure prescription for even more unnecessary anxiety. And the other medication is not for anxiety, it is for hiatus hernia! I, and thousand of others, go to a psychologist for cognitive behavior therapy. It is very common, and teaches you how to handle stress and negative thought patterns. There is a great deal of information on the web (library if you do not have a computer.
AS I HAVE SAID OVER AND OVER AGAIN – THERE IS A HIGHLY EFFECTIVE MED FOR CURING ANXIETY THE MOMENT IT COMES ON. IT IS CALLED HYDROXYZ PAM, AND IS NOT ADDICTIVE. IT CAN BE TAKEN AT ANY TIME, AND RELIEVES ANXIETY LIKE A DREAM. WHY DO PEOPLE NOT GIVE THIS MED A TRY. BEATS ME. I WOULD LIKE TO HEAR FROM ANYONE WHO HAS TAKEN IT AND HAD IMMEDIATE SUCCESS WITH THEIR ANXIETY. I WISH I HAD RED INK UNDERLINED ON THIS VERSION OF THE WEB.OTHERWISE YOU WILL JUST HAVE TO TAKE IT FROM ME THAT IT WORKS. GOOD LUCK.
Maureen
Dear all,
Here is an example of taking Hydroxz Pam. Two days ago I went to the beauty shop to get my hair cut and colored. For some reason, I am terrified to go to beauty shops, and go as little as I can, maybe every two months. The only reason I can think of is that I feel trapped in that chair, for someone to do what they like to me. And I must trust them.Anyway, I had made up my mind to go through with this process so I went along. The anxiety I felt was so high that when they asked me my name, I said the wrong the name, then when my particular hairdresser came up to greet me, I said hello and my name. Can you imagine what a fool I felt? I just hoped the other women in there didn’t think I WAS CRAZY. So I sat down and started to shake inside. I realized immediately what was happening, so asked the hairdresser for a glass of water, and took a Hydroxyz Pam while I was trying to do deep breaths. After about 20 I could feel myself relaxing and all the anxiety slipping away. I was able to get my breath back and the pain in my throat had eased. I survived another hair-dresser attack! and my hair looks great!!!
Yeah, i watched it all. I used to love watching forensic files a few years back but i think that may have contribute to my constant paranoia of getting hurt plus i don’t kno y but i still scare myself watching those horrific scary movies…
It’s so nice to see everyone elses experiences with this horrible “disorder” or whatever you would like to call it. Right now i can say that I’m at the peak point of my anxiety, and it is awful. Ever since i was a little girl i had anxiety for things, such as that i would get kidnapped if i wasn’t with my parents or monsters… the ‘normal’ kid worries but the only difference was i thought about them all the time. Now that i’m older my anxiety has turned into the thoughts that i am going to go insane and become a killer or do horrible and terrible things to others or myself. I think about it all the time…i think to the point where i don’t even feel as though i’m alive, it is the strangest feeling. I am so lost in life and i feel like i don’t even know who i am anymore. I feel like i have more than an anxiety problem and that i’m slowly going to go insane. It is awful. I don’t know what to do.
Carmen…been there…but know that its in not true and you wont do those things, and that you feel this way..but you KNOW its not this way. it will help. Your ok..besided maybe have a anxiety issue that leads to theese feelings…you are ok.
I TO HAVE BEEN HAVING WHAT THE DR SAY ARE PANIC ATTACKS ITS BEEN 3 WEEKS SINCE I HAVE DROVE ANYWHERE BY MY SELF AND I KNOW ITS A BURDON ON MY WIFE BECAUSE I WANT HER WITH ME 24/7 BECAUSE I AM ALWAYS SCARED I KNOW THIS SOUNDS CRAZY BUT MY MIND JUST KEEPS TELLING ME SOMTHING IS WRONG WITH ME AND I CANT MAKE IT GO AWAY I CAN BE TALKING TO SOMEONE AND ALL OF A SUDDEN JUST START FEELING REALLY WEIRD AND ITS REALLY SCARY
Billy trust me when i tell you that you arent thr only one…. i havent left my older sisters side in two weeks. Ive seen a dr. And im going to counsilling…. she makes me get up.. she makes me go outside… if it wasnt for her id be sitting in a corner all.day… my thoughts.race.and.its.terrifying…. having someone to lean on is a good thing
Im am sooo glad i found this site, anxiety hit me about a month ago and im not even close to the same person i was. My biggest fear is losing my mind. I have terrible fears! Does anyone else shake all day? I know that med would help but but I am sooo scared of the side effects like phycosis that comes with them!! and @ Sam what kind of awful thoughts??
I have these intense thoughts that im going crazy..that Im gonna go Schitzo or catatonic… like Im loosing my mind… i shake sweat cry.. my dr put me on a VERY low grade Xanax and zoloft and it seems to be taking the edge off.. but most of all I feel so disconnected from everyone around me family included that im afraid im gonna forget everyone and or be forgotten.. and what threw me into all this was a freaking nightmare I had… my sister shocked me awake because I was sitting up screaming and I couldnt tell whether or not i was in a dream world or awake so Im perpetuating this fear that im gonna wake up somewhere else that I dont know and be alone… My thoughts keep racing through every single memory i have had Im scared im gonna get lost in my head and thoughts and not come out of them.. or that Im not real.. I dont know it makes perfect sense to me.. the dr says im not schizo… I mean I dont see things or hear voices.. I just see things at night.. like Nightmares.. and I guess that made me feel like for that one moment i wasnt in control i was alone and i didnt know where i was.. and I thought i was awake and I wasnt.. and I just cant seem to shake that feeling and or fear… I just feel like an empty shell… i feel like time is flying.. i feel like the last 10 years of my life havent happened.. i dunno like i said makes sense to me… I guess whats really fueling this is going to sleep and waking up…
Stephanie i have felt similar to that before..well kind of not really. What happened to me was i had a couple dreams and once couldnt tell if it was real or not, i was looking for this thing i saw in my dream but i didnt know if it was realy there and i lost it or i it was only in my dreams..i almost had a panic attack one day because of it and my mind was likr going blank and i kept thinking if i was in a dream or real life and i was freaking out.
& now what i was going to say. I have been having alot of problems with my social anxiety lately :/ there is this guy that we have liked eachother for 2 years now but i moved to another country for a year and for some reason i didnt talk to him much. Well i am back now and really like him again. I guess we were kind of talking & then i saw him at the football game holding hands with another girl. My friends flipped shit and it was awkward that night. I didnt show it but i was really hurt and sad but i was. He texted me that night but i saw it the next morning and he was saying he needed to talk to me in person. Well i never talked to him and always busy and my social amxiety is taking over and i get nervous and scared to hang out with him. It is 2 weeks later and he just texted me 2 days ago but i forgot to text back. I feel soo bad and i want to talk to him but my damn social anxiety :/ i have avoided so many times to hang out even though i want to soo bad! I just really like him and dont want to see him with another gurl or to give up on me. I have been feeling depressed about it lately and thinking ill never find anyone again. Im just scared to hang out and my SAD takes over…i never havr hung out with a guy before and thats the reason why. I just grt awkward and dont know what to do. Like if he is at my housr what do we do? Or how do we act? I just need help. I hatr it. Everyone seems so natual when they hang out and its no big deal but for me its so hard. He lives right around the corner from me so its easy for us to see eachother. Ive hung out with him plenty of times but with other peoplr and its fine but alone its just so hard :/ i just want to see him so bad and talk but im so bad at holding conversations and the only thing that goes through my mind is how im acting or what to say next and i feel like there will be alot of silence..i really just hate it…
Hi my name is Erika and I’m 20 yrs old. I had my first panic attack when I was 15 yrs old. I still remember that feeling, it was like if I was going to die for from a heart attack. Which I thought was true, so I started eating a healthy diet . After that I got panic attacks sometimes, rarely . Just 3 months ago I had atpanic attack , just as bad as the first one, that’s when I decide to look up my symptoms, and that’s how I know I had and have panic attack, and while reading this people wrote they were scare to get another panic attack, so I started worrying also. This lead to me being scared to get another panic attack anywhere. Then I started to feel like my body was floating, like I didn’t weight nothing, basically like if I was in a dream . Then this intrusive thoughts started, I had thoughts of hurting my boyfriend and daughter.I got so scared that i got up from my bed and left to the bathroom just because I was afraid I was going to act on this thoughts. Then I decided I wanted to know what I have so I decided to look up my symptoms again online, then schizophrenia came up as one of those symptoms. I got terrified that I cried all night. I was scare this at any moment I was going tip start hearing things that weren’t there or that I was going to see things that weren’t there . This lead to me start making up voices in my head ( which I know they were my own thoughts) . Everything I heard and saw I made sure too ask anyone I was with if they saw what I saw (which they did) . Then the thoughts of me jumping in front of the train enter my head, It’s like my thoughts were telling to jump in front of the train and I wad terrified that my body would act on this thoughts. This is when I knew I had enough and I went to seek help. Instead of them understanding the hospital staff took it wrong and decided me to stay in the hospital for a week . They diagnose me with depression and a brief psychotic disorder. They gave me 10mg of celexa and 1 mg of risperidone. After I got homemedication only made me worse. I still had thisintrusive thoughts, and myfore. I was actually depress, I would cry every day because I thought I would never get better. I looked up your medication I was taking online and I read that risperidone is an anti psychotic medication (which in the hospital they told me it was for anxiety). After I read that I immedia tely stop taking it. I only took risperidone for 2 weeks, and then after the 3rd week I stopped takiabecause it was also making me feel worse than before. I feel a lot better without the medication. But now I’m scared that I’m going to gort my daughter or my family, or that I would randomly hurt or kill people. I’m scared that I won’t know that I’m going crazy. Please help me, I live in fear of myself everyday . I can’t even stay at home with my daughter or play with her, I can’t enjoy things I once did because of this constant fear and when I do feel fine I get scared because I’m like does mean mean I’m going crazy because I feel fine. Can doctors misdiagnosed anxiety and intrusive thoughts? And I’m going to go psychotic, crazy or schizophrenic ??? Help!!
Erika…. im not a doctor but im going through and have gone through the
same thing you are… i tried to convince my sister to hospitalize me because like you i looke up mental disorders and being schitzo popped up so i convinced myself thats what was happening to me i told my aunt
t how i was feeling cuz i felt like i was in a dream world like nothing was real cuz of a horrible nightmare i had that threw me into a panic attack the anxiety of it wouldnt go away neither would the intrusive thoughts.. so i made a dr appointment i was crying everyday sweating all the works… he put me on zoloft and a very mild dose of xanax like .5 miligrams and a sleep aid.. im still getting used to the meds but i can focus more and im in counsilling.. let me tell you how great it is to hear you arent crazy.. going to a hospital is the worst thing you can do unless you are feeling suicidal or homicidal… fearing it is different it makes you anxious its the what if factor
that can make you feel crazy.. i struggle with it daily and being put on high dose antipsycotic when you arent will make you worse rispidone however you spell it is for schizos and if you arent it will make you worse.. go see a doctor of internal medicine or a psychiatrist because yes the e.r. can misdiagnose because they are revolving doors for people and only really care about life and death situations.. you need someone who knows what they are doing in that field to help you… trust me you arent alone the mind plays tricks on you especially while you are on an anxiety high..
Also the what if feeds the fear you know you wont but it terrifies you remember that.. and most of the time its over ourselves and the ones we love most because of the fear off losing them.. and the anxiety fuels that and losing your mind
Stephanie…I’m kind of better knowing I’m not alone, I went to see a new therapist and she hasn’t exact told me what I have. I still struggling with me becoming crazy or schitzo. The reason I got admitted to the hospital its because the hospital staff thought I was a danger to myself and others since I told them I had thoughts of jumping in front of the train and had thoughts of hurting my daughter and boyfriend. Which I did not want to do and was afraid I was going to act on them. My hospital stay was horrible, I’m terrified to go back because all they do in the psycho. Unit is give you medication no therapy. I’m so desperate to go back to my old self again. How are you coping with this, I’m so desperate to get better. I feel emotionally numb. I know I love my daughter boyfriend and family I just cant feel it I want my feeling back :'(
Well i see a dr.of internal medicine along with a counsiller go to a dr. And tell him or her what you are.expirencing and for how long and usually they will give you something to cope…remember its the fear. They will ask you if how you are feeling and just describe the.anxiety and the mood with it and learn breathing techniques since you have had a kid im sure you know.a.few you need meds that will help level you out because right now you are imbalanced and thats why its not going away sometimes you need that extra boost to kickstart the healing process and /only a.psychiatrist or dr. Can diagnose you a therapist can reccommend unless they have.a.certain liscence for that. Reassurance is key focus on a game or movie or.your.baby and hold on until you get on the right meds…
This has brought me so much closer because drugs has corrupted my mine an it was a pill that I didn’t know of, and for 6 years I have suffer episodes thinking that I might be clinically insane. Thanks so much for this break down!
Stephanie I’m so scared to go back to the doctor. I’m afraid they’re going to admitted me again and I really do not want that because that means I’m going to be away from my daughter again. I did make an appointment for a psychiatrist for next week, so hopefully he can help me out and hopefully I wont have to take medication. I just want to get better and not fear myself everyday.
This article was exactly what I needed to hear. I have had anxiety since I was 13, though for about 8 years or so it had disappeared as my psychologist said it might. But now it’s back and with a vengeance!
I recognize that feeling of dread that just seams to fill my stomach with lead. All these “what if” thoughts in my head lead me to believe that, with questioning everything, I am becoming insane. But as I am talking with you here, I have little reason to claim that I am “insane” though it certainly feels like it!
I got diagnosed with OCD, to be exact, when I was 13 (I am 21 now). I did not do any of the strange rituals such as obsessively wash my hands but my ritual was to constantly seek reassurance that I was not dying. I would always fear for my health and that I was going to die from whether it be from cancer or some other strange illness. I was convinced that there was something wrong with me. When I was young, I wasn’t very compliant but I really did not need to be for long….it went away on its own.
Now I feel like I must do something or my life is over. I got married, moved out, am going to school as well as working….my life does not offer the free time it once did. You would think all this would keep my mind off of things when it really makes them worse. I cannot sleep at night because my mind is racing with what-ifs. I feel like I can’t even relax enough to do my breathing exercises. IT takes every ounce of my will power to shut my mind up long enough to meditate and do what needs to be done. That, in itself, is very exhausting and frustrating. I get that there are many sufferers out there such as myself, but I feel caged now…like no one knows my mind better than myself and no one really understands what is going on. That I am trapped in a personal Hell. That in itself is really scary.
I deal with Anxiety also, I was doing good, and thought that I had escaped it for this year and then all of a sudden it hit me. My anxiety makes me wonder all the time, like what are people thinking about and stupid stuff like that, stuff I really dont care about but because of this Horrible thing called anxiety it is just hard to toss it out my mind. I cant wait for this to go away im really tired of this and can wait to get back to myself. Happy go lucky. Anyone else with this problem?
Thank you so much for this. I have just recently been dx with OCD and intrusive thoughts. I truly did think I was an insane person, and thought “how on earth could anyone think these things and not be crazy?” but reading things like this even when I am in a panic mode, helps. It makes me realize that I’m not alone in this, and it is in fact totally okay. Overactive mind is how I have to explain it to myself. This was very well explained, and it extremely helpful. So again, just wanted to say thank you!
PS…for those of you who go through intrusive thoughts and have anxiety, know your not alone! And you really truly ar not crazy! 🙂
Hey everyone, Im back because I need this little piece of information to sort of help my brain to know that im not going crazy. But lately i have felt worse then ever before and I need to know if this is just my generalized anxiety disorder or if i have another mental issue that needs to be looked into. And whats going on is I have been having constant paranoia, I get it mainly when I goto school & feel anxiety because of it. But the WORST thing i have been experiencing now is, the constant dwelling thought that im going to Hurt my boyfriend, though i never want too I keep fearing when he sleeps i might (hate to say it) kill him, and the image runs in my head of if i did and how im crazy and im just torchering myself 🙁 then now i feel like its getting worse because now I keep having the fear and paranoia that i might even hurt my mom or her boyfriend, and im scared to be alone with any of them because I never want them to get hurt. So i talked to them abouut it and they say im fine, but honestly im dying inside I feel like such an awful horrible person to have such thoughts that i could do such a thing. And I think i cant get rid of these thoughts because I do not know what my real fear of it is.. Idk if its because I believe the thoughts are gonna torcher me so much that im driven to do it because it drives me insane or the thought that sometimes I feel so much derealization (Dream-like state) that I believe im insane and no longer in control of my actions though I do control everything that I do….It sounds crazy to me even sharing this with people but I need help to make this go away. I just want to be normal again..I have never been a violent person…Never even been in a fight lol. But for some reason the fear is still there… &&Im scared the thought may get worse. because everytime im happy or doing something normal ill stop and alittle thought will pop in my head and be negative ill start to think but thoughts like dont forget what u thought about ur family and how u might hurt them..and then im like im crazy…and i dont even get full on panic attacks anymore my body is calm, its just my mind thats constantly thinking and veranalyzing every little thing…idk if this is my anxiety giving me all these paranoias or if im insane please help me find outt. This thought came out of nowhere in the middle of the night 5 months ago…dont know where it could have came from and maybe thats why it bothers me is because nothing caused it i just woke up went to lay back down and bamm! this horrible thought came in my head causing anxiety…help :/ Nobody here understands me i feel like an insane freakk…im only 19yrs old 🙁
I have being at war with my anxiety for 5 years now, im now 25. I feel like I am on top of it most of the time. I use herbal remedys to keep it at bay, which I can not thank enough.
Unfortunatly with my anxiety comes fatigue.. So I am drinking coffee again which is triggering bad symptoms. I feel sick at the thoughts in my head and I dont want to tell anyone , because as well all know – being classed as crazy is a huge fear for all of us. I lay in bed with the love of my life, my soul mate and had thoughts of killing him. I know this is generally popular symptom of anxiety but I feel sick ashamed and very scared , I had to convince myself to stay in bed and not move and not think about it. I have spent today stressing so much over it I am now ill, I have had my worst anxiety over losing him or something terrible happening to him, and here I am thinking of killing him. This disorder is the most frightening thing at times. And you ALL are the bravest people I know because we deal with it everyday.
This is very very helpful and reassuring I am so glad I have found this website it has been a lifesaver to me
Glad to hear it Fiona!
This article has been very comforting. I have been feeling like I am going nuts. Why do I constantly worry. I started having panic attacks since last week (3 of them) It started when I almost choked on food. I could hardly eat afterward and had to retrain myself how to swallow. I know that I’m not crazy. I have a good sense of humor, have a full time job and my own place. When I start to feel jittery I just tell myself, Yo Relax! Its all good.
My doctor said it best when I said I’d probably end up in a mental institution:
“The only people who end up there are the ones that don’t really think they should be there.” In other words, those who think they are crazy/going crazy are the ones who truly are not.
I concur with your doctor. =)
Paul
When I was 21 years old (now 26) I went through what the doctor called an acute nervous breakdown which ended in adrenal fatigue . I lost 12 kilos off my already small frame I looked pale and sick all the time I couldn’t eat , sleep or even be in a room on my own . I had severe panic attacks and was in a form of acute anxiety 24/7 . I had to give up work as I couldn’t even leave my house . In the end after numerous attempts at natural medicines I went to my doctor and told him I felt like I had lost my mind and was worried I would end up going crazy. His words to me were ” if you worry you’re going to go crazy ” then it means you never will be crazy and its true. I was given SSRIS which within 2 days I started to feel minor changes in my mental state and since then have gotten 100% back to normal . I have developed a form of GAD as a result of this breakdown and will be on SSRIS for the rest of my life but am able to function totally and completely normal and sane in everyday life since . It took me a total of 2 years to fully recover from my breakdown and knowing how bad I was to what I am now it is a fact that anyone can and will make a full recovery.
Thank you so much for writing this. As a constant worrier myself, I always feel and am aware when my anxiety strikes. After researching a ton of articles about anxiety, and the fear of going crazy… This one’s the best! I actually understand how when a person is anxious, the littlest thing like being overly tired can make them think their going crazy, only because of the fact that their so aware. I always feel like I’m “losing grip”, but it never happens. I also feel that what we eat has an impact on our minds. Another good point is whenever I eat sugar-based products, my anxiety will strike. Not sure if it’s some-kind of intolerance to sugar, but I feel like white sugar is awful for me, and makes my anxiety worse. Stay away from sugar for even a day; you may notice a huge difference.
Thank you so much for writing this! I feel normal besides being overly worried and fearing I am crazy or that i seem crazy. I needed this, you released so much anxiety!
Thanks for sharing your info. I truly appreciate your efforts and I will be waiting for your next write ups thank you
once again.
So caring about your job means you have anxiety? I think that in this world we are to soft as a human race…..we weren’t meant to be taking pills and having surgeries…..we were meant to live and die like animals…..strongest live the rest fall be the way side….i was just told tonight that I have an anxiety problem….the first thing the dr wanted to do was give me a pill….adavan or xanax…
Either or im not taking either….do you see the side effects of these things!!!! I’d rather ppl think I’m crazy then take those pills. I’m not sure if I’m heading down the right path with this but I sure know they ain’t filling the me with pills…..not this guy!
Hey oilfield stress, I admire your toughness, but I just hope it doesn’t land you in a world of unnecessary suffering. If you decide to not take medications that’s just fine, just hope you do address your anxiety in some other healthy way.
I feel this way everday, I feel like I’m losing my mindi or I’m diisconnected in my body. I sometimes get scared for no reason an my heart races faster to a certain point that I panic that I’m going crazy or something bad is gonna happen to me. Even when I look in the mirror I’m so scared that I’m not my normal self anymore. I worry so much and as a result I’ve lost interest in spending time with friends cause I’m scared that they actually notice that something is wrong with me. It’s terrifying and I don’t know how to tell my parents. I think I’m going to break anyday. Please help
This page helps me. The stress of too many things really had me at times. Actually listening to this page helped me to decide how to make my anxiety begin to digress. Everyone kept telling me that I wasn’t crazy, but I just wouldn’t believe them. I bookmarked this page and would read it from time to time. Now, my anxiety feelings are few and far in between! Good luck everyone, don’t give up on yourself. This too shall pass. 😉
Thanks for being supportive of others Kevin. I appreciate you!
This page really helped calm me down. I had the worst panic attack of my life last night. At 24 years old, living in my own house with my girlfriend, I had to get my Mum to pick me up and bring me to our family home. This morning I literally cried in my Mum’s arms because I thought I was going insane. I realised, through reading this page, that having thoughts of going insane is concrete proof that I am not going insane. It has put my mind to rest. Thank you.
Thank you!!
I generally am quite good with dealing with my anxiety these days. Learning how to float, keep busy and stay positive. However, I think I have had a bit of a setback, and the scary thoughts I have been having is that I am going to go crazy/get schitstophrenia/get major paranoia.
I am aware that I am not crazy right now, but is it possible to think/imagine yourself into a certain state? Im a bit scared of my thoughts still because I think (probably wrongly) that I can think myself into certain states of mind or states of being.
Just want a little confirmation that this is in fact not true and I can get on with discarding these thoughts as not important!
Many thanks
hi im 22 i have this anxiety 4yrs ago, i overcame it without any medications or appointing any doctors.just reading others thoughts too and if its the first time you know that youre not the only one having these was a big relief. you can surely overcame it like i did follow the natural remedies like go out make yourself busy into something,hang with other peoples HAVE FUN! sitting inside or somewhere else thinking about these negatives wont help. eat healthy.dont stay late,even we know that sleeping at night is a challenge.stop smoking,stop caffein intake,keep away on stressful things.make your life still productive. i overcame all the strange feelings i had before though sometimes even today or in the future it might comeback as what i experienced but theyre a way more manageable than before.and its not back to stay for long. i suggest to you that you should accept it at first as a part of your daily life be calm and be patient to do all that i stated above thats the blueprint and the magic will blow your mind it will just disappear 🙂 cheer up.life is great its just a challenge to be overcome. YOU AND ME ARE ALL FINE!
from the Philippines 23 male
Hello,
I’ve been suffering from anxiety and resulting depression for almost 2 years now. At the onset, like all of you, I felt that I had just gone plum crazy overnight. It was the scariest thing I’ve ever experienced in my life. At times I still have to convince myself that I suffer from anxiety and have not lost my mind. It started with an intrusive thought about wanting to harm my then girlfriend. I spiraled into constant panic attacks for days. I still struggle quite a bit. I also suffer from OCD, which causes me to obsess over the intrusive thoughts. I think I have always had a mild case of anxiety & OCD, but the last couple years it has jumped to a much more serious level. I’m 33 and my therapist advised that these things tend to manifest in early adulthood. In January I was started on 25 mg of Zoloft. I took that dosage for about a month, then upped to 50 mg for a month. I’m now and have been on 75 mg for about a month. I’ve noticed some mild improvement regarding the anxiety and intrusive thoughts. I’m now struggling with apathy and feeling disconnected from everyone. I haven’t been at peace or felt that “happy” feeling since the thoughts started 2 years ago. I’m really tired of struggling 24/7. I haven’t looked forward to waking up and starting my day in a long time. I miss my “old self” so much it hurts. I’ve since spoken to my GP and they suggested I stay on the 75 mg for another month and monitor my progress. My therapists mentioned that I may need a different medication that helps with Dopamine. I’m also looking into consulting a psychiatrist about what meds I should consider. Has anyone gone through similar dosages of Zoloft? Does anyone have any suggestions on how I can get my life back? I’m really tired of struggling. I have a lot of things I’m thankful for in my life and just can’t seem to feel any sense of joy, EVER! Thanks to all who take the time to read my post.
Anxiety panic fear can be controlled.you can watch your thoughts and change them.ask your self if any of your Anxiety fear is real.are you in the future? Or the past ? We have no controll. The past is gone the future dose not Exsist we only Have Here & now this moment. So if we live in today we get to choose how we want to spend this Beautiful day that is freely givver to us All.you do not have to think past today be in the. Here & now of all there is.think only positive thoughts Love Is all you need to give & Revive you only have control over what you think say & do.thoughts will come in & out of your head does not mean they are true. You can kick negative thoughts to the curb & replace them with Loveing Healling soothing kind thoughts.this is how I make my Anxiety more peaceful. Eve r y thing is really ok If I think the right thoughts.thanks f or listening
I suffer from severe anxiety. I don’t drive, and I’m afraid to drive with anyone–though I’ll let my husband drive me somewhere. I really don’t like to leave my house. Even then, I’m often afraid that the house will collapse. When I’m in a social situation, I can barely speak. I’ve suffered anxiety all of my life, but my anxiety has gotten much worse with middle age and menopause. Anymore, it seems like I’m scared of just about everything.
Recently, I truly had a scary experience. My husband and I had to stay at a motel while our dog had surgery out of town. A gang, who was apparently running a prostitution and drug ring at the motel, terrorized and intimidated us. Why? I don’t know. I think they believed that we saw too much when we took our dog out to relieve herself. We had to flee the motel in the middle of the night.
Tonight, I was in the kitchen washing dishes, and my thoughts were on that gang and the possibility of them pursuing us. My anxiety was building and my thoughts can run very deep. My son came in from work, and the moment I saw him, I screamed. I don’t see too well, and the first thing that registered in my mind was that a male was entering the kitchen.
He glared at me as if I’d done something horrible, didn’t say a word to me as he put away his groceries, then he walked out. It seemed like he was punishing me. His lack of understanding and empathy really hurts. He makes me feel even worse about myself.
I don’t know what to do.
Hello guys!
Hope your health !
I’m almost 17 years old and faced with serious problems, so really don’t know how to deal with them !! Ahhhhh