# I think im a mental hypochondriac



## thisonekid11 (Oct 17, 2005)

It seems like I am constantly thinking about my mental health. Over the years i've convinced myself that I have schizophrenia, manic depression, body dysmorphic disorder, obsessive compulsive personality disorder, asperger's disorder, agorahobia, dysthymic disorder, narcissistic personality disorder, ADD, schizoid personality disorder, schizotypal personality, and im sure i've forgotten many. I've since been able to make myself understand that I'm over-analyzing everything and I only have social anxiety. But when I read the symptoms of various disorders and can relate to them I get all freaked out. I can't help but believe if I wasn't constantly concerned with my mental health I could improve myself much easier. I'm always trying to label myself like that is going to do anything. i think i think too much


----------



## millenniumman75 (Feb 4, 2005)

TheOneKid11,

How about hypochondria (been there myself)? :lol

In reality, I always remember this saying "if you think you are going crazy, you probably aren't." You just analyze; it's something I am guilty of as well. You try to match symptoms and expect the worst. It's just the way we think. 

The interesting thing is that you have changed "disorders." You are constantly changing. Ig uess in that way, it's not bad. I would only be worried if you thought you were picking up Radio Free Europe through your fillings.

You have anxiety, that's all.  Everything you are experiencing fits into that category. I think it's great that you posted, too! :boogie :boogie :boogie This is an interesting topic!


----------



## ghostgurl (Sep 20, 2004)

I'm always looking into mental disorders and seeing if any of them sounds like me. It's probably because I know that sometimes other disorders go along with SA. I may have something I don't know. :stu I think I'm just more fascinated by disorders really. Heck I'm taking a whole class on it.


----------



## cakesniffer (Nov 11, 2003)

I'm like that as well. I've calmed down about it recently thankfully. I used to spend lots of time on WebMD and heath message boards, freaking myself out in the process. I learned to stop going to such places so, as a result, I would stop associating symptoms with diseases. At that point something may concern me, but I didn't have any specific names to call it because I didn't look them up.

Every now and then I'll see something that gets me thinking. Like today I was reading a magazine and there was a bit about a girl who had Deep Vein Thrombosis and the clot went to her brain. Blood clots are a particular fear of mine. At one point a few months ago I was afraid to even touch my legs in fear of feeling a hot spot or feeling pain.

I have my good and bad days.


----------



## Nyx (Nov 17, 2003)

I do that too. In high school it was physical illnesses and in college it's been mental illnesses...it doesn't help that I'm a psych major.


----------



## friend_Z (Jan 3, 2006)

millenniumman75 said:


> In reality, I always remember this saying "if you think you are going crazy, you probably aren't." You just analyze; it's something I am guilty of as well.


I think there's some truth to this. If you were to confide in someone, to come right out and say to them, "I think I'm crazy," it would likely feel a bit absurd. In fact, it's probably a line I tried in my younger days...and it probably _was _kind of absurd.

On the flip side, however...I can remember a phrase I had flashing inside my head non-stop, before I was able to identify SA as my major problem. It was something like: _when all you do is constantly think that something is wrong with you, something probably is wrong._

It's human nature to fear the unknown. I'd say we've got a bit of a love/hate thing going on with the unknown. It helps us to try and find a label, to put some sort of a "face" on our problems. It gives us a footing and a place to start. It also gives our minds busy work.

Of course, people are going to know their own bodies better than anyone else can. But I also believe, to a degree, in self-fulfilled prophecies. The mind can be powerful in determining how we feel. And it's getting easier to think of all the things that might possibly be wrong with you when you see the countless advertisements for prescription drugs on TV and in magazines.


----------



## perfectlycalm (Nov 15, 2005)

I've had worries about having other mental disorders, I used to read to find more labels. Anyone can find very mild symptoms in themselves of other mental disorders if they look hard enough and deep enough. It doesn't mean that you have them. What convinced me that I no longer needed to chase after a new diagnosis is knowing that it was making my situation worse and my symptoms kept coming back to anxiety. My therapist kept telling me I had OCD. Eventually I said, "no I don't have it", because my symptoms are too mild, I said to myself I can knock out OCD and I did. I had it, but it wasn't even an issue as big as SA. As for thinking I might be schizophrenic or bipolar all it took for me is seeing someone in real life on TV with it explaining it and I said "no, thats not me at all." But when I read about disorders they sounded more like me. If you met in real life with someone with one of those mental disorders that you don't have but think you do or showed up at a group therapy for it you'd probably find out quickly how you don't fit in there. They'd probably say stuff that you can't relate to at all.


----------



## coolbeans87 (Feb 11, 2011)

I can relate to this, message board horror stories are the worst. When I get stuck with my hypochondriac circle of thinking I tell myself that I've always been like this, a worryer, even as a child and that it it was irrational then, it's irrational still today. As a child, I remember I'd waste months and even years worrying about if I had cancer or AIDS (at age >10) every time I notice something different with my body. Then recently, like TC. I've mOved on to mental ilnesses, sorta got over that and currently I'm obsessing over medication side effects lol I just try to remember that this is all just anxiety


----------



## Ramondo (Feb 16, 2011)

thisonekid11 said:


> It seems like I am constantly thinking about my mental health. Over the years i've convinced myself that I have schizophrenia, ...


You've come to the right place. You can catch almost anything here.


----------



## rac (Mar 11, 2013)

I can sympathise with this. It's not easy thinking that you are mentally ill. Anyone who reads into too much mental illness material will eventually find symptoms of their psychopathy in themselves. Sometimes I wish I could take out my brain and fix it with a bunch of tools or take it to the repair shop. You're right, you are just over-analyzing as someone with those disorders wouldn't report them anyway!


----------



## lad (Sep 26, 2011)

I think one of the problems with mental health is how we label people rather than just say people have symptoms. This means people look to labels and then do the whole self fulfilling prophecy thing.


----------



## thecrazy88 (Feb 27, 2013)

I can understand that, I'm sort of like that too. I'm also a psych major and have a lot of interest about learning about different disorders.


----------



## guy2 (Mar 16, 2013)

I completely get what you mean.
Has anybody else convinced themselves that they have a developmental disorder like aspergers? 
I usually start thinking about it when I start making a little progress with my social anxiety.


----------



## corbeaublanc (Jan 29, 2013)

millenniumman75 said:


> TheOneKid11,
> 
> How about hypochondria (been there myself)? :lol
> 
> In reality, I always remember this saying "if you think you are going crazy, you probably aren't." You just analyze; it's something I am guilty of as well. You try to match symptoms and expect the worst. It's just the way we think.


I might have to disagree with that saying, sorry. Especially if you know you act out of the normal range. If you think you are going crazy, and have evidence over a long period of time to support it, chances are, there is something wrong with you. In my opinion, but my opinion is sort of....not normal anyway.


----------



## col49 (Mar 25, 2014)

guy2 said:


> I completely get what you mean.
> Has anybody else convinced themselves that they have a developmental disorder like aspergers?
> I usually start thinking about it when I start making a little progress with my social anxiety.


Yep. I have. I'm driving myself crazy at the minute thinking I have autism. I'm finding it hard to distinguish what's really me at the minute and feel that I have in myself become "autistic" by thinking about it constantly.

I've seen a counsellor and another professional who have both told me I don't have autism.

Anyone recommend me some ways to try and alleviate these feelings and thoughts?

Thanks.


----------



## soundwaves699 (Apr 1, 2017)

*I made an account just to respond to this*

I am the exact same. I have diagnosed myself with schizophrenia and i worry about it almost all the time. Im not sure if you can induce the symptoms of schizophrenia (or any other mental illness) psychosomatically. 
But i worry about it constantly. I am pretty sure i have Generalized Anxiety Disorder. Because i worry about things constantly, be it the flu, schizophrenia, or any other thing that would be bad to have.

Im so happy i found your post and i hope you overcome your issues with anxiety


----------



## CNikki (Aug 9, 2013)

That was me until I actually sought for confirmed diagnoses. It narrows it down a bit.


----------

