What’s happening to me?

My severe health anxiety and OCD has gone untreated for a while. For the past year I’ve had multiple panic attacks weekly and have been stuck in my head worrying about potentially being ill or some other fear 24/7. Constant stress always worrying. Suddenly 2 weeks ago my mind started racing uncontrollably and I became so restless that I couldn’t read, look at my phone or do anything. My hearing was sensitive and everything felt weird, then it progress to what is now a constant state of fear, to the point where it almost feels like paranoia. I just feel so vulnerable, like something is going to happen to me. Looking at people scares me, my wife scares me, random objects scare me, random things are triggering a fear response and I don’t know why, logically I know people or objects arent going to hurt me but I still get these fear feelings and almost like a paranoia. Feels like I need to run, or hide or just do something!, Idk what, just something to alleviate the panic. Sometimes I’m on the brink of calling an ambulance to come get me and take me to a psych ward. I think I am going through some type of dpdr flare up. My mind and consciousness feels foggy like I have cotton in my head and can’t mentally see clearly. I’ve struggled with the fear of developing a psychotic disorder for a very long time and these symptoms are really making my ocd about that flare up as well. The thing is, I feel a lot better while I’m working and doing tasks where I really have to focus but as soon as I get alone and time to myself, I start really freaking out and the thoughts and feelings come back. I’ve struggled with mostly untreated anxiety and ocd for years and I think my nervous system has broken, either that or I’m entering psychosis for real this time ): I feel so helpless. My worst fear is losing my mind. Can dpdr or anxiety really feel like paranoia? Can anxiety be this severe? What’ is happening to me?

Charlie Simon

Date posted: Yesterday

Anxiety really can feel that debilitating. I went through a situation a few years ago that I feel was vwey similar to what you're describing. For me, it was a combination of extreme overstimulation (from myself and the outside world) and lack of therapy/medication. I ended up in the ER thinking I was having a heart attack a few times over the course of about 2 months. That being said, if you think getting into a facility is whats going to get you the help you need, do it. I know healthcare sucks for a lot of people. I can say from personal experience, medication helped immensely with a baseline of feeling like I could manage.

Anonymous

Date posted: 21h

I relate to your post. Yes, anxiety can make you feel all those things and more. Your nervous system isn’t broken, but it’s stuck in fight or flight. If you hang out there for very long everything feels over sensitized. I have felt like I was going crazy, drdp and I found not fighting it helped. I would just try to float through the feelings and they would lessen. It’s your minds way of checking out because the alarm is going off too much. Try to focus your energy on your environment in that moment. The 5 things you see, hear and smell etc.. I also found try to add or spell in my head brought my thinking back online. I do think medication can help bring down the background noise, it doesn’t have to be forever.

Cole Jakarta

Date posted: 20h

I’m right there with you. Psychosis and harm fears are the worst. Every wave passes. Try some box breathing for 15mins or more. That tends to help me. That and having a connected conversation with my wife, friend, or therapist helps me realize that it’s just the OCD flaring up. Don’t lose hope.

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