Hey everyone, I’m new, snd I thought I would try this out! I’ve struggled with mental health for about 10 years, and still don’t have a diagnosis, but have been to any specialist imaginable. Maybe someone here can relate to any of the symptoms I possess. My mind constantly races, I find it impossible to complete any task at hand and am easily distracted. Sometimes the racing thoughts get so bad, I have to stop what I’m doing and simply fall victim into my mind. I’m in a trance all day feeling like my mind is recreating a dream/movie. Any commercial or song that I hear, will pop up in my head at any time of the day, and overpower what someone is saying (if we’re having a convo). I get so overwhelmed by the thought of something not turning out well, that I don’t attempt to do it at all. It’s hard to maintain relationships, am socially awkward as a result, and it’s become unbearable with the Pandemic. Definitely have more symptoms, but I don’t want to dump on anyone as I’m waiting to get professional help! If there’s anyone that can offer advice on how they cope, or can help, please let me know as I am suffering

Thank you, you all have been so helpful! I don’t know why I waited for 10 years to find a forum/platform where there are people going through similar matters who can share experiences. I started regular therapy with a psychologist, (none as specific as the ones you mentioned) but procrastination quickly kicks in, as well as negative obsessive thoughts which discourage me from continuing to get help, so I stop. I do suspect I have OCD like symptoms as I obsess over past experiences, replaying scenarios in my head wishing they turned out differently, or foreshadowing events hoping they turn out a certain way. May ritualistic behaviors that I did not know have a label. Thank you for your detailed questions

@Tesfa65! The rumination about past events that you describe can be related to OCD, and definitely related to depression.

@Tesfa65! One of my favorite resources has been the OCD Center in LA. Here’s a detailed description of OCD: https://ocdla.com/whatisocd can you relate? They have tests on the site as well that you can take. It’s not an official diagnosis obviously but helpful coming from a treatment place that specializes in OCD. Repetitive negative thinking could be OCD related if it’s obsessional, creates a high degree of stress and anxiety, and you use mental or physical compulsions to deal with the distress. Avoidance in itself is a compulsion and often connected to procrastination. It could also be a symptom of depression. People often have to use a technique called behavioral activation to get started because it’s so hard to get motivated in a persistently negative state (essentially: do the thing you know you want to do, like get help, even though it doesn’t feel good or right or helpful right now. The good feelings will follow from the behavior, rather than the other way around.) Ruminating about the past and worrying about the future are common for anyone who falls on the anxiety disorder spectrum. And it sounds like there are lots of cognitive distortions at play here. Regardless of your diagnosis, learning to identify and challenge these thought distortions will be helpful. These are some of the more common distortions: https://psychcentral.com/lib/15-common-cognitive-distortions/ and here are a few methods for challenging them: https://psychcentral.com/lib/fixing-cognitive-distortions/

I was put on Adderrall without a proper evaluation by my general practitioner years ago, and it helped in the beginning, but it made the thoughts louder in my head. It’s hard to find a good mental health physician in my area who wants to listen and understand the problem, without jumping to medication as a solution. Thank you for the advice

I live in the outskirts of the Washington DC area, so it’s definitely a hub for good care, I just cannot buckle down and do the research because I get overwhelmed. Honestly, it hurts my head to even think about it. I’ve fell into a depression, am anxious, cannot concentrate, so I’m wondering if there is one problem that’s causing the others(snowball effect) or if I have all.

@Tesfa65! Well, it's very common for OCD to precede depression. How depressed are you? In other words, are you getting out of bed everyday, taking care of your personal hygiene, still find some pleasure in activities you typically enjoy, going to work/school when in session, etc.? What type of medical practitioner do you want to research? Is it an OCD OCD therapist since you are on this site?

@Fear Strikes Out Extremely depressed. Going days without taking a shower, still eating without brushing my teeth just so I won’t have a headache, and my personal hygiene is nonexistent. I find no pleasure in activities. I believe an OCD therapist will help, but also any type of practiconer who can get to the bottom of my various symptoms would be ideal

@Tesfa65! Well, depression is typically treated using CBT and DBT. ERP is a type of CBT. Many OCD therapists also treat anxiety disorders with CBT. So, it probably would not hurt to see an OCD therapist provided they are comfortable treating major depression, which it sounds like what you are experiencing. What kind of emotional support network do you have right now? I have been where you are and it's the absolute worst place one can be.

@Fear Strikes Out Thank you for your detailed answers, it feels good to have a conversation with individuals who can relate! I don’t have any friends, my parents have been my rock throughout the entirety, but it’s definitely taken a toll on them as they are in their 60’s-70’s. Thank you for sharing your experience