the difference between severe anxiety and ocd

[grab your bag]

Hello!

At the beginning of the year I realized when I took escitalopram  (my first AD) 4 years ago, I became hypomanic. 4 years ago I thought it was probably normal for AD to make me euphoric...... So when I realized that I started to believe that I had bipolar and was reading all about it, I became obsessed and that's how I got here to CB. I went to a pdoc and she said that she didn't think I had bipolar. 

She gave me sertraline for depression and anxiety. I took it, and after an hour I felt pain in my eyes, I looked in the mirror and my eyes were bloodshot. I called her and she said she never heard about this side effect before and she can only think of angle-closure glaucoma and that I should go see an eye doctor. I was spiraling.. I was reading all about this disease and I believed that I had it and how didn't I notice it. I didn't sleep at all that night and was shaking in my bed.. it was horrible. the next day I went to the doctor and she said that my eyes got really dry.

2 months later I got a rash and I was sure it was psoriasis. the same terrible anxiety and spiraling  until I saw a doctor.

I was crazy. I never felt this much panic and I hope I will never do. I just don't know if this anxiety or OCD? I'm not diagnosed with ocd and I didn't mention all this to my pdoc.......

when I'm talking to someone I like I'll replay  our conversation in my head all day, and I won't stop... I don't know if that's normal or not.

 

(hope that my english wasn't too bad)

 

 

Edited September 10, 2017 by grab your bag

[Jessamine]

It sounds like anxiety to me. I do most of these things. I think OCD is a branch off of an anxiety disorder so sometimes for those of us who have both the lines get blurred.

FWIW, I had the same side effect with the eyes from zoloft. My GP also told me they'd never heard of it. It was like a really bad sinus pressure behind my eyes (the left one in particular was bad) and felt like my eyeball was going to fall out of my head or was bugging out or something. It was horrible. I gave zoloft 3 attempts but even at 1/4 dose I got that eye pain and couldn't titrate up at all so ended up giving up on that particular one.

[grab your bag]

I'm sorry that you have to go through that, it is very scary.The doctor check my eye's intracular pressure.

And I'm not diagnosed with ocd, that's what I'm trying to figure out, because I did became convinced of this things without any real proof.. I agree that it's a blured line.... 

Edited September 10, 2017 by grab your bag

[phidippus]

Hypochondriasis.  I've had it before.  Instigated by my OCD and perpetuated by anxiety.  Pure O OCD usually involves intrusive thoughts that become obsessions...

[grab your bag]

please don't diagnose me 

[jt07]

On 10/15/2017 at 1:49 PM, phidippus said:

Hypochondriasis.  I've had it before.  Instigated by my OCD and perpetuated by anxiety.  Pure O OCD usually involves intrusive thoughts that become obsessions...

We are a peer support site and are not professionals. Even if you are a professional we ask that you don't disclose because  we are a peer support site. That means we don't diagnose. You are welcome to share your experiences and diagnoses, but don't offer a diagnosis to others.

[phidippus]

4 hours ago, jt07 said:

We are a peer support site and are not professionals. Even if you are a professional we ask that you don't disclose because  we are a peer support site. That means we don't diagnose. You are welcome to share your experiences and diagnoses, but don't offer a diagnosis to others.

I wasn't diagnosing.  I was stating I've had hypochondriasis before.  Sorry, rather then say I  had hypochondriasis, should I have referred to them as 'those symptoms'? If they had said they had a runny nose and a cough and I said they had a cold would I be diagnosing then?

[unknown diagnosis]

2 hours ago, phidippus said:

If they had said they had a runny nose and a cough and I said they had a cold would I be diagnosing then?

Sounds like diagnosing to me, just like:

 

On ‎10‎/‎15‎/‎2017 at 1:49 PM, phidippus said:

Hypochondriasis.  I've had it before.  Instigated by my OCD and perpetuated by anxiety.  Pure O OCD usually involves intrusive thoughts that become obsessions...

That sounds like diagnosing. If you weren't diagnosing her, then why randomly bring up your hypochondriasis?

[jt07]

4 hours ago, phidippus said:

I wasn't diagnosing.  I was stating I've had hypochondriasis before.  Sorry, rather then say I  had hypochondriasis, should I have referred to them as 'those symptoms'? If they had said they had a runny nose and a cough and I said they had a cold would I be diagnosing then?

Whatever your intention, the way you posted it came across as diagnosing. Even the OP felt like you were diagnosing. Just be cognizant of how you suggest diagnoses. 

Are you actually asking me to compare complicated mental illnesses to the common cold? When it comes to MI, the professionals don't always get it right. I think it's a little more involved than diagnosing a cold.

[grab your bag]

maybe I had delusional thoughts, I will bring this up to my pdoc

[BrianOCD]

Anxiety and ocd are pretty close.

I know when I'm at my worst I've gone through and convinced myself of every disease I could find on the internet.  I'm a hypochondriac without a doubt, but typically only when I'm depressed/stressed.  You can even go through and monitor every thing thought, mood, and action you take...It never got me anywhere though.  I will take some meds and let it pass.  It always passes.

The best thing to do for cyberchondria is stay away from the net and "information" espcially when it comes to health/diseases cause you can convince yourself of anything, specially with anxiety issues.

On 9/9/2017 at 6:16 PM, grab your bag said:

 

 So when I realized that I started to believe that I had bipolar and was reading all about it, I became obsessed and that's how I got here to CB. I went to a pdoc and she said that she didn't think I had bipolar. 

 

 

Interesting cause I've gone through this before, I even thought at one point I might be going through a psychosis, but it never truly materialized.  It's just high stress and anxiety beating away at you.

Edited November 22, 2017 by BrianOCD