Am I just anxious

[Breadloaf74]

Hello all, this is my first time posting, I recently stopped smoking cannabis about a month and a half ago after 4 years of pretty heavy use, two days after I quit I was very anxious and had the idea that I was going insane or losing control, for instance I'd be at the shops and I'd have this weird image in my head if me going insane and running around like a man, ever since the thought of going insane crossed my mind, this led from my father having schizophrenia, and I thought that I'd be like him one day, ever since I've not stopped thinking about it, it scares me to hear about anything to do with people that aren't right mentally, I'm also very anxious when I'm by myself, I'm scared I'll hear voices or see things that aren't real like right now. Although I've never had hallucinations before, I seem to be obsessing over the thought of going insane and that's why I'm posting, I suffer from severe anxiety and mild depression, a little/fair bit of ocd and I think a lot of these thoughts and feelings are due to anxiety intensifying it, I have heard a common symptom of anxiety is the feeling of going insane or losing control and I would just like to know/ask If anyone else has gone through the same experience, it's very scary and I kinda just want someone to tell me that I'm not alone, thank you

[Here_I_am]

Hi Breadload74,

Firstly, kudos to you for reaching out! That's a really important step in a positive direction, and it's my sincere hope that it is a step that pays off for you.

Of course, nobody on the forum can (or should) step into a diagnostic role, so saying definitively what's going on for you is not possible over a forum. With that in mind - in order to achieve some certainty for yourself - do you feel as though you could approach a health professional such as a counselor or GP? Talking through our experiences with someone trained to help is of great value, as regardless of which way we need to move, it provides us with some peace of mind that change is possible.

You mention you're recently abstinent from cannabis after a prolonged period of heavy use. Their is every chance you're still going through some of the withdrawal process and that these out of balance thoughts and feelings are a result of that. Of course, when we add anxiety and OCD into the equation, it is perfectly understandable that the concern for bigger ongoing issues comes up. This is where a GP will be able to work with you to determine what is temporary (withdrawal effects), and what is manageable from an ongoing mental health context. Cannabis is a tricky one; for half a century it's been described as a minor and relatively harmless recreational drug, however it's nearly 20 times as strong as it was in the 70's, and it's half life in the metabolism takes months to break down - whilst we might pass a urine screening after a week, cannabis stores in our body's fat cells and re-releases when we exercise, lose weight, put on muscle, etc. It's a bit sneakier than most people give it credit for. One thing is for certain though - if you were likely to have significant mental health issues such as Schizophrenia, the cannabis would not have been helping to manage that; it is unlikely cannabis cessation would lead to Schizophrenia, in fact the opposite is more likely to be true in that cannabis would make symptomology worse. It is not a treatment for mental health issues in any way, shape or form. It inevitably makes mental health issues worse.

Again, talk to a GP to get a professional opinion and proper evaluation done here.

Great to have you on the forum, and if you feel okay with checking in again it would be great to hear how things go for you over the next week or two!

[Breadloaf74]

Thank you for your honesty, and yeah I will be going to a gp sometime soon, and was even considering cognitive behavioural therapy for my anxiety and depression, I want to steer clear from medication, yeah it was pretty hard to right how I feel

[Here_I_am]

Hi Breadloaf74,

I'm really glad you did put something out there and seek some connection through the forum. It's a great step toward changing something that is unsatisfactory in our lives, and hopefully its a step for you that leads to somewhere really beneficial.

Well done on committing to see a GP in the near future, and definitely following up on Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) sessions is a win-win! When you do see your GP, have a chat about a Mental Health Plan, which is a referral to a psychologist for six initial sessions. This will get you access to a professional therapist with whom you can begin some CBT techniques with at a more affordable rate.

Hope to talk soon.

All the best in the meantime.