Do I need extra help?

[Underwood]

So very long story short, I have anxiety and have been dealing with it for the past 8 or so years. I am on medication and have been to various psychologists.

I have only just started thinking about my obsessive thoughts/behaviours and the fact I have never told a doctor about them and if I should. I have discussed other anxiety issues but not this and was wondering your opinions of these specific behaviours.

I have been a bit anxious lately and notice I need to count things three times - sometimes cans, sometimes signs. Or I’ll tell myself I need to read something in its entirety or something bad will happen - like a bad omen. I will reread sentences in books if I feel I have missed a word - otherwise something bad will happen. I will scroll my phone and can’t look to the next heading on the article I’m reading or I need to scroll through the next three to make it an odd number.

I drive certain routes in order to prevent things. Even the yesterday I told myself if I stood on the cracks in the pavement something bad will happen. Even when I’m walking I think about which direction to walk past a pole - right could be bad, left is better as it’s unexpected and nothing bad will happen.

There are plenty more but these are just a few. I’ve been doing this my whole life and I guess it’s such a habit I never thought it to be a problem.

Even writing this I can see it’s not ‘normal’ but should I be getting help with this or is this just another branch of anxiety - Specifically health anxiety. No wonder I feel so tired all the time!

Thanks so much!

[Croix]

Dear Underwood~

The short answer is yes, you should tell your doctor, psych or therapist about this long-term behavior.

When you grow up with something you do tend to think it id a normal part of life. I did not know I needed spectacles until I was 15, I always assumed everybody found distant objects blurry -and wondered how cricket players could hit the ball.

Your actions are making your life much harder and for that reason alone need medical attention, however there is another side.

At present you are being treated for health anxiety (forgive me if I misunderstand) and this new information may radically alter how you will be treated, making the overall effect on your life much better for both areas, the behaviors and the anxiety.

If it was me I'd take a few days and make a list in point form of as many of these sorts of matters as you can think of, then just hand the list over. You started that list in your post, and I'd expect on reflection you would find more.

I'd imagine it would be such a reseal t snot have hidden rules to follow.

Please let us know how you go

Croix

[Croix]

another typo -sigh

"...a release not to have hidden rules" is what I meant, not 'snot'!

-C

[Here_I_am]

Hi Underwood,

I just want to echo Croix's encouragement here to be as transparent as possible with your Doctors - especially your psychologist/therapist. The 'full story' is so important to consider from a therapeutic perspective. I consider it to be similar to taking just the part of your engine that's making noises to the mechanic and forbidding the mechanic to look at any other part of your car. The part that's making noises may be the obvious part that needs repair, but mechanically (and for the purpose of this illustration, people psychologically) one part affects another. Fixing just the part you bring in for assessment doesn't mean the whole machine is going to run better - just that one part. But if that part isn't the most important, or even the biggest problem in the mix, the gain won't be there no matter how much work you do on it. The whole machine needs attention... as do we.

[Underwood]

Thank you so much for you’re reply - I will definitely talk to the doc about it!

[Underwood]

Thank you. That makes sense and now I can see how interfering these behaviours are. I just can’t believe it’s taken me so long to realise it! Thanks again.