Mild OCD?

[CND234]

When something bad or embarrassing happens to me i can obsesses about it for day, weeks and even years and everytime i think about it cause mild anxiety. Not bad enough that i can't breathe or my heart beats fast but bad enough to drive me crazy.  Then i start to compulsively say different phrases like "i'm hungry", "i'm tired" or "i have a headache" even if i don't.  Sometimes i even scream a little or jump up and down to help. To drown out the anxiety i watch t.v. as a distraction but that limits my productivity.  Also i have this serious fear of death for as long as i can remember, sometimes it'll keep me up all night from the anxiety i feel but i've never experience a death of anyone close to me. I just want to know whats wrong with me and what i can do because i'm going to college soon and if it keeps getting progressively worse, i'm not going to be able to do well.

[Evacrednow]

What you describe sounds like OCD (which is a type of Anxiety disorder).  The media has made OCD out to be a stereotypical thing, like compusively washing your hands or checking to see if the oven is turned off.  And while some people with OCD do those things, there are others of us (myself included) who mostly compulsively worry.  Or, I have a loop in my head that repeats things that I've said that embarass me or what others have said--or sometimes, the loop that constantly loops round inside my brain might be snippets of a poem I read or a song I heard.  This loop is very characteristic of OCD, and obsessively worrying is characteristic too.  OCD is a spectrum and many people on that specture are more obsessive (worriers) and less compulsive--but still have compulsive tendancies--like watching TV to mitigate the anxiety or jumping or screaming or whatever it is that a person can do.

I recommend you see a therapist and a psychiatrist.  I know for me, SSRIs have been helpful to calm the worrying, sort of quieting it, and the therapy is good for figuring out better coping mechanisms.  But definitely take this seriously--it's not something to ignore, but with the right assistance, it's totally manageable.

Good luck.

[CND234]

i did talk to my mom and she said she would set up an appointment for me but do you have any suggestions to calm my anxiety when it occurs?

[Ted A Grossbart, Ph.D.]

I think you are on the right track with both your understanding of the problem and your desire to get a handle on it now.  I suggest you get some psychotherapy, it should be quite helpful.  

Can you talk to your parents, doctor, or someone else about getting this started soon?

tg