Question:
I started having minor panic attacks sometime ago. They are not as severe as some peoples stories, but they generally start by a racing heart, and then everything seems to be going to fast. I start to panic and think that Im going crazy. My fear then turns me to thinking Im schizophrenic…don’t know why, but I think I might be a bit of a hypocondriac. : ) I then think that if I am schizo. then Im going to start seeing things etc etc. I know that I’m not a schizophrenic, as the Psychologist has reassured me many times : ). Does anybody else think these things? Anxiety seems to take over and all I think about is that Im going crazy and will end up in a psychiatric ward. It’s weird how you can con yourself into thinking weird stuff like this. Does anybody have any thoughts? I dont take medication, and am not currently seeing a Dr.
HI there, yes your symptoms sound the same as alot of ours! Just remember your not going crazy! We all have went through that stage.Also the hypocondriac stage..where you swear there are things wrong, but Dr.s can’t find them!Your best bet would be get a Dr.’s appointment and tell him you think you are having panic attacks.I don’t want to scare you, but left untreated they could become worse.But again, maybe not, but why wait to find out? Good luck and take care, Kelly — Free audio & video emails, greeting cards and forums Talkway – http://www.talkway.com – Talk more ways (sm)
Response:
Hello- we are very aware of every little thing that goes on in our bodies. I have never had the fear of being schizophrenic, but I experience fear of other equally irrational medical conditions. For me A head ache is a stroke or anurism(sp?), tingling sensations are blood clots, and heart beating too fast (after a few trips up & down stairs) or too slow(sitting reading) has to be a heart attack, I know better but in the moment I need an answer, I’m 23 and in great health. You are not going crazy, just as your pdoc has told you. And you are not alone. Hugs Jess
Response:
I started having minor panic attacks sometime ago. They are not as severe as some peoples stories, but they generally start by a racing heart, and then everything seems to be going to fast. I start to panic and think that Im going crazy. My fear then turns me to thinking Im schizophrenic…don’t know why, but I think I might be a bit of a hypocondriac. : ) I then think that if I am schizo. then Im going to start seeing things etc etc. I know that I’m not a schizophrenic, as the Psychologist has reassured me many times : ). Does anybody else think these things? Anxiety seems to take over and all I think about is that Im going crazy and will end up in a psychiatric ward. It’s weird how you can con yourself into thinking weird stuff like this. Does anybody have any thoughts? I dont take medication, and am not currently seeing a Dr.
It’s perfectly natural. You are having a normal panic response. Your body is going into fight/flight mode and part of that is your mind looking for the enemy/threat. When that threat is not readily apparent your mind starts fishing for reasons for what is happening….. "No bogeyman out there…. must be in here. I must be going crazy, ill, dying…" or whatever. The longer you deal with panic disorder the more bizarre the thoughts can get… "Some one is slowly poisoning me, aliens are controlling me, I’m the subject of a dastardly experiment, I’ve been contaminated somehow…" The beauty part is that these thoughts then contribute to the anxiety which is contributing to the panic responses which are contributing to the thoughts, which are…. Isn’t it lovely? If it’s any comfort, in my years of working with PAD sufferers and studying PAD, I’ve never heard of a single case in which someone actually died from a panic attack (a natural physiological phenomenon designed to protect us, not harm us, but occurring at an unnatural time), nor of anyone actually losing their sanity. It’s always, "whew, that was close, I almost lost it that time… If this keeps up I know I will lose my mind…" it never happens. Somehow the panic sufferer always manages to survive the "impossible" situations. Somehow he/she gets through every episode. It may take a trip to the ER, running out of a building, whatever… but somehow the panic subsides the episode fades and the victim is left with his/her thoughts about what has happened and will it happen again, why is this happening and how bad will it get and why me?… Best wishes! Howard http://www.ipanic.com
Response:
I started having minor panic attacks sometime ago. They are not as severe as some peoples stories, but they generally start by a racing heart, and then everything seems to be going to fast. I start to panic and think that Im going crazy. My fear then turns me to thinking Im
schizophrenic…don’t know – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – why, but I think I might be a bit of a hypocondriac. : ) I then think that if I am schizo. then Im going to start seeing things etc etc. I know that I’m not a schizophrenic, as the Psychologist has reassured me many times : ). Does anybody else think these things? Anxiety seems to take over and all I think about is that Im going crazy and will end up in a psychiatric ward. It’s weird how you can con yourself into thinking weird stuff like this. Does anybody have any thoughts? I dont take medication, and am not currently seeing a Dr.
Bler, This is a very common symptom of panic/anxiety. When my anxiety was higher, I use to fear that I was going schizophrenic all the time, even though I knew I wasn’t and I knew the odds of me doing so were very low. I think what happens is your body starts producing all these symptoms of anxiety (racing heart, strong anxiety, sweats, shakes, chills, etc.,) and your brain has to explain it somehow. Since it can’t find an external threat (no bear about to eat you), it imagines an internal threat, "I’m going crazy" or "I’m going to die." You’re not crazy or going crazy. See a Dr. that knows about anxiety/panic, it will help. God bless, Mark Before you buy.
Response:
Yeah, me too. Going crazy / losing my mind / I get a flash of "something" and am sure I’m going to start seeing things that really aren’t there. You’ll get better posts shortly that can give you some meaningful guidance. Best I can offer is that the odds are probably a million to one that: A. We’re not going crazy. B. We’re not losing our minds. C. We’re not going to see things that aren’t there. D. Stress/Anxiety sucks but it doesn’t kill and/or E. Ditto panic attacks. There’s lots of help for us and things will get better. Between medication(s), CBT, stress reduction technique’s, replacing doctors, etc. you’ll be okay one day soon. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I started having minor panic attacks sometime ago. They are not as severe as some peoples stories, but they generally start by a racing heart, and then everything seems to be going to fast. I start to panic and think that Im going crazy. My fear then turns me to thinking Im schizophrenic…don’t know why, but I think I might be a bit of a hypocondriac. : ) I then think that if I am schizo. then Im going to start seeing things etc etc. I know that I’m not a schizophrenic, as the Psychologist has reassured me many times : ). Does anybody else think these things? Anxiety seems to take over and all I think about is that Im going crazy and will end up in a psychiatric ward. It’s weird how you can con yourself into thinking weird stuff like this. Does anybody have any thoughts? I dont take medication, and am not currently seeing a Dr.
Response:
I started having minor panic attacks sometime ago. They are not as severe as some peoples stories, but they generally start by a racing heart, and then everything seems to be going to fast. I start to panic and think that Im going crazy. My fear then turns me to thinking Im schizophrenic…don’t know why, but I think I might be a bit of a hypocondriac. : ) I then think that if I am schizo. then Im going to start seeing things etc etc. I know that I’m not a schizophrenic, as the Psychologist has reassured me many times : ). Does anybody else think these things? Anxiety seems to take over and all I think about is that Im going crazy and will end up in a psychiatric ward. It’s weird how you can con yourself into thinking weird stuff like this. Does anybody have any thoughts? I dont take medication, and am not currently seeing a Dr.
If you like this post and would like to receive updates from this blog, please subscribe our feed.