Sean O'Rourke
07-05-2013, 01:08 AM
Hello,
I'm new to this forum. I have an anxiety disorder which I think might be OCD but I can't seem to find information about my exact disorder.
I have suffered from anxiety and depression for 10 or so years now. First was the social anxiety which I got over with the help of Effexor and psychiatrist. Then I went off the meds after feeling good and developed anxiety again. This time my anxiety manifested as a need to keep looking at objects. For example, if I am trying to watch TV I get anxious about an object that might distract me which causes me to focus more on that object which I then need to keep looking at which obviously then distracts me! Crazy I know... I can watch the TV for only a short time before the thought to look at the object enters my mind again (almost like a fright sometimes) and the process of looking but trying not to look continues. When this first happened I was totally freaked out and my mind would pick out objects in every location that I would then need to look at while trying not to be distracted by it. I couldn't read newspapers or magazines because I would obsessively be drawn to the pictures and not be able to read the text. At the movies I couldn't relax because any lights in the cinema would distract me and force me to keep looking/ try not to look at them. Over time I got used to it and it started to bother me less and less although I would think about it quite a bit still. Just recently however I lowered my meds for a while which made me really depressed. So I started to increase the dose again and the anxiety came back with a vengeance. Now I almost feel as bad as when it started. I think I'll be able to deal with it again but it is causing me a fair bit of stress at the moment as I thought I was pretty much over it.
Anyhow, can anyone relate to this or know if this type of disorder has a name or if it is just a form of OCD?
Thanks
I'm new to this forum. I have an anxiety disorder which I think might be OCD but I can't seem to find information about my exact disorder.
I have suffered from anxiety and depression for 10 or so years now. First was the social anxiety which I got over with the help of Effexor and psychiatrist. Then I went off the meds after feeling good and developed anxiety again. This time my anxiety manifested as a need to keep looking at objects. For example, if I am trying to watch TV I get anxious about an object that might distract me which causes me to focus more on that object which I then need to keep looking at which obviously then distracts me! Crazy I know... I can watch the TV for only a short time before the thought to look at the object enters my mind again (almost like a fright sometimes) and the process of looking but trying not to look continues. When this first happened I was totally freaked out and my mind would pick out objects in every location that I would then need to look at while trying not to be distracted by it. I couldn't read newspapers or magazines because I would obsessively be drawn to the pictures and not be able to read the text. At the movies I couldn't relax because any lights in the cinema would distract me and force me to keep looking/ try not to look at them. Over time I got used to it and it started to bother me less and less although I would think about it quite a bit still. Just recently however I lowered my meds for a while which made me really depressed. So I started to increase the dose again and the anxiety came back with a vengeance. Now I almost feel as bad as when it started. I think I'll be able to deal with it again but it is causing me a fair bit of stress at the moment as I thought I was pretty much over it.
Anyhow, can anyone relate to this or know if this type of disorder has a name or if it is just a form of OCD?
Thanks