Asking a question

[lenalane]

I have had anxiety issues seemingly all of my life. It has shown itself in so many forms that I am wondering if that is normal. In college, I thought I was suffering from a heart attack all of the time, I am a hypochondriac (self-diagnosed, of course :), slightly obsessive/compulsive (have to wash hands, sometimes twice), slightly agoraphobic, feel like I'm losing my mind (fear of going crazy or hurting myself or someone else), and the list goes on.

I am wondering if it is common to have multiple symptoms like this versus just one? Everything I've read breaks anxiety down into different classifications per symptom. Help!
Thanks,
Lenalane

[danstelter]

My guess is that it's probably not common to experience significan symptoms from multiple categories, but it's probably not unusual to experience slight symptoms from several categories, which is what is happening to you. Also, don't be too quick to self-diagnose. Just because you have to wash your hands twice doesn't mean you have OCD. Professionals really only become concerned with differing conditions when they begin to significantly interfere with one's life functioning. You didn't provide many details, so it's really difficult to say if you need to take significant steps to change your life. If you would like further help, please provide more details about the symptoms you experience, and their effect on your life.