I feel so dumb (obsessive thoughts)

Hi all,

I'm getting so tired of this battle with obsessive thoughts. This weeks flavor is being terrified that i'll eventually become schizophrenic. I don't hear or see things that aren't there, but i obsess that I eventually might. It's crazy because i know i'm being irrational. When i say it out loud or type this fear, it sounds dumb, but it causes me a ton of emotional turmoil. I worry that my anxiety is eventually going to actually cause schizophrenia. Has anyone ever dealt with this?

Side note, i've been dx with GAD, OCD (pure o), Panic Disorder, and PTSD.

Tommy, you're not dumb. Instead, you're dealing with serious mental health issues.

Mainer is right. you're not dumb. and don't worry, your anxiety won't turn into schizophrenia, it's literally impossible.

Try to keep yourself busy and distracted from your thoughts. I used to do this when i was a child i was diagnosed with OCD as well. When i was younger i would HAVE to tell my mom every single obsessive thought i had because if i didn't i felt guilty. My therapist was no help and my mom didn't want to do medication just yet. I started to do this exercise: When i started over thinking or obsessing i would repeat stop thinking to much" "stop thinking to much" "stop thinking to much" until i actually forgot what it was i was obsessing over. I started doing this every time on my own and i realized it was a part of mediation i was focusing on one thing and breathing until i came my anxiety and was able to control my thoughts. I utilize this skill still but about a year later my mom rewarded me for my room being messy! She was so happy that i didn't cry bc my room was messy even though it wasn't i was finally able to be a kid! Try it out :)

Ugh, I've been there. Side effects from various medications I try out cause me to hallucinate and it makes me really question my sanity. I'd say at least once a week I wonder if I am becoming scizophrenic. I think it's important to realize that it is all in your head and what you may think is happening is not in fact happening. Your anxiety will not turn into scizophrenia even though it may seem like it at times. Take a step back, take a deep breath, and focus on dealing with your anxiety.

I feel you 110%. I have GAD, PTSD from my mom passing away, OCD (I'm a hair picker). My mom has schizophrenia so I worry about it a loooot when I'm going through a hard time with anxiety. Something that makes me feel "better" is reading about anxiety and seeing how much I relate to what the symptoms are. Then reading about schizophrenia and realizing that I don't have those symptoms. It just helps with the peace of mind, I guess? I hope it gets better for you.

The two best ways for dealing with obsessive thoughts are:
* physical exercise. this promotes movement of your eyes, which has been shown in clinical studies to break trains of thought. it also releases endorphins and plenty of other beneficial effects
* put the obsessive thinking to good use: apply it to external things that involve problem solving or creativity. Obssessive thinking is a lot of energy that can be positively applied to business, work, hobbies, finding a cure for cancer, writing a book, creating a music album, and so on.

I would classify a lot of people here in Silicon Valley as "obssessive". The primary difference between them and you is that they are focussing their obsessive nature outwards