Do I obsess too much over my mental illness?

Post Reply New Topic

Recently, I've gotten into very detailed descriptions of my symptoms, for myself and to present to my clinicians. You can see them in this thread:

http://www.wrongplanet.net/postt230634.html

On a mirror post on another site, though, someone posted saying I must be making myself miserable going into every little symptom; my therapist said the same thing. I don't know, though, because this has now become a very self-focused restrictive interest of mine. I've noticed in the last couple years that my restrictive interests have become more self-focused. After my big psychotic break at age 14, I became interested in psychology/psychiatry for a bit, then, too; with the re-emergence of significant psychopathology in the past 8 months or so, that interest has returned.

I know there are others here who have been doing the same thing. What do you guys think?

Yes.

If you start a posted called: "Do I obsess too much over my mental illness?" then the answer is very likely -Yes.

Are you weird? No.
Is it bad? No.
Will you find more solutions obsessing than denying? Yes.


I think there's a song about that... tra la "it's my mental illness I'll obsess if I want to! Obsess if I want to!" lah la.
or some such.

Thanks.

I think I might be the same, although I'm doing a degree in psychology atm so obsessive knowledge can be beneficial!

I've moved past myself, but I am obsessed with observing other people's traits/behaviours and applying diagnostic criteria to them. I am generally obsessed with psychiatric labels and categories and find comfort in my own labels. To me, they're pretty much identities.

people on the spectrum obviously have obsessive thinking and commonly tend to get into obsession of asd or pyschology,there isnt anything wrong with it as long as it does not make the ilness/condition worse,like for example; someone may have repressed distressing memories and their obsessing over a mental illness eventualy uncovers these memories,have experienced that a number of times in mine.

with ASD, some people obsess over it to the point they develop symptoms they never had.

am very obsessive over autism and intelectual disability because it has a huge impact on daily life, am living in a specialist residential facility where we all have the same labels to and am involved in autism and ID activism, so its a case of living it,thinking it and breathing it,but not in an unhealthy way.
have not got a life outside of here so it had been a forced decision but its one that have got a lot of passion in.
the only way am able to understand other peoples experiences is by relating own experiences to them so some crap stirrers choose to think am attention seeking when they do not understand what its like trying to percieve anything with a limited mental capacity.

For me. It was just the complete opposite. I would just flat out deny that I have any kind of of mental issues. Blaming it on my parents/school and thinking that I would outgrow it someday. Of course that never happened.

With the psychotic break I had when I was 14, I was like that for a long time. I would sooner admit to the bizarre behavior (of which I've been very ashamed) than to the fact that my mind, my wondrous mind, that wondrous space I love to live inside of, to bounce around in, could become so screwed up like that. I went for more than a decade, fine, like that. Recently, though, with the re-emergence of mental illness in the past year, my attitude towards that has changed, and now I'm actually wanting to explore that time more and I'm somewhat less ashamed of it. I also have a sort of detached curiosity over where my current symptoms may be headed. Though I can get obsessive at times, I think it's good for me to finally explore this, to process all this and it may take a while.

    Wouldn't that make you Neuro-Typical? Or an "undiagnosed" Neuro-Typical? =)
    Would believing you had "Normalcy" be just as valid as believing you had something else?

    (This is attempted irony, BTW)

Yes, and I do it to. I pretty much analyze everything I do, and I'm convinced that it's a sign that I have yet another mental illness. Most likely, I think it's because I'm scared things will get very bad again. So I'm sort of...hyper-vigilant?

Exactly, things got bad when I was 14 and late last year. I want to be vigilant for any changes that might signal the return of that "badness."

No, it is important for you to try to understand how your own mind works, as this is a key to healing. I read your other thread and will be be responding there as soon as I have time....my heart goes out to you---you are a young person and all of this can eventually turn around as you begin lkittle by little to have more and more understanding.

One point worth noting, however, is that making various lists and analysis can be a way of not facing difficult feelings, which feelings eventually have to be faced and processed (felt) in order for a person to be able to move on developmentally to the next level of integration, but if you are not ready to do this right now, that is okay.Just accept yourself as you are, and keep the faith.....love, littlebee

Thanks, littlebee.

Anyway, I've got some good symptoms now. I feel a lot better today, in a relieved sort of way. I wonder if the medication is finally starting to help.

So glad you're feeling better...do you expect to take various medications all your life or is it kind iof a temporary thing? Also, when you say good symptoms, what do you mean? I do not expect an answer to any question I ask unless it feels okay to reply. Feeling good is your birthright as a human being. Remember, you can have various good and bad experiences and even do some things you may letter regret, but it is your birthright not only to be yourself, but also not to have to be perfect, as to be perfect is not possible, anyway.. None of us people are either all good or all bad. Each person is just himself, and we feel about simply being ourselves affects the quality of our experience. Also, no one can take being ourselves away from us, as it is who we are, underneath everythuing, even if we are not presently so much in touch with it..

It's good to be able to keep tabs on your own symptoms. I guess it gets a little more complicated if one of your symptoms is worrying about your symptoms! But still, self-awareness is a good trait to have, and even though hyper-awareness makes you vulnerable to anxiety, it's better than not knowing where your problems lie. Just remember that you have the tendency to be very aware of your own symptoms, and that this means they will seem much more obvious to you than they otherwise might. That will help you think in more realistic ways rather than worrying about whether you are going to go nuts all the time!

Thanks. By good symptoms, lol, I mean I feel better, and a lot of those worrying symptoms seem to have gone down. I still kinda have some, but they are markedly less.