If you suffer from anxiety, you may have moments when you wonder if you’re losing your grip, or “going crazy.” For some people, this is just a passing thought. For others, however, it can become a major fear. The more the idea dominates your thought process, the more it can seem like you really are going crazy.
If you find yourself preoccupied and fearful about having a serious illness, you may suffer from health anxiety. Fortunately, there are concrete steps you can take to (eventually) feel less anxious.
Health anxiety is worry or concern about having a medical condition that is disproportionate to the actual risk. Sometimes health worries are the only topic someone is anxious about. For others, health is just one of several focuses of worry. At its worst, health anxiety can be quite impairing.
[Read more…]Do you or someone you know seem overly preoccupied with rules, regulations, and orderliness? Do things often need to be done “a particular way” or “the perfect way?” If so, it may be Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder, or “OCPD.”
OCPD is a personality disorder. A personality disorder is a characteristic style that is constant across many domains of life (i.e. work, relationships, etc.) and is often rigid. It also causes significant interference with one’s life.
[Read more…]Many people think of stress and anxiety as the same thing. There are important differences, however. Understanding them can help you if you’re experiencing stress or anxiety.
[Read more…]Are you a germophobe? Typically, a fear of germs is actually not a phobia. Often, it’s is a form of obsessive-compulsive disorder known informally as “contamination OCD.”
A fear of germs often causes temptation to avoid people, places, or things thought to be contaminated. Sometimes the concern is about a specific disease like HIV or hepatitis or just general germs. Other times the contamination is less well-defined.
The impact of this type of OCD can vary widely. If severe and untreated, contamination OCD can even result in people feeling that their homes are too contaminated to continue living in.
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