Mild Pure-O

[cheweychips]

I'm currently having a mild pure-o obsession about death (mine or a loved one). I'm no longer panicking and I can enjoy everything I used to enjoy but only momentarily. Once I begin to start a train of happy thoughts, this negative thought would automatically intrude and ruin my whole day. I've been like this for 2 weeks now and if I go on like this for a longer time, I don't know how I will end up. I want to be 'normal' again cause there are a lot of good things that's actually happening in my life right now but such a negative thought ruins every thing that makes me happy.

Now I'm having second thoughts on whether I should undergo consultation. I never took any meds or never been diagnosed (just self-diagnosed) because usually, I can shrug it off. And I'm confused whether this is Pure-O or GAD.

My fear is that if I undergo medication, I might be on it forever. And if I undergo therapy and it doesn't work, what else am I left with? I don't want to live like this.

Has anybody overcome such a similar obsession with meds or CBT?

[dbirm77]

CBT therapy would be good choice in your situation, I think.
You would be surprised  how powerful it can be to simply state the fears you have outloud to an experienced
therapist.
Once you express your fears, the therapist will help you to expose how irrational these fears are and how you can work to overcome them.
Reach out for help.....I know the feeling of thinking that it may or may not work.
Give it a try...it certainly can't make things worse.

Good Luck,

Drew

[middlenamehypochondria]

I think therapy is a good idea.  The important thing is finding a therapist you are comfortable with.  I encourage you
to find someone who does more than just stare, listen and nod....that doesn't really help.  Like every profession
there are average, good and great professionals.  Find the right one!

[MovingOn]

I also suffer from Pure-O and GAD and felt that I didn't want to go to therapy or on meds because of the fear of the therapy not working and then having to face the fact that I will be like this forever. The KEY that you will realize in therapy is that you will not be like this forever, but rather its just a temporary feeling. For example, If you had the flu and you thought to yourself that the way you are feeling at the moment is the way you will feel for ever, how silly would that thought be. The Biggest problem with us anxiety suffers is that we project our current feelings on to the future, similarly to someone with the flu projecting there tiredness, nausea etc onto the future.

[Chilliboy07]

CheweyChips,

I too have the same feeling that once I began to think of positive thoughts, my negative thoughts come right in and and intrude and cause me to get so anxious.

How are you now? I see this was posted in may but I would love to hear a success story to give me some hope!

[goawayanxiety]

I can totally relate to you.  When I start to think of positive thoughts, a negative thought almost immediately comes into my mind which makes me think that sometthing inside me will not allow me to be happy or calm.
One example is "I'll talk to my sister, she always makes me feel better".  I'll feel a sense of relief for a moment and then almost immediately I'll get a thought like what if i start thinking weird thoughts about my sister, like sexual thoughts, or thoughts like I hate her.  Of course it then takes away the calming or positive thought that talking with my sister will make me feel better.
Ii'd also like to know why this happens or what to do when it does.
Good luck to us all.

[em123456]

Hi,

I can really relate to this. I go through phases of the same thing, intrusive thoughts and related anxiety that lasts for a couple of weeks and then goes and I am back to my old self. Mine are usually related to death or inability to sleep.

I am trying to figure out if it is GAD or OCD, I do not have physical complusions but mental rituals.

I personally am reluctant to go on meds because my symptoms are not continuous, I think CBT sounds like a positive step however. It is a personal choive though.