I think I have a mental disorder

[JakeBequette]

So, I'm thinking I have some sort of mental issue...

I'm sort of obsessed with the weather. I watch the weather channel/check the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Aministration web page anywhere from 5 to 20 times a day, depending on the weather that day. I look at the severe weather outlooks obsessively, and cannot understand why others don't get as into it as I do.

Today there were severe storms in northern texas, I sat at my lap top for a good 30 minutes while there was a tornado going on, refreshing the radar page over and over watching the storm... I couldn't stop, and I do that anytime it's storming anywhere, not just where I live.

When it storms here, I FREAK OUT! I get so nervous and anxious when it storms, and for hours if not days before it storms. Knowing it may storm is enough for me to worry and get myself worked up and convince myself that the weather is going to get really bad, and tell everyone I know that it might storm on such and such day and to pay attention to the weather, etc. Two weeks ago we had a tornado warning, and I came very close to having a panic attack, it was to the point where a man I didn't know was telling me things were going to be ok and trying to calm me down (while also making jokes about me)...

I have a strange fascination with the weather, it's as if I want bad storms/tornadoes/hurricanes to occur, and when they do I get so anxious and nervous, and come to the verge of panic, especially if I hear the sirens go off...

I want to go on a tornado chasing tour during the summer, but just watching videos on tv/the internet is enough to get me nervous about the weather for days....

What's wrong with me? Is there some sort of psychological condition to describe this?

I've been seriously considering asking my doctor for some sort of nerve pill to use when I get stressed over the weather/my job.​

 

[beatleshead]

MOre than likely you are OCD and the weather(as funny of an obsession that is lol) the weather is a manifestation of your condition, that is if you do indeed have it.

I think you she see a doctor right away...before you branch out to different obsessions of anxiety that will ultimately limit your functional life. believe me this wont sound as strange to him/her as you might think..and if you can, avoid the doctor altogether and get your self an appointment for a psychiatrist appointment.

Im sure they'll take it from there.

Of course take everything i said with a grain of salt, im no doctor.

 

[JakeBequette]

MOre than likely you are OCD and the weather(as funny of an obsession that is lol) the weather is a manifestation of your condition, that is if you do indeed have it.

I think you she see a doctor right away...before you branch out to different obsessions of anxiety that will ultimately limit your functional life. believe me this wont sound as strange to him/her as you might think..and if you can, avoid the doctor altogether and get your self an appointment for a psychiatrist appointment.

Im sure they'll take it from there.

Of course take everything i said with a grain of salt, im no doctor.

I had a friend who used to insist I have OCD, I never thought I did/do.

99% of the time my room/car are filty, and I don't care... I'm not really worried about it, but every once in a while, every few months, I'll get this incredible urge to clean things, my room, my car, my fish tank, and while I'm doing this I'll organize things, my CDs, DVDs, games, always in alphabetical order my music artist/dvd title/game title.... First are the ones I've bought, then ones I've burned...

Every once in a while at resteraunts I'll move the salts and peppers/napkins/silverware around on the table until it sits where I think it should sit. The coins in my car change drawer are usually ordered by coin size if they're not in their slot due to fullness.

One time leaving Wal-Mart I had bought something and opened it in the car, leaving trash on the passenger seat, and I started driving home and had to pull over because the trash was bothering me SO BAD. I had to put it in the back floor board so I couldn't see it, but I couldn't stop thinking about it. This isn't all the time, just sometimes.

I've had people comment before especially in school about how I would always have my penicl/pen lined up along the side of the paper so they were side by side and not at all angled.

Something I do nightly is my alarm... I'll set it, then try to lay down... Lay for maybe 5 minutes until I can't resist anymore, then I'll check it again, and lay back down.... check it again, lay down, check, lay down... This can happen from 3-10 times a night depending on how I am. If I'm more anxious about the following day I'll check it more often, if I'm not I'll check it less, but regardless I can't resist checking it even thought I JUST did minutes before.

Are there medications that can kind of make that stuff go away?

My main concern now is my obsession with the weather and storms... I just get so worked up and nervous and panic at the first sign of bad storms.... People call after storms to check and see if I'm all right and make a joke about my freaking out... I just know that's not normal I really would like to get over it but it's as if I can't let it go.​

 

[beatleshead]

...Then my post was lightyears behind where you are now...

You should've been concerned with the behaviors you just discribed; but hey, the past is the past so lets move ahead. your new manifestation is the weather which i cannot think of anyway it would not limit your life, but as i think you said, you can still go to work/school/grocery market...etc.

But what if you get past the weather...what if it transforms into being afraid of concrete? what if it turns into being afraid of the paint of your car or being annoyed by the number of bumps are in the road when you drive....my point is fuck the weather thing...you need to get thearpy for the overall affliction.

From the little i know, unfortunetly the way you were born(of course assuming you ARE OCD) you will never have the "normal" though processes that people who do not suffer from it have. It will always be there. From the little I know, you can learn to control/limit these urges with therapy sessions combined with anxiety medicines that can take away the...well...anxiety. Of course there are "experimental" treatments, (which sometimes equate the truthfullness of those male enhancement drugs).

so yeah...if it is something you cant take anymore, you go see your doctor, and you tell him EVERYTHING...including the car thing, the pencil stuff, etc.

There are plenty of doctors who are here who can chime in and either support what im saying or completely disprove it...lol

But im pretty sure thats whats up with you. so once again..gett a doctor. ok im finished.

 

[MrBarbrey]

I'm Bi-Polar

 

[beatleshead]

I'm Bi-Polar

me too. its a gas isnt it

 

[Yves]

Are there medications that can kind of make that stuff go away?​

YES.

Treatment is available including medication and psychotherapy. OCD affects about 2.2 million American adults. It's far from uncommon and not all people with OCD are similar to TV fictional characters as "Monk."

The National Institute of Mental Health has a webpage on OCD with additional info and questions for your doctor. People with OCD may be aware that their obsessions are senseless, but they cannot stop themselves. Anxiety treatment is key.
http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/obsessive-compulsive-disorder-ocd/index.shtml

beatleshead posts are right on. One thing he mentioned is to tell your doctor EVERYTHING. That's key.

You should see your doctor in order to confirm the diagnosis and get treatment.

Best of luck.

 

[Tim8NL]

Sure sounds like you've got OCD.

In order to be diagnosed as having a mental disorder, you have to be experiencing the 4 D's, deviance, distress, dysfunction and danger.

Deviance: behavior, thinking or functioning that is different, extreme or which cannot be understood by 'normal' people.

Distress: behavior, thinking or functioning that is upsetting or disturbing to the person who displays it.

Dysfunction: behavior, thinking or functioning that interferes with the person’s ability to function constructively.

Danger: behavior, thinking or functioning that is potentially dangerous to the person or to others.

Do any or all of these apply to you?

 

[jackrabbit]

Tim8NL:

You are right about some of what you said. But as a psychologist-in-training, meaning I am 3 weeks away from completing my doctoral training, I can tell you that some of what you said is not true.

One's behavior does not need to be dangerous in order to qualify for a mental illness. The most important piece of your comment is the dysfunction piece - the disorder needs to interfere with the person's ability to function as they have in the past. Even the deviance piece is shaky, at best. It does not need to be extreme or misunderstood by others. The distress piece is also crucial.

For example, one can be depressed, and meet the criteria set forth in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Major Depressive Disorder, but they do not need to be dangerous to themselves, or to others. The criteria for MDD is not too hard for others to understand either. However, the distress and dysfunction pieces are major contributors to the diagnostic criteria.

For Jake:

I would suggest starting with a psychologist. It is possible that your OCD is minor and can be controlled with Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. If it isn't able to be dealt with in this matter, I would imagine that the psychologist would refer you to a medication provider, such as a psychiatrist or a psychiatric nurse practitioner.

Hope this all helps!

 

[tonyboy]

Well Jake.... sounds like you do have a preoccupation with the weather....
Don't know if that is OCD but it does sound like it may be.
Find something to do with youself to take you mind of the freaking weather man....

Get a b/f for gods sake buddy.
Nice to see you posting on jub again btw.....

 

[Tim8NL]

@jackrabbit: You're right, I see now that I wrote it in a rather confusing way. I didn't mean that you absolutely have to be experiencing all four D's, just that those four are important in determining whether or not he's got a clinical problem, hence my question at the bottom. If he isn't experiencing any, there's no clinical problem.