Do I have a mental disorder?!?
Sorry if this is long but please help if you can.
2 days ago I stayed up the whole night unitl 7 AM very very anxious and paranoid. I have a stupid fear of demons and being possessed (which is irrational i know but i can never make myself not scared) and that whole night i though I was getting possessed. I obviously was not, but the reason i thought I was was because i kept twitching and feeling dizzy. I also thought sounds were more amplified and everything seemed warpeed. Its really hard to explain but i just didnt feel right and i had this sense that something horrible was happening or would happen. I just pictured all the stuff that happened in movies and scared myself so much I could not go to sleep. the next day i took a 7 hour nap with nyquil just to get some rest in me so I didn't go into a worse state. Last night i took nyquil at midnight in order have 8 hours of sleep but didnt fall asleep until 3:30 due to anxiety again and thinking I was going to be possessed. I fell asleep but it took me so long and I don't know what to do. I'm fine during the day and I know my fear is irrational, but it still plagues me at night and prevents me to sleep, which then causes me to feel out of it during the day and is a vicious cycle. I am not even releigious so I don't get why I'm so freaked out, but I still pray and do all that stuff for peace of mind. I don't know how to get over this fear and the anxiety that happens every night and it makes me dread going to sleep.
I am also femail and 19, I am in college and I am not an evil person and have a very normal life. I usually deal with stress very well and I am emotionally stable.
Thank you for any help and please no troll comments, only those who might have an idea or similar experience
Comments
Doesn't sound like paranoia or OCD to me. Try letting your mind start to rest at least 2 hours before going to bed. Try not to become reliant on sleep aids. They are OK as a one-off quick fix but you could soon find that you are unable to even think about sleep until you have taken something. At your age that would be a disaster. Avoid TV and computers for at least 2 hours before bedtime. Take a hot nightime drink 30 minutes before going to bed and, above all, try to switch your mind off so that you are more relaxed when you go to bed. Once in bed, snuggle up warm (try a hot water bottle maybe) and concentrate on things which you like and people you care about so that you are not inclined to think negative thoughts. Try this for a few days and if that fails, consult a college nurse or your doctor and see if they can give you something to help you relax and sleep (although ensure it is a short-term remedy only - not longer than 21 days/nights). Stop worrying about there being something wrong with your mind, you are fine at all other times and nothing seems really amiss. Good luck
I wouldn't necessarily call it a mental disorder; it sounds like you have a phobia. These can be either rational or irrational fears brought on by one's personal experiences, and they don't indicate that someone is "crazy" in any way. I myself have a fear of open water (not sharks, not drowning, just the idea of not being able to see the bottom or edges of a body of water) and am perfectly fine otherwise. You said that you think about what you've seen in movies and on TV, so I would recommend staying away from media involving that unless you find someone like your pastor or a good friend that you can regularly confide in about it. So to answer your question, I don't think so. Honestly, this might be able to be overcome by sheer willpower. Just reassure yourself that the movies are fake, that prayer will keep you safe and that there's no reason it should happen specifically to you.
ok, it is NOT irrational, demons are very real and have possessed people and animals before. nothing is wrong with you. you just need to get it in your mind that as long as you trust in God to help you, and keep you safe, nothing bad is going to happen. for extra saftey feeling sleep with a special blanket, or with a stuffed animal, or have someone sleep in your room. it helps to know theres someone with you.
This is a form of OCD. Your doctor will help you. Call your doctor.
Or go to the campus health clinic.
Sounds like paranoia.
Yes.