fear of end of the world
Question:
I think I have obsessive thoughts but I am not sure… Every night, I am affraid of the end of the world (like nuclear war) and of death… during the day it’s ok but at bedtime, I start thinking about it… Does anyone had these fears before? Do you think it’s OCD? (I do). Thanks for your answer… (sorry for my english, I’m french speaking…) Gen 
Response:
Sounds like it to me. I do that too, but my medication (Luvox) has helped alot. Also, every sound is a burglar and "what if my kids stop breathing" while they sleep? Sometimes sleep can be horrible. Diane McMonagle Eric <er…@total.net> wrote in article <32F6588D.6…@total.net>… – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> I think I have obsessive thoughts but I am not sure… Every night, I am > affraid of the end of the world (like nuclear war) and of death… > during the day it’s ok but at bedtime, I start thinking about it… > Does anyone had these fears before? Do you think it’s OCD? (I do). > Thanks for your answer… > (sorry for my english, I’m french speaking…) > Gen
Response:
On Mon, 03 Feb 1997 16:28:45 -0500, Eric <er…@total.net> wrote: >I think I have obsessive thoughts but I am not sure… Every night, I am >affraid of the end of the world (like nuclear war) and of death… >during the day it’s ok but at bedtime, I start thinking about it… >Does anyone had these fears before? Do you think it’s OCD? (I do). >Thanks for your answer… >(sorry for my english, I’m french speaking…) >Gen
Don’t think it’s as much OCD as just Obsessive..however..I would certainly recommend seeing a professional as soon as possible.. begin treatment before things get set too deeply into the persona and it takes hell and forever to get rid of them..english seems fine to me..infinitely better than my meager and mediocre french woule be.. sorry..I’m American..It would seem that there must be some underlying significance to the bedtime part..partial fear of dark..unknown..guilt at lying in bed rather than doing something your mind would consider more constructive..no expert..but it would seem significant that it only occurs at that time.. orcan
Response:
In article <32F6588D.6…@total.net>, Eric <er…@total.net> wrote: >I think I have obsessive thoughts but I am not sure… Every night, I am >affraid of the end of the world (like nuclear war) and of death… >during the day it’s ok but at bedtime, I start thinking about it… >Does anyone had these fears before? Do you think it’s OCD? (I do). >Thanks for your answer… >(sorry for my english, I’m french speaking…) >Gen
Dear Gen, I have had very similar thoughts. Before I was age 10 or 11, I had what my parents (and my father is a psychiatrist) called "habits" (now we now they were compulsions). I seemed to outgrow them in my preteen years, and only recently (1991) was diagnosed with OCD. In the intervening years, I often had frightening, disturbing, embarrassing, and annoying thoughts. I don’t think that I ever connected these with my earlier problems, but after reading and listening to the experiences of others I realize this whole thing has been a continuum. Anyway, I had many long-lasting worries in my teens: nuclear war and disease being two main ones. In fact, as I reread your post, I recall having _extreme_ fears of death and terrifying experiences of mentally bringing (imagining) myself to the moment of my death. It was horrible. It was an obsession. My suggestion is that you get a diagnosis from a qualified psychiatrist. Almost everybody worries about death, nuclear war, disease. When it interferes with your life and daily/nightly functioning, though, it is best to seek help. You write that during the day it is ok, but at bedtime it is not. How ok is "ok"? Do you have these frightening thoughts during the day? Are they ‘manageable’- that is, can you put them out of your mind or distract yourself? At night, are you able to sleep? Elana Howard Feel free to e-mail me at: cats…@bobsworld.win.net
Response:
I don’t mean to cause any trouble, but based on the initial description its kind of hard to make a real assesment. This also raises some other questions regarding where the boundaries actually are between OCD, and other types of "worrying". The latter is an interesting subject, because, before we medicalize every aspect of the human condition into a nice-circumscribed category, we might want to brood over the possibility that fear, anxiety, dread and wariness are endemic to the species. I’m not suggesting that the person who feels compelled to "check" the stove exactly 32-times before leaving the house–and who has subsequently begun to dread getting up in the morning as a result of this ritual–is just like everybody else. there does come a point where certain pre-occupations begin to interfere with other things. This is, in fact, one of the ways that the culture defines OCD. But, it is important–especially in such a hyper-self-conscious era–that we not be too quick to fit every unusual fear into a particular category. When that happens, the meanings become so blurred that the syndrome takes on a syncretistic quality–suddenly everybody is afflicted. That trivializes the pain of those people who have suffered with some very extreme forms of mental-torture, like ocd. I am not suggesting that the person who posted that message doesnt have OCd, only that its impossible to tell–or for that matter, to reccomend a given treatment–given the information. Also, if you consider the number of stories in the media–especially the science media–lately regarding the possibility of the end of the world, as the result of a meteor-or cometary impact, how can you blame anybody for brooding over something like that. Grist for anybody’s mill–the completely arbitrary cosmic event.
Response:
>I think I have obsessive thoughts but I am not sure… Every night, I am >affraid of the end of the world (like nuclear war) and of death… >during the day it’s ok but at bedtime, I start thinking about it… >Does anyone had these fears before? Do you think it’s OCD? (I do). >Thanks for your answer… >(sorry for my english, I’m french speaking…) >Gen
I’ve had this problem, in the past, before meds. I was afraid, while I was sleeping, the great tribulations/armageddon would come.
Response:
On the other hand, by too strictly drawing your boundaries you risk placing people who would have a positive response to treatment outside of the reach of those who could help them. I’m agoraphobic, but because my illness isn’t as extreme as the cases you see described on programs like "60 Minutes" I resisted taking medication for almost twenty years. Now that I’m taking medication I’m making progress that I never would have thought possible.
Response:
I have also had these sorts of obsessive thoughts, although all of mine led back to my main obsession with fear of death. The only difference is that I thought about these things all of the time…not just at night, but that doesn’t mean you aren’t OCD. I’ve been on medication (Anafranil and now Prozac) for almost four years now and have had incredibly good results. I urge you to go see a doctor, who can give you a better opinion on whethere you are manifesting OCD or if it is some other type of problem, and can give you medication or behavioural therapy accordingly. Good luck!! Cheers Hillary
