It is not uncommon for individuals suffering from both Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder and panic/anxiety attacks to start to fear that they have something “worse” than OCD. Often times these individuals will fear that they might get or have schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or some other psychotic condition. This fear can lead to feeling that you are “crazy” or going to go crazy. Other people suffering from this subtype of OCD will fear that the stress, overwhelm, and anxiety from OCD will cause them to have a psychological break or could cause a different mental disorder/condition that would cause them to end up in a mental institution. These individuals can remain in a continuous state of anticipatory anxiety (feeling anxious now about something that could happen in the future) about their future and their future mental health. This state of anxious and fearful anticipation can lead to additional anxiety attacks which unfortunately trigger their fear of going crazy or losing their mind which creates a devastating vicious cycle. It is not uncommon for individuals suffering from this form of OCD to feel the need to check the internet to verify whether or not their symptoms are something more than OCD or for them to ask friends, family members, or loved ones if they think they are crazy or going insane.
