Have you ever looked up a rare mental illness, only to find out that you had most of the symptoms? Humans beings are complex creatures, with a massive range of thoughts and behaviours. Most of the time, even creepy or unusual behaviours are harmless. However, in some illnesses, these behaviours can get out of hand to the point that they disrupt the sufferer's life or happiness. Below is a list of five normal behaviours that can spiral out of control for those with mental disorders. If you are concerned about your mental health, talk to your GP.
People talk about attention seeking as though it is disgraceful and bad. People who are perceived as seeking attention (for example, by crying or wearing outlandish clothes) are dismissed as attention seekers and ignored. Worryingly, even people who self-harm are sometimes given the label of attention seeker (though that is rarely the case) and ignored. But here's the uncomfortable truth: human beings need attention. We are a social species. If faced with something difficult or unpleasant, we like to have the support of those around us. Seeking attention in the form of support, love, empathy and respect is normal and healthy. However, people with histrionic personality disorder (HPD) go to extremes to get the attention that they constantly feel they need. They are typically extreme exhibitionists, sensitive to the opinions of others, and deeply unhappy when not in the limelight. Although almost everyone shows mild versions of the symptoms of HPD, having severe enough symptoms for a diagnosis is rare.
Hopefully this list has made you a little more aware of the differences between having a disorder and being slightly odd. Unless your distinctive foibles are keeping you up at night or interfering with your life and happiness, you have nothing to worry about. However, if you do have concerns, discuss them with your doctor or counsellor, as there are usually treatments available. And don't diagnose yourself using the internet. Google didn't go to medical school, and neither did I.
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| These dolls may look a little creepy and strange, but that doesn't mean they have personality disorders. Photo from www.cgpgrey.com. |
1. Intrusive thoughts
Have you ever had a thought that frightened or disturbed you? Perhaps you were driving and thought "I could run over that child". Or while out hunting, you thought about shooting your friend. Involuntary thoughts such as these do not mean you are a terrible person. The very fact that they are unwelcome and disturbing means that you are unlikely to act on them. The overwhelming majority of people experience intrusive thoughts, which range from inappropriate social or sexual acts to murder and suicide. Thankfully, they only severely affect quality of life in people with mental illnesses such as obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), or depression. For sufferers, an intrusive thought can cause panic attacks, or actions to prevent the imagined possibility from happening.2. Avoiding vomit
Nobody likes vomit. We have a natural aversion to it. However, people with emetophobia take this aversion to the next level. If you've ever felt sick from being anxious or afraid, imagine if you were afraid of you or someone else feeling or being sick. Your stomach does a funny turn as it goes about its daily squelching, you immediately think that means you are about to vomit, and then the intense fear that you will vomit makes you feel even sicker. This vicious circle is what emetophobic people have to go through every time they think they might be exposed to vomit. Those situations are more common than you would think: on the bus, in the pub, in a nursery school, or after eating something that one of their friends thought gave them food poisoning six years ago. The possibilities are endless, and avoiding them only makes the anxiety worse. Thankfully, like all phobias it is treatable by a psychologist.
3. Attention seeking
People talk about attention seeking as though it is disgraceful and bad. People who are perceived as seeking attention (for example, by crying or wearing outlandish clothes) are dismissed as attention seekers and ignored. Worryingly, even people who self-harm are sometimes given the label of attention seeker (though that is rarely the case) and ignored. But here's the uncomfortable truth: human beings need attention. We are a social species. If faced with something difficult or unpleasant, we like to have the support of those around us. Seeking attention in the form of support, love, empathy and respect is normal and healthy. However, people with histrionic personality disorder (HPD) go to extremes to get the attention that they constantly feel they need. They are typically extreme exhibitionists, sensitive to the opinions of others, and deeply unhappy when not in the limelight. Although almost everyone shows mild versions of the symptoms of HPD, having severe enough symptoms for a diagnosis is rare.4. Hoarding
If you're not a hoarder, you probably know someone who is. Someone who lives alone but has 10,000 mugs and refuses to get rid of any. Someone whose garage is filled with things that might come in useful one day but never do. However, if you find you have difficulty getting around your house because of the immense piles of clutter (which you nonetheless keep adding to) you may have hoarding disorder. A common condition, particularly among those who already have another disorder such as OCD, hoarding disorder is characterised by extreme unwillingness and distress related to parting with possessions. A hoarder's house will be cluttered to the point that it is hard to clean, and there may be a risk of a "clutter avalanche" which can trap the inhabitant. The hoarder will probably continue to add to their possessions, even if there is no room for more.5. Cleaning
Cleaning in itself is not a symptom of OCD. Just because you like your tinned food arranged in alphabetical order, or you keep your raw meat on the bottom shelf of the fridge (as it should be!), does not make you obsessive-compulsive. In fact, people with OCD have a huge variety of potential compulsive behaviours, including checking that the oven is off, chewing their food a particular number of times, or counting the number of steps they take. The behaviours don't make sense, but sufferers are compelled to do them. Washing hands a particular number of times, or being unusually thorough in hand washing, is a common symptom of OCD; however, rather than improving hygiene, the hand-washing can be so extreme that the sufferer develops skin conditions or discomfort as a result. The idea that OCD means keeping things clean is misguided and may have led to a lack of understanding of the condition.Hopefully this list has made you a little more aware of the differences between having a disorder and being slightly odd. Unless your distinctive foibles are keeping you up at night or interfering with your life and happiness, you have nothing to worry about. However, if you do have concerns, discuss them with your doctor or counsellor, as there are usually treatments available. And don't diagnose yourself using the internet. Google didn't go to medical school, and neither did I.
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