Anxiety disorders and treatment Posted: 03-15-08 07:23am
Hi Doctor,
I've recently developed trichotillomania.
I've been under a lot of stress lately.
I've been studying for an entrance exam
that I've failed twice already and always
find myself fishing through my hair stands
and pulling out irregular hairs in my
head, which amounts to about 30-40 strands
a day. I think this has been a way to cope
with the stress. Also, i've had anxiety
attacks and spontaneous flashes of images
of death. I would describe myself as a
relatively normal person, I'm a recent
college graduate from a top 20 university
but am very paranoid about my future. As
I've been studying for my exam, I feel
that I cannot fall asleep because of the
anxiety attacks and the images that arise
in my mind. My head tingles and I
experience a burning sensation all around
my head when this happens and I feel
extremely scared. I know I have a mild
degree of OCD, but where are these scary
images coming from. What exactly am I
suffering from?
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DoctorAnswer
Doctor Answer
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Anxiety and Stress Answer A3857 Posted: 04-03-08 11:52am
According to your symptoms
(trichotillomania, anxiety attacks,
“spontaneous flashes of images of
death”, “paranoid about my future”,
“I cannot fall asleep”, “images
arise in my mind”, head tingles, burning
sensations around the head, “feel
extremely scared”…) you could be
experiencing an anxiety disorder, probably
generalized anxiety disorder. I don’t
see any data that can confirm to me that
you have obsessive compulsive disorder
(OCD) which is also a type of anxiety
disorder (neurosis). OCD is characterized
by constant repetition of thoughts and
actions.
You may want to consult a psychiatrist
about your condition.
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