Posted by S.D. on September 10, 2006, at 17:00:28
In reply to Is over-analyzing a symptom of OCD?, posted by flip-floppy on September 8, 2006, at 3:11:56
> And is fear of rejection and fear of rejecting
> other people also symptoms of OCD?re: rejection/rejecting:
No. Social phobia, as Phillipa alluded. Are you also anxious or fearful in other interactions with people, perhaps dealing with an "authority figure" or fearing embarassment when a group of people have their attention on you for whatever reason?A distinction you may read about is between "generalized social phobia" (fear of negative appraisal in a variety of situations/contexts) and discrete type. rejection/rejecting can cover a wide range--if you have this anxiety in many social situations it is "generalized".
Also called "social anxiety disorder" as Phillipa mentioned, although I think the current DSM edition still calls it "Social Phobia".
---re: over-analyzing
Do you mean you analyze most choices/decisions more than is rational/justified/cost-effective/time-efficient? If so, is it because you feel a strong need/impulse to always make the best choice/decision? And if so, do you believe something terrible may happen if you don't (something not logically connected to the outcome of the decision itself), or is it more of a "perfectionism" kind of thing?One of the OCD criteria Racer quoted was "(2) the thoughts, impulses, or images are _not_ simply excessive worries about real-life problems". Do you believe you worry more than most people, or more than you'd like, about many of the problems (chronic or passing) in your life?
Would you describe your over-analysis as having a significant "indecisiveness" component? Do you repeat/rehash pros and cons, or components of what you are analyzing, that you have already considered and come to a conclusion about?
If your over-analysis seems to be a pretty specific and isolated thought/behavior pattern, and you know why you do it (or if you can _discover_ why, since it may be an unconscious thought/belief) --that is, what you fear-- I think you are likely to have good success from applying cognitive therapy/Rational Emotive Therapy to yourself (books are available, or maybe there is a good enough 'net resource).
I have social phobia and also "over-analyze" and worry about a lot of stuff probably a lot. I've done so pretty much always and thought "that's just where I am on the spectrum of (analytical/worried)<--+-->(heedless/carefree)", but at some prompting I'm considering whether the label "Generalized anxiety disorder" (British spelling: Generalised anxiety disorder) also fits me.
Not that the label may matter much, as the same therapy-type (cognitive) and meds are sometimes effective (benzodiazepines, MAOIs, kava, GABA-related/neuropathic pain/anticonvulsant, SSRIs, SNRIs, Azapirones). But it prompted me to focus on anxiety as cause of some things that are obstructing further reductions in my social phobia (social anxiety disorder).
- S.D. (shyInSanDiego)
poster:S.D.
thread:684166
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20060909/msgs/684767.html