Beware, OCD: a psychotherapist on how to identify an insidious illness

Definition of the concept

Suspiciousness is an incorrect attitude, which is supported by self-hypnosis. A suspicious person sees a problem on a global scale in everything and considers himself a failure.

There are two main fears that affect such people.

1. Get sick. These individuals are obsessed with their health, can study medicine, and are constantly looking for a fatal disease.
2. To be deceived.

Excessive suspiciousness is a condition, the main manifestations of which are anxiety and constant worries. In most cases, negative thoughts have no confirmation in reality.

It is necessary to distinguish between suspiciousness and anxiety.

1. Anxiety is a fear that is caused by real reasons and specific circumstances.
2. Suspiciousness is a character trait (pathological) that has no basis.

Possible reasons

Frequent prohibitions in childhood and excessive control can lead to the development of suspiciousness

1. Complexity, lack of self-confidence.
2. Events in the past that had a traumatic impact on the psyche, especially if they were unforeseen and happened unexpectedly.
3. Psychical deviations.
4. Unsuccessful long-term experience in the past. For example, cohabitation with a dishonest person who regularly cheats.
5. Suffering a serious illness. If a child was diagnosed with a serious illness in childhood, and he spent a lot of time in a hospital ward, then this negatively affected the child’s psyche, his immunity and physical condition.
6. Energy exhaustion. Leads to changes in character and the development of insecurity.
7. Incorrect parenting:

• lack of support, affection, help;
• pressure, excessive demands;
• too frequent prohibitions;
• unfounded reproaches.

Characteristic symptoms

Suspicion does not allow one to exist normally. A person is in constant tension, he is tormented by doubts and anxiety

1. Anxiety is the main symptom. Suspicious people experience timidity and fear. Their anxiety is pronounced. A person does not share his thoughts and is afraid to trust others.
2. Focus on health. Such people, at the slightest ailment, see a fatal disease. There are often cases when thoughts alone provoked the development of psychosomatic conditions that manifested themselves as symptoms of serious illnesses.
3. Uncertainty. This character trait does not allow you to achieve career growth and interferes with your personal life.
4. Fearfulness. Individuals experience a constant feeling of fear. It does not allow you to develop, move forward, or make changes. A suspicious person is afraid of encountering a new type of activity because of possible negative consequences.
5. Depression and psychological disorders.
6. Preoccupation with some problem. A person concentrates on his own person, he is concerned about fears, personal experiences, he experiences apathy towards everything that happens.
7. Melancholy.
8. Exaggerating the significance of a particular situation.
9. Excessive sensitivity, increased mental sensitivity.
10. Fatigue, both mental and physical.
11. Rigidity of thinking.

If such traits predominate in your character, then it is advisable to go for a consultation with a psychologist so as not to trigger this condition, because it can destroy your life.

A suspicious person is aware of her condition and treats it critically. The person understands that:

• often exaggerates problems;
• stresses himself out in vain;
• constantly doubts;
• reacts sharply to the slightest failures;
• he is careful in everything, afraid to make a mistake;
• he is afraid of getting sick, he is frightened by illnesses;
• tries not to think about bad things, but he fails, bad thoughts constantly creep into his head;
• takes everything too personally.

If it’s not you, but your friend who is suspicious: how to help?

Without the desire of the person himself, it will not be easy to help him. But there is something you can do:

Earn trust. To do this, you must always answer calls, respond to the behavior of a suspicious person, verbalize his state (“I see this situation is depressing you”), come to meetings on time, and so on. Show by personal example that any problems can be solved and not serious. You can always control the situation. For example, if you are delayed, call and warn the person and apologize. Treat your friend’s suspiciousness condescendingly and with humor. Don’t angrily call him paranoid, alarmist, or “wagtail.” Words like “unique”, “vulnerable”, “sensual”, “responsible” are more suitable

Be tolerant, he needs attention and understanding. Don't become anxious yourself. Don't voice your worries. Everyone has them, but the suspicious type will perceive them sharply. Avoid surprises

Remember that this can provoke fright and new fear, and push a suspicious friend away from you. Do not discuss bad news, focus on positive events (of the world, country, city, your environment). At a convenient moment, offer to visit a specialist and say that you will be happy to organize everything and keep you company.

Consequences of suspiciousness

Uncorrected suspiciousness can cause problems, including loneliness.

Suspiciousness is dangerous not only because it can be a symptom of mental pathology, paranoia, hypochondria, an anxious personality disorder or depression, but also because it can develop into over time.

1. Suspiciousness affects the deterioration of the quality of life.
2. Constantly keeps you in suspense, deprives you of peace.
3. Provokes meaningless, obsessive, repetitive thoughts and actions.
4. Health is deteriorating. Suspicious individuals are more prone to hypertension, internal diseases, and in particular the gastrointestinal tract.
5. Pushes you to rash actions.
6. Significantly narrows the circle of communication, as a person treats close people with distrust and suspicion.
7. Eliminates the possibility of being happy, interferes with ease and joy in life.

Epilogue

Every problem has two sides to the coin. I consider it my duty to voice to you the opposite side of suspiciousness.

• If you get carried away with getting rid of emotions, in particular empathy, you can become a completely emotionless machine. And this has the same destructive effect on a person’s life as suspiciousness.
• The opposite of unhealthy pessimism, characteristic of suspiciousness, is unhealthy optimism, bordering on irresponsibility and ignoring real dangers.

Whatever the nature of suspiciousness (post-traumatic syndrome, serious illness, anxiety, fears, etc.), it is possible and necessary to fight it. But it is necessary to do this wisely and not go to other extremes.

The article presents a plan for getting rid of suspiciousness, your task is to implement it. By gradually solving subtasks, getting rid of individual components of suspiciousness (pessimism, mistrust, resentment, uncertainty, etc.), you will achieve the main goal - get rid of the tormenting problem.

When is it time to see a psychologist?

A person must understand that if he can’t cope on his own, it’s time to go to a psychologist

A person must understand that suspiciousness can harm his psychological health. The development of a mental illness that will make life unbearable cannot be ruled out. Psychologists make this diagnosis when the patient experiences nervous instability and provocation of psychosomatic diseases. If the condition is advanced, then complete remission cannot be achieved. The person will be forced to constantly visit a psychologist and take tranquilizers, antidepressants or sedatives throughout his life.

Let's look at what manifestations may indicate that individuals are no longer able to independently fight their suspicious state:

• severe irritability;
• insomnia, sleep disorders caused by excessive anxiety;
• the appearance of breathing problems;
• depressive state.

Tips on how to overcome suspiciousness

The advantage of suspiciousness is that a person can diagnose it independently. This means starting to work on yourself in time to avoid turning to a specialist.

Let's look at how to get rid of suspiciousness.

1. If suspiciousness is a bad habit, constantly instilling fear in yourself, then you can get rid of it by instilling in yourself new habits, which are also based on self-hypnosis, but are positive.
2. You need to learn to resist anxiety and fight panic. A person must be aware that he has power over himself and can control his emotions and feelings.
3. You need to know that thoughts materialize. A constant feeling of some kind of fear can provoke failure. In addition, a person must understand that he needs to respond to problems as they arise.
4. It is important to learn to live for today, and not with bad memories from the past. You need to understand that you are at a specific moment in time, in a specific place, and not in the place where bad events were experienced.
5. You need to learn to plan. Forecasting is not suitable here; with it, the individual seems to absolve himself of responsibility for what is happening in the future. Planning helps you take responsibility on your shoulders, gives you knowledge of how everything will happen, and this is the best remedy for anxiety and fears. A person must set the intention that there is confidence in a happy tomorrow. There is no need to worry too much, it is better to take active action.
6. You need to limit yourself from negative information. There is no point in watching the news if there is a high probability that what you see will cause negativity or panic.
7. You need to stop criticizing your actions and actions. A person must raise his self-esteem and learn to love himself. Concentrate on your strengths, do not pay too much attention to your shortcomings.
8. You need to learn to trust the people around you. There is no need to look for deception and trickery when communicating with loved ones. A person must understand that trust helps to cope with a psychological barrier.
9. You can keep a diary in which you write down the negative emotions you experience during the day. This will allow you to splash them out on paper, and, therefore, prevent stress.
10. Reorganization of the daily routine. The right changes in life contribute to changes in the psychological foundation and add positive emotions.
11. You need to learn to set goals for yourself, determine your needs, and concentrate your attention on them. In such a situation, the opinions of other people will not be so important.
12. Initially, suspiciousness is considered as a character trait, and it does not need correction with medications. To reduce symptoms, mild sedatives are used, in particular Novopassit or Persen. The main condition is to take medications under the supervision of a doctor, strictly according to his prescriptions. Serious medications are used when suspiciousness is one of the symptoms of a mental disorder.
13. You need to learn to develop the following qualities in yourself:

• self-control;
• ability to trust people;
• self confidence;
• self-discipline;
• cheerfulness;
• optimism.

Now you know what constant suspiciousness is. You need to understand that such an attitude towards the world around you is not normal, this is not how you grow and develop normally. A suspicious person is dependent on the opinions of others, which can greatly complicate normal life activities. Living in constant fear, the inability to express oneself fully, leads to negative consequences that can be avoided with timely therapy.

Fighting methods

When considering the question of what the word suspiciousness means, we should mention methods of combating this condition. There are several effective methods that help get rid of the disease once and for all. First of all, you should direct all your efforts to personal development. Finding hidden talents that will help you realize yourself in life helps not only to overcome past mistakes, but also to prevent them from appearing in the future. Constant self-development of the best qualities and use of acquired skills helps you find your place in society.

In order to get rid of poor self-esteem, you should learn to respect yourself as an individual.

Constant attention to one's own shortcomings only aggravates the condition in question. To feel confident in your actions, you should objectively approach the analysis of your own life.

Keep a diary where you will describe various positive moments in your life. In the same diary you should record various experiences and thoughts that appear during the day. This technique allows you to create a list of various problems and their solutions that will simplify your future life. In similar conditions, a suspicious person who is faced with a similar problem will not fall into a stupor, but will begin to act confidently, since he already knows the methods and answers to various questions.

Many experts recommend their patients to reconsider their lifestyle. You can change your life in small ways, using unusual wardrobe items and new routes when commuting to work. Small changes in your usual life will allow you to tune in to more global changes in your life.

It is very important to learn to perceive various events that occur positively. Internal attitude is very important in human life

Encouraging yourself and smiling program your mind to achieve success. If you encounter various difficulties on your life's path, you should not despair, since every person encounters various obstacles.

Suspicious people usually lack self-confidence and think that they are constantly doing something wrong

Experts pay special attention to combating internal fears. In order to get rid of them, you should reconsider your attitude towards your own complexes

Many psychologists recommend art therapy sessions to their patients, which help them “throw out” accumulated problems on paper. Visualizing your own fears helps you see their insignificance and eradicate the problem.

In order to get rid of internal fears and increased anxiety, a person must have willpower. The above tips will help achieve your goal only if the patient has a determined attitude. Otherwise, suspiciousness can only be eliminated with the help of a psychotherapist.