Fear (Greek φόβος “phobos”) is an innate emotion that helps us mobilize in difficult, critical situations in order to act in accordance with the situation. Fear, the intensity of which harms a person’s mental health, interferes with daily functioning, is irrational in nature and does not represent an emotion of intensity corresponding to an objective threat, is included in the category of anxiety disorders in international classifiers (DSM-5; ICD-10).
The term “crazy” or “going crazy” is not a scientific terminology. This term is established in society, which refers to a person’s strange behavior, delusions and/or dialogue with hallucinations. The fear of going crazy is associated with the loss of reason and rationality, which causes anxiety and fear.
During the fear of going crazy, a person has thoughts that he is going crazy or may go crazy. Due to fear, a person has difficulty in social relationships, his psycho-emotional state worsens, he is depressed, tense, the level of general anxiety increases, fear affects self-esteem and life satisfaction.
Causes of the fear of going crazy
The most common cause of the fear of going crazy is mental imbalance, or a history of mental illness (more often anxiety disorders) in the family.
The fear of going crazy can also be associated with a traumatic experience of a person, which caused him strong anxiety and fear. It can be associated with obsessive-compulsive disorder. This is a mental disorder with obsessions, which involves the obsession with unwanted, intrusive thoughts, images, feelings, sensations or needs that cause distress in a person.
Another common cause of fear of going crazy is a diagnosis of panic disorder, which is characterized by recurrent, unexpected panic attacks (and intense fear of having a panic attack).
Symptoms and features:
Psychological symptoms
· Fear of developing schizophrenia or another psychotic disorder;
· Feeling and fear of losing control over oneself;
· Irrational fear of being hospitalized in a psychiatric hospital;
· Fear of losing one’s mind;
· The person experiences significant distress caused by distraction and anxiety. At this time, the anxiety is excessive or unreasonable;
· The fear causes significant distress or impairs social or occupational functioning;
· Anxiety related to cognitive decline;
· Fear of anticipating dementia;
Physical symptoms
· Rapid pulse;
· Dizziness;
· Sweating;
· Muscle tension;
· Rapid breathing;
· Feeling weak;
· Difficulty concentrating;
Despite the intensity of thoughts and emotions, there is no statistical evidence that a person “goes crazy” due to the “fear of going crazy”. In other words, no one has ever gone crazy due to the fear of going crazy.
Treatment
When treating the fear of going crazy, it is first important to make a correct diagnosis, because, as already mentioned, the fear of going crazy may be associated with various diagnoses. Consultation with a psychiatrist is important for diagnosis.
Treatment is carried out both through medication and psychotherapy.
With the help of medication, the symptoms of the fear of going crazy are reduced, while within the framework of psychotherapy, the psychologist works on psychoeducation and awareness of the cause of the fear of going crazy.