Hi Folks,

I've been on the forum for a while now, and I've noticed that a lot of us have symptoms that cross over from one section to another. In may case, I have bits of different diagnoses and I still get taken by surprise by my own stuff, even after years of coping with it all.

I'm beginning to wonder if the illness comes in many forms, but has a core which is common across many diagnoses. For instance, anxiety and fear seem to be common to agraphobia and to panic disorder, and also to OCD, and problems with eating. It's like the illness is expressed in different ways, but the common rail is that we are not comfortable and happy in ourselves. The Chinese have a saying, "He is not comfortable inside his own skin."

I had do to a quick double take just yesterday. I was getting irritated with a domestic appliance in the house, and I suddenly realised that the irritation I was feeling was way over the top, a sign of OCD kicking in. I quickly had to check my anger, leave the cooking for my (long suffering) wife and take time out in the bedroom, with some breathing. The key was to spot the OCD, face it, and not end up in a domestic row with my wife about something else.

So, my question is. When something blows up for us. How good are we at spotting our own situation, and addressing our own illness rather than projecting it and confusing the issue? How good are we at covering the 'many forms' that the illness can present to us?

Cheers, Myzen.