Understanding yourself

What is said, and what is underneath.

Studies of the sentences people offer long before they can name what is happening. Starting points for reading, never a diagnosis.

29 studies in Anxiety · Page 2 of 2 · Show every study

N° 25

Hoarding disorder

“Abba has kept every newspaper since 1998.”

When letting go of things causes real distress and rooms fill until they cannot be used. It often grows in later life, and patient help works best.

N° 26

“I pull my hair when I study. Now there’s a patch.”

Pulling hair or picking skin that you cannot stop, often without noticing. Common, rarely talked about, and treatable with habit reversal.

N° 27

“I haven’t been to New Market since the crowd.”

Fear of crowds, markets or buses in case panic strikes and escape is hard. It quietly shrinks a life, and step by step it can be reversed.

N° 28

“It’s like watching my life through glass.”

Feeling unreal, or that the world is flat and far away, as if in a film. Frightening and often misunderstood, but not a sign of losing your mind.

N° 29

“Every monsoon, the water comes closer to Nanu’s house.”

Worry about floods and a warming world is a sane response to a real threat. When it starts to take over sleep and study, support can help.