Is it depression?

For about five years now I have been suffering from what I believe to be OCD. I have never had a formal diagnosis, but all of my symptoms match. This was annoying, but recently I seem to have developed some other mental issue. I'm not entirely sure how to describe the sensation, but for seemingly no reason whatsoever, I will often (daily, at least) feel lightheaded, tired and... disconnected. Notably I do not feel panicked or frightened during these episodes, just "mentally fogged". My pulse rate is also normal at 70 BPM and I have tried deep breathing exercises with little success. It doesn't seem to be depersonalization disorder, but it certainly makes it difficult for me to concentrate and engage in social activities. Whenever it happens I just feel like ignoring the world and going to sleep. I have no idea what is happening, but it seems to me that the expectation that this state will occur is the primary catalyst for it occurring. For example, nearly every day I would feel this sensation starting with my first (academic) class and ending with my last. Nothing specific occurred each day to make this happen, but perhaps it happened simply because I expected it to. Is this a form of panic disorder or clinical depression, or something else entirely? Is it possible to self-treat? Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Hey dude,

i'm diagnosed with OCD and think I know what you're talking about. However, in my case anyway it is caused by my diet (rather, my 'poor' diet). It's just like when my blood-sugar drops below a certain level such that I feel light-headed. once the body reaches this point, however, it will then utilise/break-down glycogen which is stored in the liver; and this then raises the blood-dugar back to normal. Could this be the case for you too? How ig are the gaps between your meals? My problem is that I can easily eat at 9AM and then not eat again until 11PM.

Kevin

Thank you for your response.

It is a sort of lightheadedness, but it is more like how you feel when you are sleep deprived. I don't think that it is due to glucose levels--it seems to be based on my schedule. Perhaps it is some sort of anxiety/stress defense mechanism; often, the feeling will go away almost as soon as I leave my last classroom.

Yes, I suppose you're right that it isn't diet-related because you mentioned that the expectation of it occuring is how it starts some days. in light of this, I can easily see how it's anxiety-related. The trick is to figure out why you are anxious though. I mean, go all the way back and find out if there is a reason for you to be anxious. Is it being around people? - i.e. social anxiety?

Kevin

Added: Could it be a control issue too? Some of us hate it when we don't know what's ahead of us, and this causes anxiety. If we plan ahead, we feel more in control (and less anxious).

Wow, academic classes make your mind foggy, and you feel like going to sleep and ignoring the world around you? Sounds like most people's reaction to academic classes. I think your diagnosis might be 'boredom'.