The short answer?  No.

The long answer is that there is no such thing as going mad.  When your anxiety is very high, feelings of losing control and going crazy come from the whoosh of stress hormones roaring through your bloodstream.  Your heart’s going faster, you feel like you’re truly going mad, whatever mad is.

For people with an anxiety disorder, losing control can be a common theme. There was a study in the 1970s where two groups (one with OCD and one without) listed their intrusive thoughts. Following this, the lists were given to a group of experts who were unable to differentiate between the two, (we need to highlight the fact that nobody with OCD acts upon their thoughts.)

Also, it is important to remember that EVERYONE has the feeling of losing control at times. The good news is that here are many tools you can use to ground yourself.  Some people find the following 54321 method helpful.

Name:

• 5 things that you can see
• 4 things you can touch.
• 3 things you can hear.
• 2 things you can smell.
• 1 thing you can taste.

You will find other grounding methods available here on the No Panic website. It is a good idea to try them out and find what works for you.

So there you have it – We are not belittling the strength of the feelings of going mad but we can reassure you that many, many people who suffer from anxiety have the same feelings and aren’t “going mad” either.

It can be tough but you can do it. You are stronger than your anxiety.