Posted by snapper on April 11, 2004, at 21:29:50
In reply to Re: OCD or BP?, posted by Minnie-Haha on April 11, 2004, at 17:25:50
> > For me it's more about noise. I feel caged and induces anxiety when I'm stuck listening to unpleasant sounds. or a wierd one is when people jitter or shake their legs. it's been murder being a student. I'm surrounded by people shaking their legs during class. I can't explain it, but it drives me insane. I remember the first time it bothered me when I was 11 in a classroom and a big boy next to me shook his leg sooo fast all the time it drove me mad.
>
> Here's something to throw in the mix. Have you considered that you might be simply hyper-sensitive to some forms of sensory input? This heightened state of awareness is called being "hypervigilant" and it is related to Sensory Integration Disorder (or DSI). Are you gifted? There is also a lot of what is called "overexcitabilty" in the gifted. Finally, do yo have an attention disorder? That is, are you easily distracted by things that others can tune out?
>
> These are all similar and perhaps inter-related and maybe easy to mistake one for the other or have more than one. I have been learning about them over the past year or two because my son has some developmental problems -- and he's gifted -- and it's really made me stop and look at what I THOUGHT was "wrong" with me. I've changed my attitude about what is normal and abnormal and about (the subjectivity of) DXs!
>Hi, Minnie, thanks for your post and reply....Until dpression and severe anxiety hit me hard , I was 'gifted' in some areas of my life-the hypervigilant thing for me is not just a component of being hyper-aware of my surroundings-rather the opposite ..I am hyper-vigilant because of the anxiety and depression and some possible PTSD- my experiences of being hyper aware and hyper- vigililant are VERY painful in a physical way. Loud telephones the shrill of a dog's bark -sometimes a gentle voice from the other room is enought to make me want to jump out of my skin!!
Maybe you and your son also experience these unpleasantries as well but for me at least, it is enough to not want to even go out in public---Grocery stores, flouresecent(sp) lighting, people talking all at once...It is very well likely that I do have some sensory intergration problems and some attentional deficiencies etc. I do know that when my depression and anxiety improve, these smptoms usually also improve, but I am not sure to what degree. Right now I am minimally medicated and probably will need to go on something again to help all the 'crossed wires in my brain'. I sometimes feel like "Rainman" -even though I am not autistic nor do I have any other developmental difficulties, sometimes I think that the severity of my depression, and anxiety -accentuate my hyper-excitable states! Right now and for the last year or so, at least-my brain feels like "one giant mental scream"! lol - ooucch!!
snapper
poster:snapper
thread:330066
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20040407/msgs/335348.html