Is this a disorder?

stormymason5 said:I've had them inside me for a long time now and I haven't died yet, but everything is just getting worse by the day. It's driving me insane, and honestly, I'm terrified people will just laugh at me if I actually try to talk about it.

Trust me, psychiatrists have heard much worse. ☕

silverheron91 said:The answer to your question is in bold.

Oh my god, it sounds like things are playing tricks on you. Have you opened up to your parents or your friends about any of this?
When did you first start noticing these hallucinations, and what made you wait so long to take it seriously?

I haven't told anyone. This has been going on for about a year now. I noticed it immediately, but it's only recently that I've started doubting whether this is actually normal.
I don't think I'm imagining it, because I experience it just as vividly as anything else I feel.

silverheron91 said:Honestly, the scariest part is that you don't even realize how heavy this is.

It feels like you’ve lost your bearings a bit—like you can't quite tell where "normal" ends and things start getting concerning.

I clearly can tell now, because I've started doubting if things are normal, even if I couldn't see it before.

Matthew Harris24 said:Trust me, psychiatrists have heard much worse. ☕

I get that they've heard just about everything under the sun, but I’m incredibly shy. Honestly, I think it’s pretty rare to find someone who feels as awkward talking about stuff like this as I do.

stormymason5 said:I clearly can tell now, because I've started doubting if things are normal, even if I couldn't see it before.

Look, the fact that you're level-headed enough right now to realize something isn't right is huge. Before the hallucinations kick back in, please, just push through the fear and the embarrassment. Seriously. A psychiatrist isn't going to judge you, laugh at you, or throw you into an asylum. They are there to actually help you.

Dear @Nina F21, don't you worry about a thing. I'm sure Nurse Ratched will swoop in any second now to kick me off this thread while handing you some "expert" advice... cheers with a little something appropriate

stormymason5 said:I get that they've heard just about everything under the sun, but I’m incredibly shy. Honestly, I think it’s pretty rare to find someone who feels as awkward talking about stuff like this as I do.

I’m also pretty private and don't "open up" easily. When I was dealing with an objectively much smaller issue—and honestly, I don't even want to imagine what it would be like to feel like you have fire in your veins🤣—I was still running to everyone I knew for help. So, I'm not buying that excuse🤷

silverheron91 said:Look, the fact that you're level-headed enough right now to realize something isn't right is huge. Before the hallucinations kick back in, please, just push through the fear and the embarrassment. Seriously. A psychiatrist isn't going to judge you, laugh at you, or throw you into an asylum. They are there to actually help you.

I'm not hallucinating; I feel this just as clearly as anything else.
I just can't get past the fear and the shame. It's completely overwhelming me. Plus, if I actually tried to get help, my parents would almost certainly find out, and since I'm only 17, I really don't want them to know.
Do you have any idea what kind of disorder this might be?

stormymason5 said:I'm not hallucinating; I feel this just as clearly as anything else.
I just can't get past the fear and the shame. It's completely overwhelming me. Plus, if I actually tried to get help, my parents would almost certainly find out, and since I'm only 17, I really don't want them to know.
Do you have any idea what kind of disorder this might be?

You're hallucinating.
Honestly, your parents really ought to know about this. Are they even noticing anything at all?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schizophrenia

silverheron91 said:You're hallucinating.
Honestly, your parents really ought to know about this. Are they even noticing anything at all?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schizophrenia

I don't think they notice because they're constantly buried in work. I rarely see them, and honestly, they don't seem to have much time for me anyway.
Is it definitely schizophrenia, or could it be something else entirely? Looking at that link, I feel like I don't check all the boxes, and besides, I really don't think these are hallucinations—what I'm experiencing feels way too real for that.

stormymason5 said:I don't think they notice because they're constantly buried in work. I rarely see them, and honestly, they don't seem to have much time for me anyway.
Is it definitely schizophrenia, or could it be something else entirely? Looking at that link, I feel like I don't check all the boxes, and besides, I really don't think these are hallucinations—what I'm experiencing feels way too real for that.

So, you're saying you believe those nettles in your veins are actually there just because you can feel them?
Think about that for a second.

Look, maybe you aren't checking every single box on the symptom list, but based on everything I've been reading, nothing else really fits the bill.

Trust me, even if your parents are totally slammed right now, they will make time for you when things get serious. Just go talk to them.

silverheron91 said:So, you're saying you believe those nettles in your veins are actually there just because you can feel them?
Think about that for a second.

Look, maybe you aren't checking every single box on the symptom list, but based on everything I've been reading, nothing else really fits the bill.

Trust me, even if your parents are totally slammed right now, they will make time for you when things get serious. Just go talk to them.

I probably wouldn't be feeling them if they weren't actually there. Maybe other people have them too, but they don't feel them. These nettles wouldn't bother me if I wasn't constantly feeling that stinging sensation. I just want the feeling to stop, because it doesn't feel normal to be sensing something that everyone else seems to be ignoring.

stormymason5 said:I probably wouldn't be feeling them if they weren't actually there. Maybe other people have them too, but they don't feel them. These nettles wouldn't bother me if I wasn't constantly feeling that stinging sensation. I just want the feeling to stop, because it doesn't feel normal to be sensing something that everyone else seems to be ignoring.

They aren't feeling them because they don't have them. You don't have them either, but you're feeling them because you're H.A.L.L.U.C.I.N.A.T.I.N.G.

Now go get some sleep and tell us tomorrow how things went at your therapist's office.

Seriously, go lie down before things get any worse.

stormymason5 said:I probably wouldn't be feeling them if they weren't actually there. Maybe other people have them too, but they don't feel them. These nettles wouldn't bother me if I wasn't constantly feeling that stinging sensation. I just want the feeling to stop, because it doesn't feel normal to be sensing something that everyone else seems to be ignoring.

Look, if you aren't trolling,
then we aren't talking about a disorder anymore—we're talking about insanity. 😕
Are you actually telling me it feels like you have stinging nettles running through your veins? ☕?
Why nettles specifically? And how do you even deal with that much burning? From what I know, even a glancing touch from a nettle is like a hot iron, not just a light prick.

Just tell us you're joking. We'll let you off easy if you do. 🤣

silverheron91 said:They aren't feeling them because they don't have them. You don't have them either, but you're feeling them because you're H.A.L.L.U.C.I.N.A.T.I.N.G.

Now go get some sleep and tell us tomorrow how things went at your therapist's office.

Seriously, go lie down before things get any worse.

I think some people actually do have them, but they probably don't even realize it since they don't feel anything.
I'm definitely not seeing a psychiatrist; I don't think my situation is serious enough to warrant that kind of help.

Richard Walker2 said:Look, if you aren't trolling,
then we aren't talking about a disorder anymore—we're talking about insanity. 😕
Are you actually telling me it feels like you have stinging nettles running through your veins? ☕?
Why nettles specifically? And how do you even deal with that much burning? From what I know, even a glancing touch from a nettle is like a hot iron, not just a light prick.

Just tell us you're joking. We'll let you off easy if you do. 🤣

I have to agree. This is either a textbook case of a severe psychological breakdown (I'm no expert, but it looks a lot like schizophrenia) or some world-class trolling. Either way, go see a psychiatrist... 🙄

Richard Walker2 said:Look, if you aren't trolling,
then we aren't talking about a disorder anymore—we're talking about insanity. 😕
Are you actually telling me it feels like you have stinging nettles running through your veins? ☕?
Why nettles specifically? And how do you even deal with that much burning? From what I know, even a glancing touch from a nettle is like a hot iron, not just a light prick.

Just tell us you're joking. We'll let you off easy if you do. 🤣

It doesn't sting nearly hard enough to make it unbearable, and no, I'm not joking.

vividcrane2 said:I have to agree. This is either a textbook case of a severe psychological breakdown (I'm no expert, but it looks a lot like schizophrenia) or some world-class trolling. Either way, go see a psychiatrist... 🙄

Honestly, I wouldn't go as far as calling it a severe disorder. I feel perfectly fine in my everyday life; it's just that this specific thing has started getting under my skin lately. Because of that, I don't see any reason to go see a shrink.

stormymason5 said:I think some people actually do have them, but they probably don't even realize it since they don't feel anything.
I'm definitely not seeing a psychiatrist; I don't think my situation is serious enough to warrant that kind of help.

Come on, walk me through the science here. How exactly does a nettle seed get into your veins, sprout, and grow into a plant with leaves traveling through your bloodstream just to sting you?

Are we talking about some kind of magical, microscopic nettles?

And you really don't think this is serious? That sounds like textbook schizophrenia to me.

stormymason5 said:Honestly, I wouldn't go as far as calling it a severe disorder. I feel perfectly fine in my everyday life; it's just that this specific thing has started getting under my skin lately. Because of that, I don't see any reason to go see a shrink.

stormymason5 said:I think some people actually do have them, but they probably don't even realize it since they don't feel anything.
I'm definitely not seeing a psychiatrist; I don't think my situation is serious enough to warrant that kind of help.

For the sake of the discussion and... general nonsense. Let's put it this way...

To clarify your point: most people effectively have stinging nettles running through their veins, but it's perfectly normal not to feel them. However, you *do* feel them, and that isn't normal. Do you get what I'm saying? Are you going to see a psychiatrist now? Or at least a GP so they can refer you to a specialist?👍