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Comorbid mental health & walking on eggshells w/ recovery

Comorbid mental health & walking on eggshells w/ recovery

TW: Anorexia nervosa, OCD, depression, self-harm, s****dal ideation.

My hope is that this post will help to relieve some of the weight of my internalisation and catastrophisation of all of this, and maybe someone out there will know what this is like and be able to give advice or even just share their story if they're comfortable so that I know that I'm not alone with this.

I am 20 years old now - I was diagnosed with severe OCD at 13 years old (though that diagnosis was effectively dismissed by my family until recently, and even then is treated as more of a choice than a condition) and I developed an eating disorder, specifically anorexia nervosa, at 17 years old. I am also suspected of being on the autism/ADHD spectrum, but this is again dismissed by my family as "seeking a diagnosis to be special". I've had so many shitty doctors and therapists and a shitty psychiatrist and at this point, finding help is exhausting and seems to make things worse a lot of the time because either they're misdiagnosing or giving advice to my family without consulting me and then I get forced into these regimes because my family treats that advice as rules and gospel.

Currently, I can barely coax myself into the shower every day because my parents have threatened to walk in on me if I take too long with the water due to my compulsions. I told them that threat wouldn't help, but my mum's response was that "if it creates a reaction then that's good" and when I told her I didn't feel safe anymore taking a shower she replied "if you follow the rules, you'll feel safe".

I'm so stressed recently with university and everything at home that my appetite has decreased and my urge to exercise excessively has returned. I'm restless when I'm sitting or relaxing and panicked if I have to eat and not exercise at any point during the day. I'm feeling like I need to earn my food again, and I'm paranoid that my parents are angry at me or suspect me and are therefore putting extra food on my plate despite the fact that they've been measuring out my food for 2 years now. They're resentful of that fact and wish that I would "make an effort" to stop measuring - and before things deteriorated recently which has been catalysed by uni and deaths in the family, I was making progress there. But now my intrusive thoughts have gotten worse and I'm having to focus all of my energy on repressing that and not hurting myself, and I've regressed back to strictly measuring and my OCD compulsions have extended to being very paranoid about cross-contamination of food to the point where I will wash every individual vegetable if it's been in contact or in the same container as another food group. And my family therefore says that I've stopped trying.

I'm just sick of being a problem and seeing the pain in their faces when they're around me or think about me. I'm sick of the underhanded comments and nudges about how I used to be normal and I'm making their lives more complicated and I'm hurting them constantly. There's nothing I can do that won't hurt them, and if I do go cold turkey and act all normal then I'll be burying so much panic and internalised disgust that I'm scared it will burst and explode out of control and I'll lose my faculties and actually hurt myself badly.

I don't know what to do anymore. I'm just really tired and nothing that I'm feeling feels justified because I know other people have it worse and my family means well. I'm not being abused so I don't feel my anger or fear is valid, despite the negative memories and emotions.

4 replies

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In response to: Comorbid mental health & walking on eggshells w/ recovery

Re: Comorbid mental health & walking on eggshells w/ recovery

Hi @jamie_maybe.

Welcome to the SANE forums. I'm really glad that you've found this space to share what's been going on for you, and hopefully lessen some of the weight of having to carry it all internally.

I'm sure that there will be others within our community who will be able to relate to your experiences and will be able to share their own with you. While we're waiting for those members to find your post I just wanted to reach out and ask a bit more about your current supports. Do you currently have any supports who you do trust and feel safe with?

In response to: Comorbid mental health & walking on eggshells w/ recovery

Re: Comorbid mental health & walking on eggshells w/ recovery

hey @jamie_maybe welcome!

i hear you're dealing with a lot recently, and i can see how tough it must be to have your family not be able to understand how stressed their actions are making you feel. i know you mentioned that your anger and rage feel unjustified due to not being abused. abuse isn't the only reason for feeling that way, i built up so much resentment towards my parents when my feelings were constantly invalidated by them. their words and their inability to understand my anxiety hurt a lot since they're supposed to love and understand me most. just know that whatever you feel - it is always valid.

i can relate to having parents making you feel like a burden just for trying your way at managing mental health issues - and i'm sorry they aren't being super patient with you. but just know that their lack of understanding and patience does not mean they love you less, and it does not mean you are not worthy. your recovery matters and you are deserving of the best support.

i don't have personal experience with your diagnoses so i'll let other members of the forum community with experience to speak on that. but i will say that i'm really glad you've found our forums and we are here for you. 💗

In response to: Comorbid mental health & walking on eggshells w/ recovery

Re: Comorbid mental health & walking on eggshells w/ recovery

Hello @jamie_maybe, firstly a big welcome to the forums 🤗

I'm really glad you're here and thank you for opening up and sharing so much about what you've been going through, it takes a lot to do that and I hope you do feel that relief in sharing.

It sounds like you have been on quite a journey and I'm hearing that the expectations and judgement from your family weigh really heavily on you. I can sympathise completely as in I know what its like feeling like you're the one having to hold it all in and keep it together, when you're the one who is struggling most and desperately need acknowledgement, safety and support from your loved ones 🙏 It is a lot on top of everything else you already have to deal with.

You mentioned you were at uni, may I ask what you're studying? Do you have any access to extra supports or social groups through your uni?

Sometimes we need to build an understanding community and support system that is outside of our family, not in place of but to supplement. These forums and the SANE community are also a great place for that too 💜

In response to: Re: Comorbid mental health & walking on eggshells w/ recovery

Re: Comorbid mental health & walking on eggshells w/ recovery

Hi @Ru-bee, thanks for the welcome 🙂

Currently my main trusted supports are my friends in terms of opening up about things earnestly. I can talk to my mum sometimes but I can't always depending on factors such as mood and general tension.

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