Disordered: Anxiety Help19 Dec 2025

Anxiety Disorders and the Fear of Insanity (Episode 137)

One of the most terrifying fears in anxiety disorders is the fear of losing your mind. In this episode, Drew and Josh explore dementophobia - the fear of insanity - and why it's so common among people experiencing panic disorder, OCD, agoraphobia, and health anxiety.

The guys discuss how the brain's threat response can turn inward when it can't find an external danger, creating the believable (but inaccurate) story that you must be going crazy. They explore why symptoms like depersonalization and derealization can fuel this fear, and how the disorder creates a "checking state" where you're constantly scanning for signs of mental deterioration.

In this episode:

Why feeling like you're losing your sanity is such a common fear
How panic and anxiety symptoms can feel like evidence of insanity
The difference between being afraid and being in actual danger
Common compulsions that keep the fear alive (checking, avoiding, reassurance seeking)
Why combat veteran comparisons miss the mark
How experience, not reassurance, changes the brain's predictions
"Did It Anyway" stories of facing fears

Key principle: Your brain only needs to find a believable story - it doesn't have to be accurate. The intensity of your fear only confirms that you're afraid, not that the danger is real.

Remember that while this fear is genuinely terrifying, there is no path from anxious to insane. Recovery involves learning to move through these frightening moments rather than compulsing against them.

---

The Disordered Guide to Health Anxiety is now available. If you're struggling with health anxiety, this book is for you.

---

Want a way to ask questions about this episode or interact with other Disordered listeners? The Disordered app is nearing release! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Visit our home page and get on our mailing list for more information..

---

Struggling with worry and rumination that you feel you can't stop or control? Check out ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Worry and Rumination Explained⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, a two hour pre-recorded workshop produced by Josh and Drew. The workshop takes a deep dive into the mechanics of worrying and ruminating, offering some helpful ways to approach the seemingly unsolvable problem of trying to solve seemingly unsolvable problems.

-----

Want to ask us questions, share your wins, or get more information about Josh, Drew, and the Disordered podcast? Send us an email or leave a voicemail on our website.

Det här avsnittet är hämtat från ett öppet RSS-flöde och publiceras inte av Podme. Det kan innehålla reklam.

Avsnitt(158)

Relationship Anxiety and Relationship OCD (Episode 061)

This week on Disordered we're looking at anxiety focused on relationships, specifically a form of OCD known as Relationship OCD (ROCD). ROCD - like all forms of OCD - will glue itself to things that ...

10 Maj 202444min

Nocturnal Panic Attacks and Scary Dreams (Episode 60)

WHAT ABOUT NOCTURNAL PANIC ATTACKS? HOW DO WE DEAL WITH THOSE? Nocturnal panic attacks are scary, disturbing, disruptive, and often feel like they are different from any other kind of panic attack. A...

3 Maj 202439min

Values Driven Anxiety Recovery (Episode 59)

WHAT DOES "VALUES DRIVEN RECOVERY" MEAN? Anxiety recovery can be seen as one long journey away from fear driven behavior and toward behaviors that support the things we really value in life. This wee...

26 Apr 202441min

Anxiety And Tension, Soreness, Twitching and Weakness (Episode 58)

BUT WHAT ABOUT WHEN YOU'RE TENSE AND SORE? HOW CAN YOU HANDLE THAT? This is one of those questions we get asked all the time. In this episode of Disordered, we're taking a look at how tension, sorene...

19 Apr 202437min

Anxiety Recovery ... What Am I Supposed To Think About? (Ep 57)

"I know I'm not supposed to focus inward or engage with my anxious or intrusive thoughts, but what am I supposed to think about?!" This week Josh and Drew answer an excellent question from a listener...

12 Apr 202442min

What Anxiety Recovery Lens Are You Looking Through? (Episode 56)

WHAT RECOVERY LENS ARE YOU LOOKING THROUGH? This week Drew and Josh take a bit of an unexpected turn to explore ways that CBT and exposure-based approaches to recovery can fall short. Recovery can't ...

5 Apr 202440min

Help! My Nervous System Is Dysregulated! (Ep 55)

MY NERVOUS SYSTEM IS DYSREGULATED! This week Drew and Josh get up close and personal with "nervous system dysregulation". This is a term that might have some benefit when dealing with issues like stre...

29 Mars 202439min

The Great OCD Whistle Stop Tour of 2024 (Episode 54)

This week on Disordered we're taking a grand tour around the OCD loop! Josh and Drew talk about pure-O, somatic, and "traditional" obsessive compulsive disorder subtypes. While not every possible th...

22 Mars 202442min