‘Overthinking Causes, Mental, Physical Ailments’

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Psychiatrist Dr Satyakant Trivedi has written a book, Overthinking Se Azadi. Free Press talked to him on the issue.

Excerpts:

How does overthinking affect health and over all personality of an individual?

Overthinking can create endless stress and worry, which can ultimately make people feel frustrated and less confident. It can cause mental health issues like anxiety and depression.

It causes social anxiety. It leads to generalised anxiety disorder (GAD) and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). GAD symptoms include restlessness, fatigue, difficulty in concentrating, irritability, muscle tension and sleep disorder. OCD, a condition characterised by unwanted thoughts, images, or urges can cause anxiety or distress.

Symptoms also include obsessions, fears, or worries, and compulsions, which are repetitive behaviour or mental acts. It disrupts daily routine of people. So, it is important to find ways to break out of such destructive thought patterns.

What does social anxiety mean and how it affects people?

A person with social anxiety can have these symptoms during specific types of social situations or they can have them in several or all social interactions. Social anxiety disorder can include blushing, sweating, shaking or feeling your heart race in social situations. People start avoiding social gathering, avoid mixing up with people. Phobias include fear of tight spaces (claustrophobia), fear of heights (acrophobia) and many others. People may have a powerful urge to avoid the feared object or situation. Sleeplessness is also a major problem.

What do you have to say?

Sleeplessness causes indigestion, acidity, irritation. Chronic anxiety can cause physical stress on body, especially on your nervous, cardiovascular, digestive, immune and respiratory system. Anxiety also affects excretory and digestive systems. People may have stomach ache, nausea, diarrhoea. Loss of appetite can also occur.

What is the difference between mental health and mental illness?

If people will understand mental health, they can overcome mental problems themselves without help of doctors. They will prevent themselves from becoming mentally ill. We talk about mental health, which is a pre-stage before becoming mentally ill.

How can people overcome negative thoughts?

Negative thoughts can lead to feeling of helplessness and distress, which leads to decision-paralysis. Such kind of people cannot lead any team in company as they cannot take decision. Confusion, negative thought patterns are difficult to break. It leads to self-doubt and lessens self-confidence.