Aa
Not your usual obsession
Hello, im a 15 year old male and i think i have some kind of obsessive disorder.
When i was 13 i became hooked on video games to the point of threatening my parents with a knife to kill them, and i was almost taken to one of those rehab places.Theres a lot more too it, but whats happening now is important.
Recently i have noticed that i have had very strange obsessions these last few months. I get hooked on something for about 2 weeks then realize how stupid it was and move on to something else. It interferes with everything i do, school, life, sleep.
A few months ago i got into paintball. Spent a lot of money on it. All i did was go on the internet, look up paintball stuff. For hours on end, it never ended. I would think about it at school all day. Then after 3 weeks, it was over, i havent played since.
Then i got into a tv show?/... I no... Called "Chuck". Very weird, but all i could think about was the tv show. Literally, it was so stupid. I would watch episodes over again and again, and just think about it at school. After 2 weeks, i realized how stupid it was.
Then i got into weightlifting. You may be thinking, "good!", yeah good. Once again, all i did was look up supplements, and workout schedules. Its like i couldnt do things in moderation. lasted 2 -3 weeks
After that it was counterstrike scource, a video game. I played it over 150 hours in a 2 week period. Dont get me started, i no its bad for me. I still try to work out every day, but its not like it was.
Anyways, so yesterday i wasnt addicted, but i new i would be soon, i was just waiting for it. I watched a tv show, and last night i stayed up all night watching it. I no im hooked, and i dont want to be.. all i can think about is this new tv show.
HELP!!!!! Is therea anything that can help
When i was 13 i became hooked on video games to the point of threatening my parents with a knife to kill them, and i was almost taken to one of those rehab places.Theres a lot more too it, but whats happening now is important.
Recently i have noticed that i have had very strange obsessions these last few months. I get hooked on something for about 2 weeks then realize how stupid it was and move on to something else. It interferes with everything i do, school, life, sleep.
A few months ago i got into paintball. Spent a lot of money on it. All i did was go on the internet, look up paintball stuff. For hours on end, it never ended. I would think about it at school all day. Then after 3 weeks, it was over, i havent played since.
Then i got into a tv show?/... I no... Called "Chuck". Very weird, but all i could think about was the tv show. Literally, it was so stupid. I would watch episodes over again and again, and just think about it at school. After 2 weeks, i realized how stupid it was.
Then i got into weightlifting. You may be thinking, "good!", yeah good. Once again, all i did was look up supplements, and workout schedules. Its like i couldnt do things in moderation. lasted 2 -3 weeks
After that it was counterstrike scource, a video game. I played it over 150 hours in a 2 week period. Dont get me started, i no its bad for me. I still try to work out every day, but its not like it was.
Anyways, so yesterday i wasnt addicted, but i new i would be soon, i was just waiting for it. I watched a tv show, and last night i stayed up all night watching it. I no im hooked, and i dont want to be.. all i can think about is this new tv show.
HELP!!!!! Is therea anything that can help
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
It can be difficult to distinguish between 'illness' and 'bad habits' in this type of situation. I would consider your 'diagnosis' to fall somewhere in the impulse control disorder spectrum; from a psychiatric point of view the problem isn't so much your high interest in certain areas, but rather your feeling that you cannot control the time that you spend with these activities.
Addiction shares some of the features of what you are describing; addicts have problems with impulse control as well. There may be medications that would help; if impulsivity is in fact the 'core' problem, you might do well with an 'atypical antipsychotic' medication. If on the other hand you are focusing on things to avoid feeling anxious for some reason, you might do well with an SSRI like prozac,
But first, I would recommend seeing if you can gain some control over your behavior by making some changes in how you respond to your interests. I would consider this type of approach to fall in the category of 'CBT', a form of therapy where we try to change a person's thoughts and behaviors. I will offer a couple ideas-- if they don't 'fit', see if you can come up with a plan that works for you. One idea is to just set a limit of time on what you will spend on any activity, and stick to the limit without exception. Two hours weightlifting maximum per day-- then you must be done. A second idea is to make a 'weekly planner' at the start of each week, writing down how you will spend most of your time-- down to the hour. This might be hard for a teenager, but for adults it can be very helpful.
Finally, take some comfort in realizing that people who do well in life are those who are passionate about things. If you find a way to 'reign in' your passion and focus it appropriately, you will do very well in whatever you choose to do in life!
JJ
Addiction shares some of the features of what you are describing; addicts have problems with impulse control as well. There may be medications that would help; if impulsivity is in fact the 'core' problem, you might do well with an 'atypical antipsychotic' medication. If on the other hand you are focusing on things to avoid feeling anxious for some reason, you might do well with an SSRI like prozac,
But first, I would recommend seeing if you can gain some control over your behavior by making some changes in how you respond to your interests. I would consider this type of approach to fall in the category of 'CBT', a form of therapy where we try to change a person's thoughts and behaviors. I will offer a couple ideas-- if they don't 'fit', see if you can come up with a plan that works for you. One idea is to just set a limit of time on what you will spend on any activity, and stick to the limit without exception. Two hours weightlifting maximum per day-- then you must be done. A second idea is to make a 'weekly planner' at the start of each week, writing down how you will spend most of your time-- down to the hour. This might be hard for a teenager, but for adults it can be very helpful.
Finally, take some comfort in realizing that people who do well in life are those who are passionate about things. If you find a way to 'reign in' your passion and focus it appropriately, you will do very well in whatever you choose to do in life!
JJ
Hi red2000,
I just wanted to add that weightlifting at such a young age is not the healthiest thing for your body :(
If you're just "working out" as oppose to "bodybuilding" then it's not as harmful... I just remember hearing that a guy shouldn't be bodybuilding before 18 or 21 or something like that, but good for you to want to exercise!! : ) [just try to keep it in moderations]
I just wanted to add that weightlifting at such a young age is not the healthiest thing for your body :(
If you're just "working out" as oppose to "bodybuilding" then it's not as harmful... I just remember hearing that a guy shouldn't be bodybuilding before 18 or 21 or something like that, but good for you to want to exercise!! : ) [just try to keep it in moderations]
Thank you very much for the help.
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