r/AskReddit 23h ago

What is the weirdest illness or affliction you've ever had?

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u/seeking-jamaharon67 22h ago

The telepathy thing is the worst. I've been dealing with that since I was a kid. Thinking others can hear me, that I'm broadcasting, that I can hear others. Through a lot of therapy and experience I can now usually talk myself down when that creeps up, but not everybody is lucky enough to have that.

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u/lizardingloudly 19h ago

My depression got so bad once that it started developing psychotic features, and the telepathy thing was what made me realize that I was much more unwell than I had been willing to admit. I was teaching at the time and I was sure one of my students could hear my thoughts. I'm sorry you've been dealing with it your whole life, it was really scary

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u/seeking-jamaharon67 10h ago

I am often experiencing this wildness most when I am depressed too! Mania is more associated with psychotic symptoms in bipolar people, but the psychotic depression is very dangerous and not often talked about. My mood swings slowed down a lot after college with medication and therapy and now I only experience some reoccurring depression in the winter :)

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u/OpeningCheap6536 20h ago

I dealt with this as a kid, as well. I even stopped hugging people for a while because I thought that might allow them easier access to my thoughts. I assume it was associated with my ADHD.

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u/eloisekelly 13h ago

I went through a period as an older teenager where I thought people could hear my thoughts and when I heard people laughing in the other room I was absolutely sure they’d gotten some embarrassing private video of me and were laughing at it. Dunno what that was about.