Excessive Research on Symptoms: Harmful or Helpful?

OMG THIS IS SO ME! I do this every time I am experiencing something that I don't know about and it concerns me to the point that I panic that somethings wrong with me and I'm gonna die.

I did this a lot and it only made things worse. The biggest thing that helped me was having my family's support and staying with my mom for a little while. I always think about the past a lot and being back where I grew up really helped and put my mind at ease.

I do excessive research on every little pain and symptom I have. I know it isn't good for mental health. Literally everything I research always says "Cancer" and I even scoff at it "as if" but my anxiety keeps me obsessing over it and I end up down a rabbit hole 😥 so at times I think I'm gonna die. I even went as far as making a will. 😵

This is a big big big problem with me with ocd because it’s one of my biggest compulsions and feeds into the cycle and makes everything ten times worse. I think sometimes research is helpful for most conditions but if you’re dealing with ocd please try to avoid researching at all costs. And even if not, please try to keep it to a chiller level by distracting yourself with something else or asking someone to watch your back so it doesn’t become a real fixation

I am prone to excessive research, especially related to my health. I used to be very judgemental of this part of me, but once I realized that I was autistic, I was more able to understand where this need to research came from. What really helped at first was just being kind to myself. I recognized that I needed to be able to understand my health from multiple angles. I feel more connected to and in control of my environment when I am researching in depth. Sometimes my desire to research can consume me, and it’s all I really want to think about. Which can suck when you don’t have access to a lot of answers. It’s still hard to pull myself out of that sometimes, and it can be harmful to mental health. But accepting that you may just need more research to understand could be helpful to gently put that energy into a healthier outlet. You could try writing down some of your concerns to talk over with a trusted close person or doctor. Save articles, organize research you’ve done, and reach out to those communities for advice.