QUESTION:
Dear Dr. Heller,
I just read your book and now I've discovered your website and I'm excited that I can communicate directly with you, I will try to be as brief as I can with my question.
I'm a 19 year old male. Two years ago I developed an extreme fear towards HIV infection from a normal kiss that I had with a girl. Since then I have gradually developed more and more irrational fear to a point that if I sit in a bus or touch a doorknob I feel that I'm contaminated and also I feel that I'm infectious to others.
The six HIV tests I've done (all of them negative) haven't helped reduce my anxiety and every day there are approximately five or ten events that make me feel that I've been contaminated. But the worst part is that a few months ago I'd been feeling very sexually excited, with feelings of ejaculation all day long without any stimulation of any kind, and the most horrible part is that I have images of sexual behavior with my mom, and sometimes if I touch her I feel aroused.
The more anxious I get toward any event, irrational or rational, I become aroused and have sexual thoughts. For example, in December my mom was diagnosed with cancer, and the day she had to go into surgery I went to visit her at the hospital and all I felt was sexual stimulation. This not only happens with her but with any activity, even if I'm jogging.
All of this has me very confused and physically incapacitated. Neither the psychologists or psychiatrists (I've been into several treatments throughout these two years) have an explanation for this. They say that it's just the hormones and to take my Prozac (I'm currently on 20 mg). I have gone into several treatments. I've tried Luvox, Paxil, Zyprexa, Xanax and several other medications which I can't remember, and also I've been into cognitive therapy and nothing seems to work.
I'm desperate. I'm losing my family, especially my mom. I made the mistake of telling her these things in an attempt to get rid of these feelings. She now no longer considers me her son and is disappointed in me. My dad is also confused and thinks that I'm manipulating the whole thing.
What do you think? What can be done? Am I mentally ill? Do I have a sexually ill mind? What can I do? Will Prozac help? I beg for your advice because this problem is tearing me apart from my family, especially my mom who doesn't want me anymore in the house and that has me so depressed and anxious that the only thing I want is to die.
Please answer me, I beg you. Thanks.
ANSWER:
You've done the right thing regarding seeking professional help. Your situation
would definitely fit "mentally ill".
To me, the keys to treatment are making all the medically treatable diagnoses listed in my
screening test.
You likely have a number of anxiety disorders that require treatment with a combination of
medications. Most patients with obsessive compulsive disorder require high doses of
SSRI's or Anafranil. A study in Israel showed that high doses of the vitamin inositol
could work for OCD (6000mg three times daily).
You definitely need to continue counseling as well, and to remain determined to overcome
your problems.
