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Jennifer Patterson, LMFT
Art Therapist
Life can be messy. Sometimes you need a little support to make your way through it. I love to help guide people through their challenges & to find the beauty in our messes.
Top Rated Answers
Anonymous
February 26th, 2016 8:12am
Overthinking is a sign that you're human. If it's a disorder, it's one that almost everyone has gone through.
I think overthinking is something normal that most people do. If the overthinking is excessive, causes stress frequently, and leads a healthy lifestyle, then it is likely disordered. The DSM-V may list overthinking as a symptom, but not as a mental disorder itself.
Over thinking is a part of multiple mental disorders but I don't think it's a mental disorder in itself.
Definitely not! I don't like the words "mental disorder" for ANYTHING; but literally everyone overthinks something at some point in their lives. Some people just tend to do it more than others for different reasons. No need to feel ashamed. When I feel troubled by my overthinking, mindfulness meditation helps me come back to the present.
Anonymous
February 19th, 2016 5:26pm
Not technically, but it could lead to other things like anxiety, depression, or OCD. It is important that you work your way through your mental health now to prevent any future mental illnesses that may be more difficult to handle.
Anonymous
April 3rd, 2016 12:21pm
no i don't think so if we think more we can make a better plan or decision.
Sometime people take less time before execution of the plan but at the end the fail beside this those people who who think deeply before the action mostly get rewarded with a success.
Anonymous
March 24th, 2016 1:13am
Overthinking in itself is not a mental disorder, but it is a symptom of a few mental disorders. Maybe you can ask yourself the questions: Are you always overthinking? Does it influence your life in more than 1 setting? Does it makes you anxious/sad? How many months are you overthinking?
I believe it is. Especially, considering the fact that depression is a result of this.
In fact people are afraid of being alone.
Anonymous
April 23rd, 2016 8:02pm
I do think so in my own opinion. I do tend to over think which usually leads to me stressing out or becoming depressed.
Anonymous
September 27th, 2016 2:09am
no, but it can be a rough thing to go though, if you go through it, it is not a bad thing, but you can talk to someone to help you think through things better to avoid overthinking
Anonymous
July 17th, 2017 6:53am
No, but it sometimes can be a symptom of anxiety or a common trait as well as of highly analytical people. What you can do is pay attention to your emotions as well and observe how you're feeling when analysing things more than you'd like to. If you get fearful or worried about the future, or about a decision that you should be making and end up overanalysing it might be a good idea to step aside for a while, focus on something more relaxing to clear your mind and then come back with a different mindset to make that particular decision.
Anonymous
July 3rd, 2018 12:55pm
Well, someone has to be doing the 'thinking'... When you 'think' of it most things are multidimensional. You can't see all the angles unless you're 'thinking'. Thinking does go wrong sometimes as well. A lot of times actually. But, how can someone ask anyone to stop because of that ?
Anonymous
November 26th, 2018 6:45am
I believe it can be, the overthinking can get to you and hurt you to the point where it can emotionally break you and cause you to have a mental disorder, overthinking can cause a lot of problems like trust issues and paranoia, which is not a good thing to deal with. Overthinking to me is a mental disorder in my opinion. Overthinking can also ruin sleep and cause distractions during your day it can sometimes even ruin relationships. Now I wouldn’t have thought overthinking is a mental disorder but it can cause you to have a mental disorder for sure.
I believe overthinking could be deemed upon becoming a mental disorder yes. As over thinking a situation can be irrational, leading to irrational thoughts and this tends to involve anxiety, possibly OCD if the thoughts are unwanted, invading and intrusive.
Anonymous
February 21st, 2016 4:20pm
No, definitely not! You are overthinking things probably because you are stressed, try to be calm and don't think too much!
It can be if it inhabits your ability to function or causes great distress. If you're having trouble turning it off it may be something that needs therapy.
Over thinking does not mean a person has a mental disorder in itself but can contribute to other mental disorders such as anxiety.
Overthinking is not a mental disorder. Its just meta-cognition at work.
Overthinking is something that all humans experience. It is part of anxiety. You do not have to be diagnosed with an anxiety disorder when you experience anxiety. Everyone feels it at some point or another. If you are worried that it is constant anxiety, it is best to be evaluated by a professional psychiatrist so that you can get tips to help you return to your clear state of mind.
Overthinking by itself isn't classified as a disorder but if it's hindering someone's life then yes.
No everyone is guilty of it, even me. Don't beat yourself up over it. You're human and it's nothing to worry about depending on how it affects you
Yes, if it becomes uncontrollable and overwhelming to the point we can't voluntarily stop it from happening.
yes, i think it is. Overthinking is about creating problem that doesn't exist in mind, plus it really effects people's mood, feeling and behavior. And it is the main cause that leads to depression.
Overthinking or over-analysing can be a sign of Anxiety or Social Anxiety. It will help to contact your GP or a listener on 7cups for more information
Anonymous
February 18th, 2016 7:31pm
No, although it could be caused by anxiety or stress. Overthinking is usually due to a fear or need to meet an expectation.
It's something that bothers you in your everyday life but it's something you can change! By working on it. Finding the isue and train yourself to be more concentrated. Begin by not asking yourself too much question and focus on things you do. We all tend to be daydreamers, learn to live with this part of your personnality and teach yourself the limits. It's going to be livable :)
Nope! Although it may be the result of anxiety, depression, or OCD, overthinking alone is not a mental disorder.
Anonymous
January 21st, 2016 12:28pm
I really don't know but if it affects your day to day life, then you should go to a therapist or a doctor because they know more than me
Unless there were a specific, direct neurological cause of overthinking, I think it's more likely to be a symptom of a deeper issue. I think if overthinking starts to become obsessive thinking, that could be indicative that something more is going on and would definitely merit seeking the help of a mental health professional.
Anonymous
April 10th, 2016 10:59pm
No. Over thinking can be helpful. When you over think, you can find out the neg. and pos. outcomes.
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