Hi, my question will be somewhat delicate. I’m not quite sure whom to turn to or what to do next, so guess I just need some opinions on the matter.

I work in a library, and we have a mentally handicapped man working with us. I don’t know the details of his condition. He’s in his forties but acts like he’s 16. All my other colleagues are middle-aged women, I’m the only one without a family or kids. When I took the job, that man immediately took a liking to me and it sort of became our routine to chat a bit in the morning and after work. Nothing personal, we talk about favorite music and TV-shows. He tells me what he had cooked for breakfast (he lives with his mother) and the new Lego set he had bought. Initially I thought it was normal work chitchat, especially when we both get bored with repetitive daily tasks. But lately our communication has turned to direct flirting on his side. He always wants to help me with something, even though I don’t need any help. I tried to be polite and friendly, but eventually snapped a couple of times telling him he was distracting me from my work. He got offended and ignored me for several days walking back and forth past my working desk twenty times a day with a blank face. It was actually a relief, but it was not for long, and meanwhile my colleagues kept joking that I’d been rude to “our Jeff”. I secretly hoped he’d stay offended, but he showed up with a rose instead and doubled his flirting. He also became more aggressive, last month he came to work and put his arms on my shoulders asking for “free hugs” all the while smiling like it was something natural. I didn’t know how to react and tried to detach myself as quickly as possible. My colleague who was standing next to me patted him on the back and told him to go do his job, which he did. She finds his attentions to me “cute” and reminds me that he doesn’t fully understand the full consequences of his actions. I’m not sure this is true because he doesn’t act the same way to any other woman, but I never gave him any reasons to believe I’m interested. I took two weeks off before the holidays, hoping that we’ll all take a healthy break from one another and things might change for the better. My friend advised me to treat the man as I treat my female colleagues, to be very reserved and focus on my work. However, I find it hard to follow! I began avoiding our small cafeteria on the first floor and take the pains to have lunch at the mall next to the library, just to avoid any communication with Jeff outside work. It’s both longer and lonelier. I feel uncomfortable when he is around. Two days ago, he grabbed me by the hand near the elevator and tried to hold me, making inappropriate comments about my skirt. I told my manager about it, she shrugged it off, like all my other colleagues do. They think he’s harmless, and I almost feel ashamed for complaining to them. I tried to casually lie to Jeff that I have a boyfriend and am about to get married, and he didn’t show any signs of comprehension at my words, as if I were talking about my brother or about pizza. I feel like I’m some sort of trophy, and I’m supposed to be kind and understanding because I have no mental issues and he has.

So, how to handle this situation appropriately? I don’t want to get Jeff in trouble, but I don’t know how to stop it, without quitting my job? Or should I quit? The pay is not worth it, and the only reason I took it was to pay the bills quickly and because I thought it’s a great relaxing job.

Hello,

I’ve been lurking here for several weeks, reading other people’s stories. Normally I don’t post about my health online, and I haven’t noticed anyone with the same issues here. I’ve come across discussions about how the mental health issues manifested themselves as physical pain… My case is a bit different, but I suspect the mechanism is the same. I’m reading all I can find about Conversion disorders, so perhaps someone here can give me some tips on where to look further.

I found myself in the hospital two years ago, shortly after a series of unlucky events (severe pneumonia, big issues at my workplace, and the funeral of my father shortly after). I experienced a sudden paralysis in my legs. To tell the truth, it scared the wits out of me. I thought I’d be in a wheelchair for the rest of my life… I also had tremors in my hands, and my state generally signaled I was having some sort of seizure. I spent 8 days in the hospital, muliple tests and IVs. The doctors didn’t know what the matter was, I suspect their main aim was to bring me back to life and send me home. My state improved over the week. I was prescribed a pile of drugs and they let me go. My symptoms were milder (I was told I'd be able to function, which greatly helped with my overwhelming panic), but I needed the support of my husband to take the taxi and, well, to live.

It took till late autumn to feel somewhat normal again. My legs got much better, but at times they betray me. It's terrifying, especially when I'm trying to do simple things like walk to the kitchen or go up the stairs. I've had to rely on my family a lot more to help me get around, mostly because I fear it will happen again unexpectedly. The tremors in my hands are almost invisible to the outside eye now, though I can still feel them at times. It's like they have a mind of their own. It may make the task of writing or even holding a cup of tea feel like a challenge.

I've had to cut back on work because I just can't keep up with the demands of my job anymore. It's frustrating because I used to be so independent, and now I feel like I'm constantly relying on others for help. I’ve been visiting the doctors (I’ve had three different ones over the last year) every two weeks, then every month. Now I do it randomly whenever my symptoms seem to worsen. I’m still not healed. It was the third doctor who insisted I should start therapy, and he made the final diagnosis: conversion disorder. I suppose it’s very rare, if it took them so long to diagnose me? I’ve been reading about it and I’ve come across many similar stories, though I got the impression that it mostly happens after some serious trauma and is considered “the illness of the veterans”.

I haven’t yet started therapy. I know I should do it to help me cope with all of this, but it's hard to take that first step. For now, I'm just trying to take things one day at a time and am seeking for more information. I’ve read that CBT was not helpful for some people, even though it’s recommended by professionals. I’ve also read about hypnosis as one potential line of treatment, it’s considered untraditional medicine? Has anyone else dealt with a similar diagnosis or symptoms on a daily basis? I need to better understand what I'm up against here.

I'm going through a tough time. I find myself crying for no reason, and it's getting worse. I've tried to hold it back and think about why I feel so sad, but it's not helping. I even got a fever from thinking too much. My smartwatch warned me about stress all day yesterday. I'm feeling angry and hateful, and this has been happening for about two months.

When I was feeling lonely a few months ago, I was diagnosed with PTSD. Things were getting better, but now it's starting again. I've tried talking to my parents, but they think I'm joking and won't take me to see a therapist or counselor. I told my teacher, but nothing has changed. I spend about 90% of my time feeling lonely and alone because I don't have anyone to talk to.

I don't know what's going on with me. Even though everything seems fine in my life, I'm not happy. I posted about this before, and people suggested seeing a therapist, but my parents won't listen. I'm tired and don't know what to do. Christmas doesn't feel special, and no one around me is celebrating. I'm thinking about going far away and being alone for a while.

There are very few people in my life, and I've started feeling hate for everyone. I also feel like everyone lies to me, and everything is fake. My emotions are all over the place, and I know it's not right. It's getting worse every day, and it's too much for me to handle.

I’ve struggled with OCD since I was 9 years old. It started out as an obsessive fear that my family members would get in a car accident and die. I did all these odd rituals involving the number four (number of members in my immediate family) and I really had no idea what was happening or why until years later, when I started seeing a therapist as a teenager.

Long story short, it’s been a long struggle and my OCD has taken on many different forms over the years. What could be described as religious trauma in high school triggered my OCD to take on a religious theme where I was living in constant terror that I would go to hell for any number of reasons, and obsessively praying for repentance for hours every day. That’s not a type of OCD that’s often talked about, but for me, it was by far the most distressing.

Anyway, I overcame that to an extent (though I still struggle with anxiety in religious contexts) and my most recent OCD fixation has been with germs and contamination - eventually I found my way to this “classic” type, I guess. But I had a small yet significant victory the other day that I wanted to share in case it might encourage someone who is also struggling. Since COVID lockdown ended, I’ve had a really hard time with “public” germs and feeling a need to “decontaminate” before touching anything when I get home. This is especially true when I’ve used a public restroom - I’ve felt like I have to immediately change my clothes to avoid contaminating anything. Just a few months ago, I actually burst into tears because I couldn’t figure out how to get upstairs to change my clothes without contaminating my socks and then the entire upstairs floor with the public restroom germs on the floor around me from my shoes.

Well, the other day, I got home after having been in public and having used the public restroom, and without changing my clothes, I SAT ON THE FREAKING COUCH! Sounds very small if this isn’t something you relate to, but it was a huge step I’ve been working towards for months.

It takes time and effort and fear and frustration, but…the feeling of freedom when you finally manage to push through the nagging thoughts is beyond worth it. I still have lots of work to do, but I’ve taken a step in the right direction and you can, too. One step at a time.