"Have you ever questioned your own sanity? Maybe you're feeling pushed to the brink and thought I can't take anymore; this is going to drive me insane. Maybe in these moments you wondered if you could lose your mind and do something horrible that you later regret. Or you're so overcome with intense emotions, like anger or frustration, that you're afraid you're going to lose control. A fear of losing control can overtake us in many unexpected ways."
"Take, for example, an experience that I often have when standing close to a balcony railing in a high-rise building. (I'm sure you can relate to this or a similar experience.) As I grip the railing and look down, I have a powerful impulse to jump. Not that I want to jump. On the contrary, the idea of leaping over the railing fills me with horror. Suicide is the furthest thing from my mind."
Fear of losing mental control drives anxiety. It arises from an erroneous assumption that catastrophic outcomes are more likely due to poor mental control. People experience disturbing intrusive thoughts or impulses that provoke horror and fear of snapping. Examples include impulses near high-rise balconies and new mothers' intrusive harm thoughts. Most people do not act on these impulses and such thoughts often abate. Reevaluate past experiences to differentiate feeling from fact. Actively seek evidence contradicting the fear. Avoid reinforcing the fear by not feeding it with attention.
Read at Psychology Today
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