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Hello all. I know I'm usually talking about anxiety or panic attacks but as of lately I've been worrying myself back into a depression. I have so many things I worry about such as what am I going do as a career? Will I be happy with the job I choose? What am I going to do when my parents pass? How long am I going to live? Am I living life to the full potential? And that's just the surface. At times I've been feeling like I have no way out and sometimes the s****dal thoughts pop in. Even though I know its not right and I'm not going to do it I just feel lonely and backed into a corner. Like ive lost my bright outlook on life. Is this depression creeping its way back? I haven't been saying much about it lately as I usually overcome it but sense I'm 18 going on 19 its like the whole world of responsibilities have come crashing down on me and i feel like it will be impossible to enjoy life like I did through childhood. I guess maybe I'm just dealing with normal adult life and kind of throwing daily stresses out of proportion? Anyways any input is greatly appreciated. Just not a great day I guess.

So for the last month or so I have been feeling 50/50 depending on the day and have seen my physiatrist and counselor a few times to help with panic and anxiety. Last couple days I have been feeling very anxious. Lots of panic and anxiety especially when driving. For some reason when driving I guess its really "stimulating" for my anxiety with all the thinking and things going on at once so I kind of go of on trains of thought. Some times while driving I get pretty scared because I feel as if im taking to much attention off driving and gonna have an accident. Ive developed a few "new" fears that are making my life miserable as of lately. Now this may sound far fetched but I have this fear of loosing the ability to tell the difference between dreams and reality. Like if im out somewhere or driving I keep thinking What if im dreaming and this isn't real? or what if I loose my memory and forget about things and end up in an accident? Just weird anxiety panic provoking thoughts pop into my head at the most inconvenient times. Of course my other fear is that im still high. Ever sense I tried weed back in January of this year i have definitely changed. I keep feeling like i experience life differently like I see things more vividly but at the same time like "too" vividly like im sensitive to light now. I also feel like my senses have changed. Like slower reactions and maybe even hearing kinda dulled or im not feeling the way i used to and im "numb" from the pot. Or im still high and talking slow and averythings slow. Just lots of bad thoughts causing anxiety. Now even though these are almost constant thoughts im fighting with to prevent anxiety I don't think they are really valid as I do not think smoking pot for a few weeks could do that. I think its me overthinking the way im experiencing life with anxiety now. Like a loop of how I feel weird feelings caused by anxiety and then I overthink them as being threatening and have panic attacks ect. So what do you think? I also just a few days ago went up on my celexa/citalopram by 10mg which gave me some anxiety last time my phyc doctor had me try it. But does anyone else with anxiety have the like weird "separated" from reality feeling? Like being sucked into myself and "Detached" or something. And it seems like i see things with a weird depth perception and like I have kind of a sensitivity to light and things seem unreal or dreamlike sometimes in bright sunlight especially. Anyways sorry for rambling but it felt good. i did go for a 4 hour drive on a trip out of state today so that definitely is a step forward. Now most of these thoughts or fears/worries are just me overthinking things mainly. Because like usually im fine until i start to feel weird then i feed into it by saying omg i must be high or theres something wrong with me then bam full on panic attack. but if I avoid those thoughts im fine. Anyways again sorry for such a long post but it really feels good to get this out. Also my hearing may actually be damaged some as I have thoughout my life had lots of loud experiences without protection. From machinery to concerts and within the last year I have been doing caraudio a lot with REALLY loud bass. Like breaking windows in my car for a while loud. Lets just say that system is no longer in my car its a lot smaller now. So yes my hearing is probably damaged (my dumb selfs fault) but it brings on anxiety because I start to think about how I did permanent damage. I mean I still hear very well (pass hearing test up to 17.5khz) but I have lots of ringing/dullness sometimes now. Anyways, Thanks for reading

Hello all again. I really am sorry to sound like a "broken record" repeating myself but, im really starting to feel like im in a balance between controlling my anxiety and feeling like im loosing my mind. So lately the past few days haven't been as bad as they could be. Heck I was actually feeling pretty happy at points through the day today and yesterday. Heres the thing anytime I start to feel good and overpower the anxiety I just start thinking "bad" things and scare myself back to where I was. Like a few hours ago I was feeling pretty happy looking forward to the weekend and finished some jobs around my house. Then im lying in bed and I start thinking things like "am I really feeling right?" or a new though that's got me going the past few days is "Im 18 I don't have a job im not in school so what am I going to do with my life?" then the "you only live for so long" thought pops in and I just loose it. Like full on burning sensation shaking sweating panic attack. . Why does thinking of what I want to do with my life scare me so bad? I have a lot of different career paths im trying to choose but I keep thinking im gonna choose the wrong one and not be happy with my career down the road. These thoughts on top of the health related ones and me looping the thought has been making panic attacks pretty strong. So I can say I did have a decent day today as I was able to get out and do things but once I start thinking these thoughts that's it I just lost control and its scary. I keep thinking im gonna be like this all my life and not be able to get out and go places or anything. Like this weekend Im supposed to go enjoy some delayed 4th of july fireworks with my 9 year old nephew and I just keep thinking about how im gonna be out of my house for to long and have lots of anxiety because of my overthinking and stuff. Anyways Im trying to take control of anxiety instead of vise versa. I OWN my brain and right now Anxiety and Panic are just co-owners and im about to lay them off. Im just sick and tired of living my life like this. Anyways sorry for another long rant but it really feels good to let it out. Thanks for reading in advanced. Also missed my med today so I may be feeling something from that.

Hello all I have been taking these 2 medicines for at least 3 years. I'm seeing a new doctor who wants to up my citalopram dose to something more therapeutic? She says that what I am on is a lower dose and for the extreme anxiety I have I could probably go higher and hopefully see positive results. It's basically the generic or celexa form from what she said. Now I'm currently taking 20MG every day and now the dose has been up just a bit to 30MG a day. Last time they did this I remember feeling......not well. Like I was tired and brain fog and kind of like numbed and "high" and I hate that high feeling due to a traumatic experience with weed. Anyways I worried it's gonna make me feel horrible and numb physically and emotionally and have bad memory and everything. But at the same time I'm wondering if it will help. Also I kind of feel like coming down off of the 20mg dose to a 10mg dose to see how much it is really helping is that a bad idea without doctors orders? Other med I'm on is clonidine. Now this one is supposed to help with sleep and anxiety but it's only 0.1 mg dose. The doctor said she may increase the dose of that depending on how I react to the citalopram but she isn't sure yet sense I'm hypersensitive to meds. Also anyone have trouble with the citalopram and sleeping? Because my doctor said that taking it in the morning instead of at night helps with sleep. So any advice? I'm def gonna wait untill I see the doc again to make medicine decision now that I think of it. Anyone had bad experience with these meds? I know I'm probably overthinking it sense I've been on it for 3 years or more and been fine untill the weed experience. Anyone with these meds?

About 2 weeks ago I had weird sensations like heaviness and numbness and overthink them thinking it was a stroke causing lots of panic attacks for a day straight. Unfortunately during that time I had lots of panic while trying to sleep so now sleeping brings on panic attacks. Was Doing well at my mothers for visitation for a week and a half but now I'm Back over at my fathers where the anxiety all started with the weed experience. No wonder why my anxiety is so much worse here. I feel like I have lots of PTSD here from that trauma but I have to keep reminding myself I'm ok. Right now sense a few weeks ago when my bad anxiety started up again with panic attacks I am now in bed having some more. Trying my best to overcome the fears that are causing them. One being the fear of not waking up or death while sleeping. Another is the fear that something is wrong with me medically. Like a stroke or I'm still high even though I smoked 5 months ago. Which I know is not possible. The anxiety is mainly because of the fact I'm tired right now and feel distant like my world is zoomed out from me. Kind of like I'm trapped in my own mind and thoughts and sounds are bouncing around. I'm pretty That's the derealization for me. I hate the way it feels but I must remind myself I'm ok. I don't know why that's what I keep overthinking but it is And it's causing lots of panic attacks and anxiety. So for me it seems like the more tired I get the more panic attacks I get as well. It's like I keep poking and prying every little detail to find the bad things and then dwell on them overthinking and causing panic attacks. Small things like the weird way I see stuff when I first wake up or how when I'm tired and starting to relax how my body feels heavy and numb or a little dizzy I start to overthink these things and panic. Also like how as I fall asleep sense I'm hypersensitive I some times stay awake through the sub couscous processes and hear staticky or weird noises which has also caused more panic. So I am trying to do what I can to find a way to put these lies in their place and force the truth that I'm fine. Anyone on here have similar experiences?

Hi all! This is my first time on an anxiety or depression chat/forum. I was told to join one from my doctor so here it goes! I am currently a student who has been deal with anxiety and depression for about 2 years now. Along with the mental health, I have been experiencing migraine headaches for 9 years. If any of you don't know, a migraine is in my opinion a your worst headache X1000. At least 3 days a week I am glued to my bed due to these migraines. I am a senior in high school, soon to graduate (hopefully). And I say hopefully because the past 4 months I have missed a large amount of school due to my migraines. Which as a surprise is believed to be the reason for my depression. I had hope to attend college next year as an art major, but my parents want me to take time off to get my health in order before I do so. Aside from my migraines, my anxiety and depression have been getting increasingly worse as well. I am trying to hide it from my loved ones, but I am exhausted. I desperately need help and that is why I am here. An incident occurred last night and I haven't stopped thinking about it since and that is probably the depression talking. My depression, anxiety and migraines have gotten to the point where I stopped doing the things I loved. I even stopped leaving the house to see my friends, which is what normal teenagers can do. I only leave to see my boyfriend. This is because I believed he knows how to help me, but the past few days I was proved wrong. It seems none of my close friends know what to do to stop a panic attack or clam me down. So what I am asking is tips on how other people can help someone during a panic attack or suffering depression and anxiety? I need to find a way to show people I'm not crazy and that I can get through it. Also people need to know I am still here. A lot of times I don't feel like myself. I feel like more of a shell and all of the Emily was scooped out. But they need to realize I can get over it somehow. I dont know how or when but I can. So if anyone has any suggestions I'd greatly appreciate it! Or if anyone wants to talk id appreciate that too! And I am here to talk to anyone who needs it too. Thanks!

Hello everyone, I'm new here. My name is Vanessa. I felt like I needed to do some sort of introduction. I've never really used a forum like this (mental health wise) to be honest. I have no clue what I am doing, but I felt I really needed to reach out because I'm lost. I suppose I'll attempt a quick little summary. I am 20 years old. When my anxiety first started to affect me was when I was 10. I barely remember anything from then, but my dad (whom also has panic disorder) tells me some of major signs I showed, plus skipping school due to extreme chest pains (had many panic attacks before school) etc. I obviously had went to the doctor as well, put on medication and what not. The only one I've stuck with since then is Alprazolam but it never works, so I usually have to push through every day. Back to today, I somehow graduated from highschool, with honors, even though I hardly ever could go, and they threatened to kick me out. Proud of myself there. I haven't gone to college, because well, I can't. I don't have a job, I can't get one. I'm stuck in my house (living on my own, ssi) everyday. Doing nothing. I can't leave my house by myself, I'll usually go out if my parents go out, join them. I have two or three friends that I can spend the day with, but very rarely does it ever happen, they have their own lives. I've lost a great deal of people to this illness. Whether it being them not understanding or me rejecting every invitation to go out, always. I'm always alone, which I love being alone, but I don't fancy being so lonely. I don't exactly remember the last time I was actually happy. I haven't even begun to start living my life and I feel like this hell will never end. I can't sleep due to the horrific symptoms of anxiety that I have every waking moment, and the equally horrific thoughts that I have. I've been on so many different medications the last 10 years and nothing seems to work, I give them all at least 3 months. I've been to doctor after doctor, therapists and psychiatrists. Living in a very small town in Iowa doesn't help that at all though. Anyone nearby doesn't seem to quite know how to do their job, or they just don't care. A lot of people say that they've overcome their panic by just saying yes to things, and JUST going out and doing something but I am so beyond this point I don't know what I'd even do. I have nothing to say yes to anymore. Nothing to just go out and do if I could even go out without completely destroying myself for that month. I hate when people say it gets better because my life has been nothing but this and I'm still so young, I'm just so tired. So very tired. Hope that wasn't too long of a summary, I apologize. I really hope that I can meet some friends here that truly understand this illness.

Hi All, this is my first ever post on a forum and I don't really know how it works so sorry if I don't do it right... I have suffered with anxiety since January which is specifically linked to being away from home. While I am at Uni I live a couple of hours away from home, I share a house with 4 other girls and we get along fine but we aren't as close as before. Since Jan whenever I was alone I would have panic attacks so bad that I would be sick, I told my family and close friends immediately and they have supported me throughout. But I still have to go to uni so there is no way to get around having to be alone and away from them sometimes. I go home every weekend which has been helping me to cope but last week the anxiety came back (after a summer without it, thank goodness) and this evening I have had a pretty bad episode and thought I would reach out and share my experiences on here. I was wondering if anyone else suffered with anxiety, especially when away from home, or even just when isolated? And if they could advise me on how to cope a bit better so it doesn't start interfering with daily life too much? Thank-You

Hi all... My name is Mark and Ilive in the UK (south west)... Fairly recently I started experiencing panic attacks, which have become more and more severe, until now I am agoraphobic... have done some CBT and taking sertraline (and occasionally diazepam), which has helped, but i am far from "normal" and live in fear of it getting really bad again. I have found it quite difficult to talk about these issues with my partner or friends, not least because I don't think they can really understand how I feel... hoping to find some people on here who will listen (and I will happily reciprocate!)

So its 3 days since I've did this I have well water instead of city water i know your not suppose to use either but did it not realizing the seriousness in it until after then I googled it and it has since them terrified me into thinking I'm going to die I went to the dr and asked but she didn't act or seem to worry about it or talk about it very long like it was just nothing but then I've read all this stuff online and they make it a huge deal I really don't want to die I'm 19 and I know the Naegleria fowleri forms when it's warm and I live in Tennessee and there's snow on the ground right now but still it makes me worry should I be worried I haven't heard of any cases in Tennessee but still I'm really worried and counting day by day and I convince myself I have it by constant worrying like if I think I have a headache I get a headache and just so on and so on should I be worried

Brought over from This deserves a thread of its own - By jonathan123 ****************************************************************************************************** Hi. My name is PANIC. (From the God Pan, God of the underworld). Watch out. I am ready to pounce at any given moment. Just get in a tiz and I will be there. Go to the supermarket and, boy, do I love supermarkets. Get someone to tell you you don't look too good and that's when I am at my best. My times are mornings and evenings. Get tired and that gives ME energy. I lurk in unexpected places. In dark cupboards; at night and in the rain. Watch TV and listen to those wonderful programmes about illness and that's when I can really get going. I derive the greatest pleasure in frightening the life out of you. The more fearful you become the better I like it. It gives me energy. I thrive on fear. What I hate are sites like this that tell people I must not be allowed. That really gets me. But I am not worried. It seems that my victims are more prone than ever to my antics. Some people actually try to get rid of me and some do succeed and that is a failure to me who is normally so dominant. But acceptance is a real curse. Being accepted is the one thing I hate most and "I" actually get frightened myself because it could spell my total elimination and that is something I will fight against. So please stop accepting, listening to those silly voices that tell you you can recover and, worse still, how. My two best friends, Anxiety and Fear say the same. We are all in this together because if one is eliminated we all are. So keep up the worry. Frighten yourself whenever you can and rest assured I am around waiting. (Ouch. Someone has just posted an anti panic post. Must stop that). J. This post has been promoted to an article

Hi, I'll try to make this short, I have had anxiety/panic attacks since I was 12. But it didn't get "bad" until I turned 16. It's been two years and I still throw up whenever I Ieave the house, I am on medication. I take Ativan, I recently upped it to 1MG, but I can't bring myself to stop vomiting from the horrible feeling of the panic attacks. No matter how hard I try to keep it down, I can't. I forced myself to go to college on campus, but everyday it was a routine of getting a panic attack and throwing up before class. I would never eat outside of my home in fear of having something in my stomach. I have tried breathing exercises, and ginger for the nausea, but I feel like my body is so used to being like this. The pills somewhat help, but obviously not enough to completely relax me. I do see a therapist and psychiatrist every month, but I feel like nothing is improving. I try to force myself to go outside, but I start thinking ," oh no, what if I get a panic attack, what if I have to vomit", and end up not going. I have read so many self-help articles/books on agoraphobia, but it's tiring that the methods they have don't seem to work for me. I know treating this isn't going to be fast, but I wanted to know if anyone has had sucess. What worked for you?

This Is What A Panic Attack Physically Feels Like For the millions of American adults who suffer from anxiety and panic disorders, panic attacks may be one of the most prevalent and persistent symptoms. And while the experience of a panic attack is different for each individual, there is one universal truth for all who suffer from them: They're terrifying. "When someone suffers from one of these disorders, it's completely debilitating," Todd Farchione, a clinical psychologist at the Center for Anxiety and Related Disorders at Boston University, previously told HuffPost Healthy Living. "Partly just because people recognize that what they’re experiencing is irrational, but they've learned to respond in a certain way in those situations so it's a natural response to those experiences. It can be frightening." Perhaps one of the worst parts of panic attacks is the uncertainty of their appearance. They can occur at any time -- even in your sleep. The fear-inducing experience peaks around 10 minutes, but the exhausting physical symptoms can extend far beyond that. In an effort to understand what it's really like to suffer from these conditions, we invited our Twitter and Facebook communities to explain what a panic attack physically feel like. We selected a few of their descriptions and illustrated them below: See illustrations at link here http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/10/21/panic-attack-feeling_n_5977998.html?ncid=fcbklnkushpmg00000010

Where I live there's a lot of deadly viruses going around; most respiratory diseases. One four year old had no symptoms whatsoever and wasn't sick at all and died in his sleep. Ever since hearing that I've been having so many panic attacks. I'm always afraid I'm going to get it because when I get anxiety my breathing gets shallow, and I can never tell if it's just my anxiety or something worse. I also am having trouble going to sleep because I keep thinking that I could die like that kid did and have no symptoms. Even though the viruses are targeting little kids, I still can't put my fear to rest and it's so hard for me to go to sleep. I keep thinking to myself "what if I never wake up" and "what if my parents try to wake me up in the morning and I don't respond". I can't get these negative thoughts out of my head and I'm petrified of going to sleep, what can I do to stop this fear or at least relieve it?

Hello everyone,....its been quite a while since being on here, ..needless to say, i've been through every possible stage of dealing with anxiety. I have been really getting frequent panic attacks lately, and im not sure why its affecting me so much. Now I find it hard to deal with any form of stress, because my body automatically tightens up and my breathing goes completely out of wack. I recently was diagnosed with sleep apnea, which in my opinion is probably a direct result of being so stressed out. This is getting out of hand and i cant seem to get it under control. For some reason im getting dizzy spells and i just dont feel like my air intake is sufficent. It just seems like my breathing is completely altered and i dont know what to do. All of this due to stress... I have panic attacks at least 3 times a week now... I know how to sort of talk myself out of them so that they dont last long but, it seems like I cant stop them from coming on in the first place. I just feel like I may have a heart condition because the breathlessness and the dizzy spells seem a bit much to just be anxiety.... Does anyone else have breathing issues with their symptoms??? how about dizzy spells?

I will go throughout the day normally most of the time. Sometimes I'll get random panic attacks while watching a movie or just talking with my friends, but ever single night right before I go to bed I get a panic attack. My heart will start feeling weird and beating fast and then I'll start breathing heavily and feel like I can't catch my breath. This has been happening for two years now, I'm fifteen going into sophomore year of high school. This started when I was in seventh grade after in science class we talked about heart attack and that was the first time I actually really knew how a heart attack worked and the symptoms. Ever since then I've been scared of having a heart attack, which I know is very unlikely at my age, but I can't help but worry. At one point the panic attacks got so bad that I started getting depressed and crying almost every night and just think how I wished that I would just die already so I wouldn't have to worry about it anymore. That's when I told my parents that it's getting bad and that I want a therapist to help me, but we have to wait until we get the money. Good thing is I don't think like that anymore and I've realized this is just something I'm going to have to deal with. But like I said before I sometimes get them during the day and when I'm with my friends and I usually hangout with my cousin a lot and when I get them when I'm with her I immediately stop what I'm doing and start breathing hard and she just yells at me, and she knows I have this problem. She also criticizes me about it all the time. Like yesterday she basically told me to just stop thinking about it and that I'm stupid for even thinking about having a heart attack and I tried to explain to her that it's not my fault. She doesn't think that anxiety/panic disorder is a real problem and that it can be fixed in one minute. I know people don't understand it unless they've been through it, but she has her own problems that she deals with and I try to understand and help her and all she does is yell at me and tell me I'm being stupid when I go through my panic attacks. I've realized I kind of went off topic, but I just needed to let that out before I over think about it and cause more stress. But back to the original point is that these attacks happen every night and it effects my sleep, does anyone know any home remedies to maybe calm me down a little bit? Also, does anyone else go through this? Because I feel like none of my friends or cousin really understand me and think I'm just being stupid

I've had anxiety/panic attacks since i was 15 (so for 15 years)... shortly after i was diagnosed my primary put me on lexapro and it worked wonders for me. i would go years without having symptoms. I had an "event", specifically i was giving a big presentation at work, the hours leading up to the presentation were extremely nerve wracking and i literally almost walked out before having to give it but i got up there, and i did it... and it went well! the rest of the day, i was fine, went to a business happy hour etc. Halfway through the next day at work, (other people were presenting etc, i was only listening, i had a panic attack unlike any i had experienced before. my whole body was shaking so bad it looked like i was having a seizure. The panic attacks kept coming in the weeks following and I started seeing a psychiatrist (again my primary was the one prescribing the lexapro to me so i didnt see a psychiatrist) - he suggested maybe the lexapro has just stopped working and we add abilify to it. within 1 week of taking the abilify i was in bad shape - admitted to the hospital on s****de watch etc - so i told him i did not want to take the abilify anymore. Since then, i have been on almost every SSRI, and SNRI on the market and nothing seems to be working. Im currently on Zoloft and have been for over 2 months, in addition to equetro, trazadone and xanax. every day is a struggle. I'm just wondering... does a drug like lexapro just stop working so suddenly? I feel like i want to give it another try but if it honestly can just stop, then i wouldnt want to go that route... my current psychiatrist wont entertain the idea, instead if im not feeling improvement after a certain amount of time, she switches me to something else. Im at my wits end here. The anxiety is severly limiting me life. Ive been on disability from work becuase im too scared to go back (in the back of my mind im sure im relating work to that panic attack that set all this off), but i am definitly in jeopardy of being terminated from my job and its a good job. if i dont get a handle on this in the next 2 months, i will be terminated. i need some help fast.

Possible Trigger Warnings for Trichotillomania!! Cutting!! And Abuse mentioned: The name is Littlestbit, or Lil Bit, Bit, etc etc. I'm hoping hitting the web will help me manage my anxieties and hair pulling issues. I've been pulling since I was a little girl, and even had therapy sessions as a little one for a few weeks. For about 6 years I was free of the pulling episodes, I would occasionally pull out my hair, but I think subconsciously I didn't pull because I kept my hair in a near buzz cut. And dyed it about every three weeks, cutting it about every 4 weeks. Over the past year my life went from being homeless, jobless and ending medical bill dodging- to finding the first man in my life (let's call him Jim), a career and absolution with my family. Before Jim I bounced from woman to woman, fresh off a G.E.D and skidding from one menial job to another. The beginning of April last year I managed a certification in medical assisting, while going through a very abusive and toxic relationship with a woman who I would've given my everything for (and I did in the end). Jim snuck into my life a few weeks after my break-up and wormed his way into my life. At first the emotional dependency was terrifying. I couldn't let him know I had explosive panic attacks, that I'd pull my hair out in fist fulls sometimes. That I had no control over my paranoia and emotions at times. The months have flown by and I have let slip at times I can control, he now knows of my paranoia, my smaller anxieties and that in the past that I used to cut to cope with stresses. Lately my family and now Jim, have been finding little piles of hair in the carpet. I had no idea I was pulling again. The scariest thing for me? I've spent this past year purposefully growing my hair out, healthy and strong- all representing how I have grown this past year. I don't want to cut my hair off again! It's killing me slowly- I catch myself twinning my hair in between my fingers, that small bit in my brain screaming to pop it out. One by one. I start school in June and I've had a few meetings with my GP about anxiety meds, possibly starting on some medication to control my ADHD and having my insurance cover monthly therapy sessions. Im terrified that now I am pulling again I'll be bald by fall. What can I do?

I thought this was a good video discussing panic attacks and anxiety in general...more educational for family members or friends who may not understand our condition, but good for anyone to watch This post has been promoted to an article

Hi everyone, I'm new to this forum so I thought I'd share my story with you. I recently became agoraphobic and homebound this past October. It started after I had a major panic attack on the freeway going to school, so since then I've been homebound. Just recently I've been going on short walks (a couple houses down) outside and even been able to sit in my truck and start it for a few minutes. Though I'm happy I'm able to go outside somewhat, I still feel very impatient and feel like I shouldn't be this way; like tomorrow will be the day I snap out of this horrible funk. During the day (inside), I have highs and lows. There's times when I'm excited because I drove the car a little further or walked a few more houses down. But usually somewhere in the day, there's that dreaded despair (depressed feeling really). Sometimes it lasts a little while, other days it'll linger most of day. I'm not sure what other people in this situation have gone through, but any advice or comments would be nice Plus, I just got sick yesterday, so it makes it even harder to try to feel better when attempting to go out :/ -Nate

Hi everyone, I've only been dealing with severe anxiety and panic attacks for a couple months now and was wondering if any one had advice for dealing with it in public and at night? I have searched everywhere and asked multiple people and all I can find is "breath deep" but that only seems to make me feel worse or shift my fears temporarily. Any help is GREATLY appreciated.

Hi all. Just signed up to this forum for support and possibly answers. A little about myself. I'm 37, married, 2 young kids and I'm suffering from a relapse of panic and anxiety. I first started having panic attacks back in 1998 or 1999. I was living with my uncle who had raised me since I was 11. I was watching t.v. when I started to feel "funny". I was feeling short of breath and my heart started to race. I stood up and went to the door for some fresh air. When I got to the door my heart did like a weird three hard quick beats that really freaked me out more. I told my uncle something was wrong and that I didn't feel well. He drove me to the Albertsons nearby where I checked my blood pressure at the pharmacy, and it was around 165/100. That freaked me out even more being so young and not understanding what was going on. We immediately went to the ER where I was taken in right away. I was wheeled to a bed and nurses and staff started hooking me up to wires and tubes. I began to weep and wanted to yell out, "I don't want to die!", but I didn't. Minute seemed like eternity. Finally after all the hustle around me calmed down the doctor came in to talk to me. I don't remember word for word what she said but basically it was that I was having a panic attack and that there's no reason to worry. All the tests are normal. She told me to cut down on the coffee and sodas then ordered the nurse to give me a sedative. I calmed down then was released. Oddly enough my second attack was worse but basically the same scenario, except I was at work and I was sent to the hospital in an ambulance. Since then I've been able to feel every heart beat, left arm has gone numb, I feel short of breath every day, brain fog, light headedness, etc., etc. After a few doctors telling me to relax and countless panic attacks, I finally found one that prescribed me Zoloft which was very effective. I was on it for about 4 years before it started again due to a pre-op EKG that show a previous heart attack which was later debunked by my cardiologist. He switched me to paxil and a Xanax once every morning. Fast forward to about a month ago and the cycle begins again. One Friday morning I was getting ready for work when, boom! My heart starts hauling ass and feeling like its going to stop. Dizziness, shortness of breath, same old stuff. I immediately run for my meds and crunch down on an aspirin(yuk) thinking I was having a heart attack. I crunch on a Xanax(yuk as well). About 10 minutes and two kids scared to death later I thought I was coming down. But no, it ramped right back up and worse. I yelled at my wife to call 911, I crunched down on another Xanax and aspirin. I took my shirt off knowing the medics would need it off to hook me up and laid down on my couch, I called my 8 year old over an hugged her, told her I loved her and be good for her mommy. This was going to be it. The medics came, hooked me up, took blood pressure and pulse, asked the standard questions for heart attack patients and rolled me to the ambulance. Away we went sirens on. Well to cut to the chase, it was a panic attack. Since then I have had stomach discomfort with lost of appetite, anxiety constantly. Attending my brother-in-laws wedding was hell, but luckily no attacks just anxiety and upset stomach. I was at the city where the wedding was to be for a week. Came back home and the same. I had seen my GP before leaving and he told me to take some pepsid and to see a psychiatrist. I made it back home from a 7 hour drive alive. Another trip to the ER for another panic attack while I was working. All day that day I was having bad anxety. I would take a Xanax and once ir wore off the anxiety would come back. Finally I couldn't handle it. I left the job I was working on and raced home, my heart beating hard, dodging cars and freaking out. I made it home. Still panicking, still dying. Another trip to the ER, another attack. Needless to say I'm about 7 pounds lighter from not eating, I've seen a psych who upped my paxil to to 30mg from 20 about 3 days ago, and I'm taking about .75 to 1mg of Xanax a day. Every morning I get panicky, depressed and feel so much despair it hurts. I have an appointment with an endocrinologist on Thursday and a follow up with the psych. I really hope I feel better soon or get some answers. Work is going to be hell this week considering it requires lots of driving throughout the day all day.

PGA golf star Charlie Beljan talks about his battle with panic attacks. Also includes interviews with other sufferers. Click to watch - http://www.nbcnews.com/id/21134540/vp=51203476&#51203476

I feel once diagnosed with panic attacks any new physical symptoms experienced are often overlooked by health care professionals with the assumption they are dreamed up and associated with anxiety. I had a 4 month stint with trying to get doctors to diagnose what was wrong with me and they missed a 1.5 pound 12 inch long fibroid which nearly caused me to bleed to death because my origninal symptom was chest pain. Turns out the thing was so large it was pushing on my internal organs. And I was in the ER 3 times for excessive bleeding. How did they miss that? I also fear some day I will sit at home and die from a heart attack or stroke all the while trying to convince myself it is yet another panick attack. Has anyone suffering from severe anxiety attacks also had a real heart attack and if so did you know it was the real thing. They say you wil know. But these panic attacks feel so real to me. On Xanax...post surgery. But want to get off the meds and deal with through lifestyle change. 6 years sober and I don't want to rely on drugs to treat this. Any ideas? Not depressed. Actually love my life the way it is. Minus this disorder.

Hi! I am glad that I found this forum because for so long, I have been looking for a place for me to vent or talk to people who could relate to the things that I had experienced in the last few years. I lost my mother about 5 years ago, and ever since then, I have always had panic and anxiety attacks. I remember at one point, I was rather depressed. This was not something that I could share with my siblings or father, because I felt as if they would brush it off (not that they would, I suppose I was just not comfortable in confiding in them). So, I hope I would be able to learn from all of you.... thanks for having me here! Kind regards, Myst