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I slept in a room on October 5th or 6th. I had a window open. I fear a bat could have bit me. I just have really bad anxiety because my right wrist itches and my right palm below my pinky tingles a bit as well as feeling icyhot. I am having the same sensation in my shoulder as well. I don't know why I am having such weird sensations. I am freaking out. I know I do have a problem with my right hand, but fear that this palm and wrist tingling and itching is a rabid bat bite or something. It just started the other day as far as I noticed. I need reassurance. I am freaking out! Can anyone ease my fears?

Hey all, To anyone who reads this, thank you in advance for your time and kindness. I struggled with PD for many years beginning in college. It faded away but has come back in full force over the last 1.5 months. Long story short: My apartment (while I left on a brief trip home from school) got infested by fleas. I have a major entomophobia (fear of insects), and was stuck alone with my poor kitten in a place loaded with them. I spent the next few days cleaning everything, washing sheets, vacuuming every nook and cranny (thankfully live in a studio that is primarily hardwood). I would see them hopping around (never bit me thankfully) in the vacuum bag- that obviously terrified me. I eventually got me and the cat out, dropped three bombs, and returned. Of course it wasn't a permanent solution- the bombs can't kill all of them. I left the apartment again due to the fear. I returned for a weekend and made it about 3 days before the anxiety of possibly being around the fleas got to much. I had to board my poor little cat for 18 days, and left to go see my family and fiance. I feel nothing but incredible surges of panic and distress when thinking of the fact I'm flying back to the apartment in 6 days. It terrifies me. I've had the place exterminated (sprayed) another 3 times since I left, but the phobia of these little parasitic specs horrifies me constantly. I can't escape the fear, even knowing my cat is now treated with medication and my apartment is thoroughly treated. Deep down I know the problem will resolve and they'll all die off, but god this has been the worst. So essentially, I'm away from home trying to eat and sleep properly again. My phobia of my own home due to the incident is incredibly strong (laughably an anti-agoraphobia). How do I convince myself to get back in there? As a graduate student, I need to eat and sleep- these things are increasingly difficult. I've received medication and abide by mindfulness techniques. But nothing seems to work. Any advice much appreciated, and even just reading this- I'm very grateful for you. B.

I can't take it anymore. I go absolutely hysterical whenever i just think about just not existing. Can you imagine having no thoughts, no soul, no personality, just being surrounded by a never ending blackness. You wouldn't even know it though because you'd be nothing, wouldn't you? And if there is something beyond death, if there is a heaven and a hell, then how do i know if i will be burning or be in peace? How do i know which religion is true? I was raised muslim and still am, but the sheikh just tells me to accept it, but oh God i don't want to die. I don't want any of my family to die. The fear just seeps into the deepest parts of me and takes over my entire being. Everyone says it'll be terrible to have immortality, but i will do anything for it for me and my family. I don't know whether to be more afraid of oblivion or burning in the deepest parts of hell. I can't sleep or do anything without being drugged into a lullaby with how much of these thoughts are running through my head. Through all of my being, i can say that i am suffering. I am Palestinian and have experienced the trauma of the war, but even with all of that, this issue to me is much worse. Everyone dies no matter what, but i can't accept that. I can't just accept the fact that it's normal. Please, what do i do to make this stop. How do i know what is true? Please help.

During the latter Spring and entire Summer, I find myself at my most peaceful. Viruses that spread seem to frequent the colder seasons and the holidays/events, which in turn tends to exacerbate the dispersal of those viruses. It's not the trivial colds that frighten me, but the ones that use my emetophobia to bring me to my knees. If someone gets sick, even if it is in an entirely different state on the opposite coast I find myself in a state of panic just by the thought. Lately I have entered a state of introspection that leads me to believe that due to this phobia, among other things, I am a burden to the close few around me. I pushed off seeing my girlfriend of several years by 2 weeks because her household has fell victim to what would clearly immobilize me in both senses. It has planted the thought in my head that she deserves better than someone like me, who would quarantine her for being ill out of pure fear and void of logic. I suppose the purpose of me posting this is to see if others have had similar feelings or situations, or could even offer advice to cope with this madness. It is slowly eating away at me and making life incredibly difficult.

Hi everyone, I'm hoping someone has some experience with this and can shed some light. I have an extreme fear of throwing up and will do just about anything to avoid it. Several days ago I was diagnosed with a UTI and prescribed Microbid (an antibiotic) to help with this. I have been unable to take it because a common side effect is nausea. Of course I have been obsessing online reading every review possible about this antibiotic and there is a handful of people who vomit on this medication. I know I need to take my prescription so that the infection doesn't spread to my kidneys but I just can't come to terms with the nausea which will in turn send my anxiety into overdrive. Your experiences and encouragement are GREATLY appreciated.

I have been searching the internet high and low looking for ways I can help my daughter get through her anxiety. she is 5 and finding a therapist willing to work with a child that young is very hard to do. about 3 or 4 weeks ago we had a bad thunderstorm, it was mostly loud, no real damage. I can only assume that she was also having a night terror about the time the storm struck, because now she has a paralyzing fear of so much has stepping 1 foot into her bedroom when it is dark outside even with the lights on. this has been causing stress in the entire household she and I are both getting less than ideal sleep, and I feel like nothing I do to try and make it better matters. I cant get her to speak to me clearly about it, she starts mumbling and making up words as if regressing to a 2 year old, and all I can make out are window and bad guys. I apologize for being so long winded, but I am desperate.

I'm a bit confused as to weather what I'm experiencing is a phobia, gaiety disorder, OCD or maybe just bad habits or behaviors I've developed over the years. As a kid I started to develop a fear of being in situations where I couldn't escape from eg. being stuck in an elevator but I've looked at phobias like agoraphobia, claustrophobia and Claustrophobia but I don't fear confined spaces or crowded places I only fear being trapped and knowing that I can never escape. I don't mind going in lifts It's just the loss of control and not being able to escape when you enter one that I fear. I don't think its a control thing because I'm fine with being driven by someone and not being in control of the car as I know I could easily get out, unlike a plane where I know there is no escape. I also associate death with this phobia, I feel that after death I will still be conscious but in some sort of void unable to cease just in nothingness forever, so its not really death I fear but again being in a situation that I can't escape from and have no control over. Also growing up I had a fear of developing a terminal disease as I associated this with death and the void scenario but Also having someone tell me I'm going to die would put me in a situation that I could not escape from, this is The same reason I fear situations that aren't associated with death like becoming paralyzed or going to prison Because I can't escape and have no control that situation. The reason that I'm leaning towards it being a phobia is that I'm fine when I don't experience anything that might result in me getting trapped, it's not something that affects me daily like general anxiety, also I don't really have obsessive thoughts that come into my mind, I only Have them when I know I'm going to have to face a situation that might cause me to become trapped. I did adopt some OCD rituals I guess to try to help me avoid these situations eg. tapping something so many times so that I didn't get c****r, but I don't do theses anymore because I know they don't do anything, I mean I guess I have touch of OCD as I do like to go back and check things like ovens Taps to see if they're turned off but this doesn't really hold me back from doing thighs like my fear/phobia of being trapped and not being in control. I would just like to understand what this phobia is (if It is one) and if anyone else has had similar experiences. Sorry if its a bit hard to read, I'm finding it hard to describe.

I have on and off anxiety for since I was 14. Lately in school I have been having bad anxiety and mild panic attacks and i been not going to school for like 4 days. Everytime I think about entering the school I get all shaking. My anxiety has never been this bad. Does anyone have tips.