Teen anxiety pls help or advice!?
Question:
and please dont tell me to go back on medication, ty : )
Answers:
I was diagnosed with anxiety back in november, but have suffered from it til now about a little over a year. i am only twenty years old, but dont really know why i started getting this but just to make a long story short, it kept on getting worse and worse each time. i didnt have any thing in particular to fear but just simple, irrational thoughts would give me a panic attack. I did my research about all this condition and found out that not only do i have anxiety but also panic disorder or generalized anxiety disorder as well. one of my biggest problems are the feelings of unreality. Or another example would be a headache or a stomach ache. " o my god! what if its a brain tumor! Or what if its my appendix?!!" seconds later-- PANIC ATTACK!! and then in mid december I was lucky enough to find a book called Panic Away and it helped alot instantly, I cant wait to let my doctors know that my solution was not the lexapro or the Klonopin.
You need a prescription for anxiety not depression-there is a huge difference.Tell your dr your having anxiety attacks and ask them to give you something for it.
Mind Control and forcing yourself to remove the inner voice that is causing you so much grief is the key. I start with prayer when I have the annoying voice prohibiting me from living a normal life. If you are not religious you can create your own mantra ..for example "all is perfect just as it is now"
create a sense of purity in your mind...quiet the mind relax and remember...you are the only person in control of what and how you think! Good Luck
As I'm sure you are aware, these are symptoms of OCD, or obsessive-compulsive disorder. The symptoms you describe are not overly tragic, and many people just learn to live with them.
Since they are distressing you, however, you should see your doctor or, if your health insurance allows it, a psychiatrist. There's no way around it. The doctor will undoubtedly prescribe medication, but it doesn't have to be Paxil, which is particularly hard for some people to stop taking. There are many other and newer antidepressants and anxiolytics to choose from, some of which may be more effective and have fewer side effects for you.
Antidepressants are now the most prescribed drugs in America. A lot of other people have decided to take advantage of the relief they provide, at least for awhile, and they wouldn't continue taking them if the side effects were worse than the depression, anxiety, or OCD.
The choice is yours. Live with it or take a pill. There's no shame in taking the pill. It shouldn't be a matter of pride. Just determine which will work best for you in your daily life, and do it.
Good luck!
I'm sorry you're suffering with this. Anxiety sucks. With obsessions and compulsions the key is gradual exposure to feelilng the fear you avoid. For instance, if you don't check the door 40 times, you will probably feel very worried and upset. The key is to LET YOURSELF FEEL THE ANXIETY. A therapist can help you through this. You will have to accept uncertainty one step at at time, and live with the fact that you didn't check the door. You WILL feel horrible if you don't check the door, but it will pass more quickly. I had anxiety and panic disorder and I just had to start accepting the anxious feelings. That's what made it go away.
For instance, i would get really nervous looking at my boyfriend in the eyes and i would think over and over in my head "is everything ok with us? is he acting weird? am i acting weird? etc. etc." I woudl feel miserable the whole time. After a while i FORCED myself to just look at him and focus on the conversation and ignore the things in my head. I would have horrible, nearly unbearable anxiety for a minute or two, but amazingly after that it would vanish. Doing that over and over in every situation finally helped me.
Medication isn't always necessary. Please see a therapist specializing in OCD or anxiety.
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