Do you think all anxiety has a "root cause"?

[DustingMyselfOff]

I've dealt with anxiety and panic attacks for several decades and am finally fed up and determined to get to the bottom of it. Since I started with tics and spasms as early as 6 I always assumed it was a chemical imbalance and have kept things somewhat under control with antidepressants and tranquilizers. Well, as of a few months ago, that's not working anymore. The trigger was probably my thyroid going hyper again but I really, really think there is "something" lurking inside that is dying to get out and keeps manifesting itself in one way or another. It tried to come through as tics. It tries to come through as panic attacks. It tries to come through as ulcers, colitis, and other various physical problems. I've always gotten the proper treatment for one ailment just to find another one pops up.

Same with emotional issues and phobias. If I get over my fear of driving, then I'm afraid of crowds. Fix that and become afraid to fall asleep. Fix that and find another phobia. It's always SOMETHING that I am obsessing over and trying to fix.

This has led me to feel that my original theory of "something is eating away at me from the inside" is valid. I have begun therapy, both one-on-one and group. I am going to find out what is at the root of this, damn it!

I would love to just run out of things to worry about and be afraid of, but this is a big world and I will continue to find things. So is that my chemistry or is it a deep-rooted trauma? I guess I'm curious as to how others feel - do all of us have repressed issues we're trying to bury or do some of us just have a chemical imbalance in our brain?

I am constantly needing something to obsess over.... if I don't have something to research or fix, I panic. That tells me that I am trying to stay busy so as to avoid facing something I have repressed. Make sense?

Thanks in advance for your thoughts. Hope this becomes an enlightening discussion for all of us.
Sue

[Cobra]

Perhaps it is a self esteem issue as you always seem to be trying to find out what is wrong with you and fix it. Have you considered there is nothing wrong with you except for the thought that you need to be fixed?

[DustingMyselfOff]

Perhaps it is a self esteem issue as you always seem to be trying to find out what is wrong with you and fix it. Have you considered there is nothing wrong with you except for the thought that you need to be fixed?

That was pretty darned profound....... wow. Do you do this for a living? :)

I am VERY confident on the outside. On the inside... not so much. During the one session I've had so far the therapist mentioned perhaps needing to heal my inner child. I know for a fact I never go back there and have very few memories of my childhood. Perhaps it's time to go there, dig them up, and get rid of them.

Thanks.
Sue

[Ahlstrom]

Anxiety, I'm 99% sure will ALWAYS have a root cause, even if it's not apperent. Chances are if I sat you in a empty room and made you just think about what it might be for 24 hours, chances are you'd come across the root cause(s). I always can find my root cause after a bit of thinking, and unfortunely like life, your root cause can change over time as well.