i need help finding help

[redsoxnation]

hi
i am new and looking for advice
i have anxiety disorder i just wondered how you all find the nerve to go to a dr.'s office when i can't summon the courage to call and make the appointment .
i dont even answer my phone or doorbell .
i want help just don't know how to explain to someone that doesnt have what i have what exactly is wrong with me .
i haven't even been to a medical dr in 10 years .
i am 29 years old and started having my symptoms in high school.
any advice would be helpful
thanks

[brickyard_red]

Welcome redsoxnation. I'm glad you are here. Have you tried making an appointment and taking a friend or family member with you?

I know what it is like not to be able to answer your phone or doorbell. My phone doesn't send me into a panic nearly as much as the doorbelll, but the phone I don't like. At least with it I can look at the caller ID and the person isn't standing outside my door. hehehe

When someone is at the door and rings I run and hide like a baby and I don't come out until about 10 or 15 minutes later when I know for sure that they are gone. I mean I do this every single time. I try and make myself not to, but it's that first reaction that I take off. So, I know where you're coming from.

Cath :)

[shoe]

lol Cath.. I know I shouldn't find it funny but just picturing you hiding from people ringing at the door made me laugh. sorry! I have actually done that myself though.. usually when I don't feel like dealing with people or feel my place is just a mess hehe. I do try to avoid those religious folks cuz they are soo hard to escape sometimes.. just like darn telemarketers :P.

redsox - have u talked with family about what is wrong with you? If they could help you get to a dr, like Cath suggests, then it'd be alright to lean on them a little to get you there. Even if you call the psychologist's office yourself, they will understand if you are anxious and scared on the phone.. they should have some experience with people calling in like that. I know its tough, but you can do it =)

Once you find a psychologist that has experience with anxiety disorders, try to remember that they've seen patients suffering just as you do, and its okay to be scared and anxious in their office. They might even offer to help you find a psychiatrist if you need medication to help calm you. And the psychologists are the one's asking the questions, so just try to answer the best you can!

[brickyard_red]

hehehe Shoe :oops: . Yep, I don't know why, but everytime someone knocks on my door I go running into my livingroom scared to death that they're going to see me in the window. I sit on my couch with my heart pounding until I know they're gone. Which usually means until I hear the car, truck or whatever pull away. :D

I suppose watching it from the outside it would be kind of funny to see. lol :shock: :roll:

See, redsoxnation, you're definately not alone! :D

Cath :)

[Maggie May]

Hi Red,

Just thought I'd chime in and reassure you that the receptionist at any psychiatrist's office has talked to people who are ten times worse than you many, many times. And I am in no way minimizing your problem, at all! I know how you feel and talking on the phone/making calls/answering the doorbell are all very common phobias or sources of anxiety. If I am really freaking out when I have to call a doctor or whatever, I usually start out by saying, "Hi, this is Maggie and I'm having a major panic attack, so if I sound weird, that's why."

If that sounds too mortifying, is there a friend or relative or other "safe person" who could maybe make the call for you? You could sit right next to them and be there in case the doctor's office asks your safe person a question they don't know the answer to. Your safe person could say, "Hi, this is blank, and I am making a call for my friend Red, she's sitting right next to me, because she has a lot of anxiety (or a phobia) about making phone calls. She'd like to see the doctor, can the three of us set up an appointment for her?" If the receptionist says she has to talk to you, your friend can say, "Would you tell me what questions you will ask her so she can call back when she has the answers written down?" If you have another phone in the house, you could even be on the phone with them, just listening and only talking if you have to.

I have found one of the weapons that is useful against anxiety is to break down something scary into tiny pieces. Another is for you or a friend to state exactly what's going on and ask as many questions as you can to get whatever information you need to feel more calm. You are precious and rare and if you need to do something in a way that is unconventional, you are ALWAYS allowed to ask for what you want or need. If a receptionist or doctor won't work with you, go on to the next one. You are so brave for even considering seeing the doctor. You rock.

Also, I have heard that there are several online resources for support for people with anxiety. I'm not sure where they are exactly, but I'd be happy to help you do some research, I'd like to know for myself. I have even heard of having appointments for talk therapy online with the psychologist! So you may not have to leave your house.

Are you free sometime to talk on that chat here? It will be only people that suffer from anxiety, and for me, it was VERY comforting to talk to people that feel exactly like I feel.

Let us know how it goes!

Maggie

[kem]

Hi All!

So hilarious that I used to run and hide when people came to my door too! Even when I knew it was neighbors that I liked.

I highly highly recommend something to all of you that has helped me tremendously!! You're anxiety will be gone forever if not greatly greatly reduced. You have my word and I'll even sign my real name at the bottom because I so greatly believe in this program.

If you are too scared to go to the doctor this is the program for you! Its the program for anyone who has anxiety and depression really. It is called the Midwest Center for Stress and Anxiety. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE try this program people!!! It is your saving Grace, I promise you this.

I had social anxiety disorder all my life. From that, I developed panic attacks which led to becoming agorophobic and then OCD developed. Whew! Lots of scary things were happening in my mind and body each day. For year's I suffered, even after being put on Zoloft.

My mother ordered this program for me after being at her wits end to help and terrified for me. It is the greatest thing she ever bought me!!

It is a 15 week course. Each week you listen to one single tape or CD which discusses at length and in depth a topic that greatly relates to anxiety and depression. You are supposed to listen to that tape several times in one week and also work in the corresponding workbook you recieve. There is also a relaxation tape which is amazing and after listening to it the very first time (only 15 minutes), I felt like a weight had been lifted and felt for the first time in literally years and years...relaxed. We think we relax when we watch tv or listen to music. But, that's not really deep relaxation.

I so hope and pray you all try this program. You will not regret it. It is truely an investment. It is pricey but I would go back and pay $4,000 if I had to. I'd sell things and go without new clothes for a long time to get this program since I got so much out of it!

Please dont let anxiety or depression keep your life from becoming what it is supposed to be any longer. People with anxiety are amazing people...talented, smart, extremely creative people who have a tremendous amount to offer.

You can feel better! I promise!