General anxiety issues

[MC2017]

Hello everyone. I jumped on this site on behalf of my wife. She's been struggling for about a year now and I just don't see her improving much...and looking for any insight you could offer. i'll try to be as brief as possible. She lost her grandma, whom she was extremely close to...about a year ago. We were not able to be by her side when she passed and my wife felt guilty about that. In addition, we retired from our jobs and moved to our dream house in the northwoods and began the next chapter in our lives. In short....lots of life changes in the past year. She began having anxiety issues as these things unfolded. We saw a doctor last year, and she was prescribed Cymbalta...big mistake! This only increased her anxiety issues. She weened off of it a few months ago, and began seeing a social worker through the doctor's office. She's been working on self help tools to help her get out of this funk...but I just don't see much improvement. She does work a couple days a week, and is able to carry on a somewhat normal life....but the anxiety remains. just don't know what else to do for her, since meds were not the answer, and these self help tools don't seem to be doing much. Maybe all she needs is more time. Maybe a "shrink" could help? Running out of ideas. Your thoughts would be greatly appreciated. MC

[lolfeg123]

What are her anxiety symptoms like? Anxiety attacks? Restlessness? Insomnia?

when I'm in an anxious mood, I hate to listen to certain people and avoid them at all cost, even if it is a kin. This can be a starting point for discussion. Do you know of anyone whom is causing her pressure simply by being in her presence? Does she trust you?

[MC2017]

She just has a knot in her stomach mostly, which then causes her voice to crack...and even she even has a slight problem getting the words out. Then when she does this, she focuses on that and spirals down from there. Triggers can be anything from driving on a highway, to going to the doctor for a regular visit, or sometimes it just comes on for no apparent reason. Yes...she trusts me...and she can tell me anything. We are super tight, and I know she thinks she's letting me down or something. I just try to get her back to the present and reassure her she's going to get better. Sometimes she just goes by herself and has a good cry...and then she's better for awhile.

[fixmybrokenmind]

A psychologist would definitely be of benefit. In my own experience they really helped me get down to the root of my issues.

Also a psychologist may further be able to recommend medications. Just because Cymbalta didn't work well does not mean she can't benefit from something else.

I recommend reading how to stop worrying and start living by Dale Carnegie. This book was hands down the best $10 I have ever spent

[Kirk]

She would need to see a physician, a psychiatrist, who can prescribe medication which should help.

[MC2017]

Thanks to you folks for your input. We'll set up an appointment and go from there.