Me and My Fears: Anyone Similar?

Hello, my name is Steven. I am an 18 year-old male. I have been diagnosed with anxiety and depression. For the last few months I have been trying many different medicines to 'calm my nerves' (lexapro, prozac, effexor. I am currently on Buspar and starting Paxil). I have also been experiencing something that I think may be depersonalization/derealization (constant feelings of 'unreality' and reality just feels plan fake all the time. Like its an illusion begining slipping away. ), which has been terrifying me. I often question existence which has led me to the strangest fear of not existing or being stuck in nothingness. Its difficult to explain. I worry and fear that reality will "slip away" and i'll be alone in "nothingness". Or my memory will fail and I won't be able to remember one moment to the next. Another fear of mine is no one else is going through what I am, like theres some strange glitch in my brain and I won't be able to effectivly communicate my problems. I worry I'm losing my mind. Sorry if I'm being really dramatic, I'm currently having an anxiety attack and im scared sh*tless. Anyways, I was just wondering if theirs anyone else experiencing similar problems.

Hi Steven, I'm Laura 24 yr old. Im currently totally suffering from panic so I know how you feel! Don't worry, you are not alone. That feeling is really common, but it's not permanent. I find its worse the times when I am most aware I have anxiety I have a lot of depersonalization. I promise it won't last forever, its just an extreme reaction your mind has to your surroundings. Sometimes you just need to take 10 minutes and just breathe and try to calm down and focus on something completely random. It will pass, and you aren't going crazy! Just remember it's not permanent and will go away soon.

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Originally Posted by lmgibson87

Hi Steven, I'm Laura 24 yr old. Im currently totally suffering from panic so I know how you feel! Don't worry, you are not alone. That feeling is really common, but it's not permanent. I find its worse the times when I am most aware I have anxiety I have a lot of depersonalization. I promise it won't last forever, its just an extreme reaction your mind has to your surroundings. Sometimes you just need to take 10 minutes and just breathe and try to calm down and focus on something completely random. It will pass, and you aren't going crazy! Just remember it's not permanent and will go away soon.

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Hello Laura, thank you for your reply! I have been suffering from what I assume is depersonalization 24/7 for about 5 months. Today has been a terrible day. I have had extreme anxiety constantly and 2 panic attacks. I don't know what it is. May I ask, is your depersonalization constant and what is the experience like to you?

I have also experienced these feelings of detachment from reality! I have had panic stacks since I was 12, but they were very sparse up until about a year ago. I have now developed agoraphobia. I just recently realized that the detachment reality feeling is a symptom of agoraphobia.

No it isn't constant , and if you can figure out some things that work for you in dealing with it, it doesn't have to be ! I know I have a lot of triggers that make it happen so when my anxiety is bad I try to avoid those situations. You just have to remember when you start feeling like that you are still in control and its going to pass. I waitress on the weekends and sometimes when I start to get that feeling I just step outside for a few minutes and try to tell myself that even though I feel weird it's not going to last forever and I can get through it. Have you ever seen a therapist ?

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Originally Posted by asdf3312

I have also experienced these feelings of detachment from reality! I have had panic stacks since I was 12, but they were very sparse up until about a year ago. I have now developed agoraphobia. I just recently realized that the detachment reality feeling is a symptom of agoraphobia.

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I'm sorry to hear about that. My grandmother suffers from agoraphobia. At least you understand where the feelings are coming from now. Understanding the cause can help. As for me I have been suffering from the worst anxiety. I had to check myself out of school becuase I got so upset and overwhelmed. If feel like I am going pass out and die at any moment. Its like death, doom, and despair are following me around. Hopefully when I start Paxil it will help.

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Originally Posted by lmgibson87

No it isn't constant , and if you can figure out some things that work for you in dealing with it, it doesn't have to be ! I know I have a lot of triggers that make it happen so when my anxiety is bad I try to avoid those situations. You just have to remember when you start feeling like that you are still in control and its going to pass. I waitress on the weekends and sometimes when I start to get that feeling I just step outside for a few minutes and try to tell myself that even though I feel weird it's not going to last forever and I can get through it. Have you ever seen a therapist ?

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Thanks for the reply! For me the derealization is constant. My doctor thinks depression is the cause of these feelings. I've seen a psychiatrist, but not a therapist. I would like to try cognitive behavorial therapy.

Hi Steven,

I can definitely relate to you. You are not alone, in the slightest. I sometimes have the same thoughts you do with existence. I think the more you focus on it, the more it will take over your mind. But rest assured that like Laura said, it will not last forever. These are just random thoughts that come into our mind. I would say the best thing to do is don't push the thoughts away. I always live by "the more you resist, the more it persists." The more you are like "stop thinking like this! Think of something else!" you won't be able to think of anything else BUT negative and almost disturbing thoughts. It also works with anxiety. Almost feed into your anxiety. Recognize the symptoms and go over each and every one in your head. "I'm dizzy...because I'm anxious. My heart is racing. I'm shaking. I feel like I can't breathe. Ok, it's just anxiety." Always.....ALWAYS keep in your mind that there is no possible way for you to stay in an anxious state all of the time. Your body will come down, it has to, as that is how the body works. This is one of the main factors that I always think of. Anxiety is a short-term reaction and is harmless. HARMLESS. It might not feel like it in the midst of an attack, but it's the truth.

I've self-taught myself CBT. I've considered seeing therapists, but after speaking with a couple over the phone, I've realized that they are telling me things I already know. I know what needs to be done with CBT and I've done a few things that have helped. If you ever need help and don't want to see a therapist, I could always give you my contact info. I think it's better to talk to someone who goes through it, not someone who studied it in school and thinks they know what's best. I hope this info helped some! I also posted a link to my blog in this forum. Feel free to check it out!

[QUOTE=panicked24_7;44852]Hi Steven,

I can definitely relate to you. You are not alone, in the slightest. I sometimes have the same thoughts you do with existence. I think the more you focus on it, the more it will take over your mind. But rest assured that like Laura said, it will not last forever. These are just random thoughts that come into our mind. I would say the best thing to do is don't push the thoughts away. I always live by "the more you resist, the more it persists." The more you are like...[\QUOTE]

Thanks for the reply! It's very comforting to know that one isnt alone in one's suffering. Thanks for the advice, i've always tried the think-of-something-else method, so maybe doing what you suggested might help. Though I'm still experiencing more anxiety than ussual, I've calmed down, so its bearable (misspell? :P). Anyways, thanks again and I agree that its more helpful to speak with someone who knows what your going through first hand. I'll definitly be checking out your blog.

Introvertdivi5i0n I feel completely the same as you.