Hi Im Rollagirl, this is my first post

[Rollagirl22]

I am 24yrs old and have Panic disorder with agoraphobia. I've had it now for six months ( i had it previously at 21yrs but was completely cured so it seemed after a strong 2month course of valium, instigated by a trip to the hospital). Now it has returned worse than ever and i'm scared to tell anyone about it because i think they'll think i'm crazy (especially my husband) and i cant afford to go to therapy.

My family and friends are of the 'just get over it' attitude (and so was i until it happened to me) and i'm running out of options. Any advice?

[shoe]

rollagirl, thats difficult to deal with, keeping anxiety a secret. Ssooner or later tho it seems people close to you will notice a difference in behavior no matter how hard u try to hide it. Actually, thats probably not true of all - some can hide it REALLY well. I do think though, in the end letting others in on your anxiety is better than hiding it.

If your husband would think your crazy, then perhaps he needs to be educated about what anxiety disorders are, and how common they are in society. The stigma of mental disorders is still around unfortunately, and people being ignorant about it doesnt help those who suffer with it :( I really hope he and some of your friends would be willing to understand.

If you can't afford therapy, is there any kind of local mental health programs available in your country? In the US we have state and county mental health programs available which offer sliding-scale fees that alter the cost based on how much you make etc.

I wish I was more familiar with other countries mental health systems..

[Bridgie]

RollaGirl, we are here to help you, and anything you want to discuss we can handle! Please talk to us about your problems, maybe we can help you walk through it....We have all been through it and know how difficult it is to deal with! There are many different avenues of treatment, and maybe one of them will work for you!

[ajt]

I've been relying on medications for years and they haven't done much good for my anxiety and depression. The Vallium you took is only a temporary solution.
I've never heard of it referred to as anything else. I've been given four different prescriptions for anxiety and none of them has had any lasting effects. They work for a short time and then your body no longer responds to them. They've tried 3 different meds for depression on me and they haven't produced any noticeable results.

I just researched anxiety(including panic attacks) on the internet and all the resources say it's a medical condition, so the people who tell you to simply "get over it" don't realize what you're dealing with. Many people of my parent's generation don't understand psychology and avoid emotional situations. My parents were like that. You can discuss your problem on this forum or in a support group with others who have had similar experiences. Your relatives need education. I suggest you search out the subject of panic attacks on the web and show them what it says about it being a medical condition. My sister and one of my neighbors have been very supportive of me lately and I thank God for that.

One of the things you can do to fight panic attacks, according to my research, is to face what you're afraid of head on over and over until you
condition yourself to realize that there's nothing to be afraid of. Avoiding the thing you fear is the last thing you should do.

You have a medical condition, no more shameful than the flu or diabetes.

[ajt]

There is alot of info on panic attacks on the Internet including lots of places to get free help, so money won't be an obstacle. Just punch in "panic attacks" on Yahoo or any search engine and you'll see what I mean. I'd advise you to be careful what you believe because some of the people who give advice are trying to sell you something.

[ajt]

http://www.anxietypanic.com/



This might help you, Rollagirl.

[arachnid]

Hi rollaGirl! Welcome!

[flower29]

I know exactly how you feel one time i was driving down the highway and I had a panic attack. it felt like god was pulling my spirit right out of my body and I was going to die right there how do yours feel? because i am interested in how other people panic attacks feel to them. mostly because I think god was really taking me and he just changed his mind. :(