need help, my son has severe acute anxiety, he can,t functon anymore , gettng worse

[stevetrevella]

i am trying to find help for a friend of ours, there 25yr son has severe anxiety. he was getting better for a bit but now has got really bad he is scared of everthing, cant function shuffles around like a old man, they dont know what to do. they have seen shrinks but nobody has answers, it is about trying to find a balance of meds that will work for him. finding someone they can talk to that is going through or been through the same thing. in new zealand or anywhere. any help would be greatly appreciated

[Cobra]

It's 95% mental. He has to dig down deep and start facing his fears. He needs some books on anxiety, a good counsellor and a med that will help him chill out so his adrenaline drops back down to normal. Once you get trapped in the adrenaline, fear, adrenaline cycle, it's hard to break out because the adrenaline alters your thinking.

[trinidiva]

That's good of you....to try to find more help for him. He should join this forum. Honestly...it may help to talk about what he's feeling and there is always someone on here day and night.

I personally have found that I need additional support during the time between my appts. I bought a Cognitive Behavioral Therapy workbook which has tons of helpful exercises and info.I have also been trying meditation and tai chi. In the eveningtime I drink a cup of chamomile tea which calms me and help me sleep.
I also suggest he make a list of things (big and small) of things that he wants to do and try to do one every now and again. He will feel a sense of accomplishment and he will start to feel more in control of things.

[HealthAnxNut]

Yes, have him get online with us - at the very least, he will see there are thousands of people out there, going through the same things he is, and will learn some coping techniques. Sounds like he's having a real rough time. He is probably feeling hopeless, but there is hope to be had!

[sweetypie]

They can push him in the right direction, but ultimately, it's all up to him.

I've suffered with anxiety problems my whole life and it's frustrated the people that love me so much. But we all had to be patient and I had to ultimately work on it by myself.

The best thing people who love someone with anxiety can do is be there for them when they are panicking and loving towards them. It always helps me to receive hugs or back rubs from loved ones when I am freaking out.

For us, it's an every day fight and struggle. I so badly wish I could hand my problems over to someone else to fix, but it's always about me somehow finding the power inside of me to fix it.

[alankay]

Steve, what has been done/tried thus far? Psychotherapy to see if there is a reason of some kind for his anxiety? Meds? If so which ones? Please include more about the shuffling as that sounds a bit unusual. The correct diagnosis is everything. Alankay