People in their 20's

[Evelyn]

Hey I found this article....
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Anxiety disorders are quite common, affecting 5 per cent of the population at any one time, but many people do not seek help. More women than men are affected. Anxiety disorders often start in the 20s but may begin earlier. Sometimes they occur in older people.
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Since childhood I have been a worrier, I can remember having my first anxity attack when I was 15 (in a swimming pool of all places). It wasn't till I was 20 that I was diagnosed with anxiety. I was wondering when you first developed anxiety and also when you were diagnosed?

Thanks for reading, hope you are all well.
Evelyn :D

[splendidostring]

I'm in the same boat as you. Been diagnosed as a generalized anxiety disorder. I'm a man BTW.

For as far as I can recall, I've always been a worrier too. Lots of things would get into my mind and I wouldn't be able to get them away.

As I grew older, symptoms were getting from worse to worse, sweating, heart racing, no appetite, LOTS of depressions. It took me a while before I actually went in and get help. Still I'm

I often wonder what's the real cause to all this... wrong learning curve? Shitty nervous system? I wish I knew the answer to this!

[dizz]

I'm male, anxiety started (and was diagnosed) in my 20's and has recently come back full force at the age of 32.

Got a cousin, male, started in his 20's.

Got a few friends whose started in their 20's.

My mom was in her 20's when her anxiety/panic started.

However, my grandmother on my father's side experienced hers at the ripe age of 65!

I'd say your 20's is the average;)

Cheers!

[danstelter]

I have had it ever since I can remember. My childhood experiences have a lot to do with the fact that I was a social phobic for sometime.

However, I am now 26 and have a good grip on this whole anxiety thing, and anxiety interferes with my life at times, but does not control/ruin it like it used to.

I had never heard that it regularly onsets in the 20's, although I am sure that you guys are telling the truth. Anxiety is interesting and works differently in everyone...

[Robbed]

I had alway heard that problems like depression and anxiety have the greatest tendency to occur in middle age. After all, it is at this time that youth is lost and people start to REALLY think about how their lives didn't turn out nearly as good as they thought it would back in their younger days. In any case, try not to get too caught up in the whole thing about anxiety disorder 'beginning' in your 20s. The mere sound of this suggests permanence, which leads to loss of hope as well as further depression and anxiety. Just remember that, in the VAST majority of cases, anxiety disorder is a temporary thing.

[Princess]

I developed anxiety when I was 3. I was diagnosed when I was 3. I started therapy when I was 3. I started medication when I was 7.

[Evelyn]

Thanks for answering everyone! You all have some really good points. I like Robbed's anwer the ''where is my life going question'' this is an on going issue for me, and I imagne a lot of people will also suffer from this. Being in your 20's and turing into a adult makes you feel a sudden sense of insecurity. The carless-ness you have as a child goes and you're left feeling rather daunted. I often get people saying to me ''oh I wish I was 22 again, those were good days'' and I wonder....if this is meant to be good whats it going to be like when I'm 40!LOL I know anxiety is temporary and I've made a lot of progress over the last 5 months. I'm very grateful for this website.
Evelyn :)

[Princess]

I had my first anxiety attack when I was 3 years old. I was taken to therapy and the doctor in the city said that I was one of the most severe cases of child anxiety they had ever seen. I had so much anxiety at only 3 years old. My childhood years were filled with a lot of anxiety and so were my teenager years. I was put on medication when I was 7 years old and throughout the years I was put on lots of different horrible, dangerous medications until I finally got off my medication cocktails last May, after being on medication almost my whole life. I had less anxiety when I was on it and my anxiety was masked for a long time, it was still there, but not as intense, but then it would return. I've been off medication for almost 10 months and I have returned to the high level of anxiety I had when I was 3 years old. It's like weird to have the same anxiety at 21 I had when I was 3.

[02Batmobile]

I've heard that it's the other way around. I've read in a few places that we tend to be content with ourselves and happier as we age. People who say, "Oh, I wish to be 20 again!" probably mean that they wish they could start over in a way. I mean, wouldn't you like to be 10 years younger and start over in a way?

I wasn't always a worrier - my mom was a big worrier. It wasn't until I smoked some weed that I had my first panic attack. After that, I became worried about my health.

[aqil1000]

Being in your 20's and turing into a adult makes you feel a sudden sense of insecurity. The carless-ness you have as a child goes and you're left feeling rather daunted.

Hey,Evelyn, good to know that you're doing well the past few months :) Just keep on track and sweep all your worries away ok?

Maturing into adulthood does have its insecurities. You're now making crucial decisions that gradually shapes and defines how you want to live your life. We have our whole life right in front of us now. Imagine the autonomy given to us! Don't need to worry too much if we make mistakes along the way. A mistake made are learning points for us. Definitely a step forward :D

[ArykaLinn]

Hey all, my name is Erica, I first started getting anxiety around 15. (I'm turning 21 next month). I got the first attack because I huffed air freshner, not one of my brightest ideas, but I was addicted to getting high/drunk and when I ran out of resources to do so, I improvised.

My disorder at first wasn't bad at all, I got an attack maybe once every few months and they weren't serious when I did. When I was 17 I had my second worst anxiety attack (the worst being my first one). I ended up calling an ambulance b/c I was blacking out while trying to drive home. After that day, I became agoraphobic. I bawled my eyes out and thought i was going to die when my mom forced me to go get my car from the gas station I had left it at. I even dropped out of school b/c it was too much for me to handle and my mom was so tired she just gave up.

I remained that way until a month after I turned 19, where my mom made the best decision of my life. She kicked me out, I had to get my own apartment. It forced me to be my own person, to get out of the house and I did great! The only time it really gets worse now is when I move back in with her, which I've had to do a couple times within the last three years.

Now my anxiety is back and horrible as ever, I moved back in with mom a month ago.

I'm starting to catch a trend here :P

It does make me feel a lot better to see a lot of other people's anxiety either starts/gets worse around their 20's. I'm sorry anyone else has to go through this, but the statistics do make me feel a bit better.

[alex]

I had my first anxiety attack when I was 3 years old. I was taken to therapy and the doctor in the city said that I was one of the most severe cases of child anxiety they had ever seen. I had so much anxiety at only 3 years old. My childhood years were filled with a lot of anxiety and so were my teenager years. I was put on medication when I was 7 years old and throughout the years I was put on lots of different horrible, dangerous medications until I finally got off my medication cocktails last May, after being on medication almost my whole life. I had less anxiety when I was on it and my anxiety was masked for a long time, it was still there, but not as intense, but then it would return. I've been off medication for almost 10 months and I have returned to the high level of anxiety I had when I was 3 years old. It's like weird to have the same anxiety at 21 I had when I was 3.

Princess, that sounds like a very hard experience. Anxiety is something that can be managed. For me its' something that comes and goes.
For a year I'll be terrified, then for 2 years not again.
In both cases I attacked the problem on all fronts.
Diet, Exercise, Medication, Therapy, Sensual indulgence (which in case of eating mostly and I had to limit b/c Diet should overall be healthy).
Meditation is also a big thing it helps seperate you from the fear.

Keep posting on here and do everything you can on all fronts working together to manage what you're feeling.

Hugs and good luck

[Wayfarer]

i just feel the need to say this whole idea that anxiety disorders "start" at a certain point - as the original article states - to be kind of bs.

i think it needs to be understood in terms more like the symptoms of the disorder 'manifest' or 'present' in some people at a certain age, say late teens early twenties, but the condition has existed within them since birth and due to circumstances, events, experiences etc. they may have presented earlier or later or never at all. kind of nature/nurture relationship, in other words.

i'm new here, by the way, so hello to everyone. you can read my personal story in the welcome section.

in my case i've exhibited symptoms of anxiety my entire life (bed-wetting as a child, classic! :D) and have known for many years that i have some form of depression. but it's never manifested in a severe enough form for myself or someone else to suggest i seek professional help. judging by other people i know and what society considers to be behaviour serious enough to warrant attention, i consider my own condition mild or moderate. however after much personal reflection i have recently decided that whilst my condition may be mild, it is seriously impinging upon my ability to achieve my goals and be happy, and so have decided i need professional help.

the point is i don't think anyone ever simply wakes up one day with anxiety, like they do with the flu.

[kombi86]

im also a male
i was 14 when i first had my attack.
i was in my room with my friend and we was playing the playstation and he was telling me how his older brother's friend allmost got stabbed with a knife.
thats all it took for my mind to snap.i was a complete wreck i still get anxious thinking about it.

mum had to leave her job to be at homw with me i left school and we ended up selling the house and moving to a new area.
i was 18 when i was diagnosed with generalised anxiety disorder with panic attacks and agoriphobia.

im now 23 still have G.A.D