Teen Anxiety

[Mattcsr]

Hi all,

been looking through a few posts on here and it seems you all know what you're talking about. 8)
Well, a small introduction..I'm Matt, 17 from Manchester UK. I'm quite shy, but more confident than I used to be, I've always been a worrier, and the Summer of '08, everything got too much and I 'crashed'.
I'd just finished high school, the prom was coming up, and wasn't even aware that I was getting stressed about it, then one night, I had this terrible anxiety attack which lasted all night, I then stayed in bed for a good few days. I even ended up phoning NHS Direct as I was unable to eat for a week, and was getting very weak.
I then had about 6-8 attacks from then up 'till now, I've not actually had any attacks in 2009, but I'm feeling more anxious than I was...when I was having the attacks.
Basically, my fear is, the anxiety / panic itself. I'm finding myself cancelling days out with fear that I'll either have an attack the night before, or panic while on the day out and ruin the whole thing. I also feel quite anxious before going to bed each night, hoping that I don't have to spend another full night of panic.
My current worries are:
# A concert in London this summer
# Summer holidays from college, as that's the time last year when it all went down hill and I ended up quite depressed with the anxiety
# Not being able to get better, that's a common worry, if there was a light visible at the end of the tunnel, this would be so much easier

I'm sorry for ranting on...the end of last year I was actually feeling really positive about getting better and I felt life was on the up, but now, I'm thinking...do I need treatment? And if the treatment doesn't work...then what?! I want to live my life to the full! :cry:

Thanks for reading,
Matt. x

[gadguy]

Hello Matt, reading your story it could very easily have been a description of my life, I have always suffered from anxiety and my teenage years to early 20's were a complete nightmare, so much change happening way more than I could deal with, I missed out on a lot in life because of my anxiety, don't let it happen to you.. I suggest you do see a Doctor, there is no shame in getting help, life is to short to allow anything to hold you back. I waited until I was 42 years old to get help and wish everyday I could have gotten help sooner.

Good luck and best wishes,

GADGUY

[Mattcsr]

Thanks for the reply gadguy - nice that you can relate to ma story.

I know the doctor will be an option soon. But I've just started seeing my college councillor, and next session we're doing something called "Cognitive Behavioural Therapy" - is this any good for anxiety? I mean, I'm sure she knows what she's doing, but should it be helpful?

Cheers,
Matt.

[Mattcsr]

Apologies, I've just looked it up and it is indeed helpful for anxiety, cool!

[northstar]

hi matt! good news on the CBT, it's the number one reccommended therapy for anxiety problems like excessive worrying :) i'm sure you'll find it helpful.

you might also like to have a read through this post: http://www.anxietyforum.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=4087 it's basically a guide on the different things you can do to help yourself through the anxiety. fortunately there are lots of things that you can try like better diet and exercise, you'd be amazed how much these two will help :)

ok i don't want to go on for too long here, but have a read of that other post and see what you might like to try out. please do let us know how you're doing too :)

[clover28]

Just a note--my daughter is 13 years old and has been dealing with GAD since she was 8 she went through therapy then Cognitive therapy but it didnt take away the anxiety panic and was affecting her school and social life. She has been taking zoloft along with the cognitive therapy for 8 months now and the change is unbelievable. Before she couldnt use the techniques she learned as effectively because she was still scared but with the med it allows her to be able to grasp the techniques and think positive. My hope is that with time the more positive thoughts will replace the negative and she will be able to get off the meds.
Good luck and dont quit--you are lucky you are young and so much help is out there. :agree:

[Mattcsr]

northstar - really great post you linked me too, i'll be sure to try some techniques / ideas that you have on there, cheers!

clover28 - that's interesting, I'm gonna see how I cope with just the therapy, and if it fails, I'll be sure to contact the doctor to see the available medication if needed. One thing though, I've seen that certain medications can leave nasty side effects when taken off them, are they worth it and / or can you take them for as long as you need them?

Thanks all!

Matt
x

[Robbed]

One thing though, I've seen that certain medications can leave nasty side effects when taken off them, are they worth it and / or can you take them for as long as you need them?

Medications can indeed cause nasty side effects, and can hurt every bit as often as they can help. They can also be REALLY difficult to discontinue. For these reasons, I just don't think they should be used as a first-line treatment. Keep in mind, though, that if you DO see a doctor, they will likely push meds on you, and promote them as your savior. But there is definitely no guarantee. As for long-term safety, people do stay on antidepressants for a long time. But once again, there is no guarantee that they are safe for long-term use. SSRIs have only been around for about 20 years. And FDA trials were only about six weeks to two months in length. In other words, there is just SO much about them that is unknown. So my advice is to try CBT first. Because the truth is that FAR fewer people REALLY need meds than we are so often led to believe.

[Evilbob333]

From what you've described i would hazard a guess that CBT will would be very effective for you...you sound as if you're determined to live your life to the full and that you're willing to do what you can to beat anxiety. CBT is tough and requires courage and determination on your part but it can reap amazing dividends. I think the thing is people expect to be cured of anxiety, just to sit back and let some wonder pill sort them out. So when they come to doing CBT they're like 'I have to do something????' - when in fact its the only way you're gonna get over it. As soon as you realise that you've nothing to fear, and i mean come to accept it on a subconscious level, you'll start moving on. Make sure you do your homework...recovery isn't easy, nor is it instantaneous but its so good when you find yourself getting there!!!!
Clover, i feel the reason your daughters first bout of therapy may not have been effective was because at such a young age its very difficult to be logical and understanding in the face of such fear (Jeez...its hard enough to do that when you're an adult!). I think you did absolutely the right thing by getting your daughter on the meds then reintroducing her to CBT so that she was in a calmer state of mind to actually undertake the CBT.

Best of Luck!!!