Please help - my husband is in denial that he has anxiety

[susie_tee75]

Firstly, apologies for the very brief message - I am writing this as quickly as possible as I am going to take my husband to A&E shortly.

He has been unwell for nearly 3 months now and we cannot put our finger on what's wrong, although we believe there is some kind of infection or virus responisble for his ill health - anxiety is also playing a major part.

My question really is how I can make my husband understand that anxiety is there, that is can have physical ways of showing, that it's not something you can control. He is in total denial that he is suffering from anxiety and I totally believe that if I can get him to speak to someone about it then he will be able to concentrate on getting better and over the virus or infection that is also there.

Any thoughts or advise gratfeully received.

Apologies again for the short note and bad spelling !

Regards

Sue

[coops025]

Hi Sue and Welcome,

Your husband is lucky that you have spotted the symptoms as it took me ages to find out what was happening to me. Most Doctors will just not have a clue what is wrong as you roll out all the symtoms, it can go on forever... mine thought i had a stomach bug for gods sake lol.

Let me tell you this, he needs to nip this in the bud NOW if he doesnt things will get much worse over time, please remember that Anxiety is not life threatening no matter how severe it looks.

I remember the times when i was driving myself to A&E often with chest pains etc, very scary when you think your going to die.

What are his full list of symptoms Sue? lets see if they tie up with Anxiety so we can offer some help. In the mean time try to keep him away from Suger and Caffine the best you can untill you can build up a strong case to convince him.

There is a list here that might help

http://www.anxietyforum.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1437

[Robbed]

I think that much of the reason why someone might be in denial of having anxiety disorder is the picture that is painted in most people's minds about it. Specifically, the medical/pharmaceutical industry tells us that it is a debilitating disease like cancer or diabetes with no cure, but which can be treated only with a lifetime of medication (and not very good medication at that) and therapy (and most therapists could not help a rock roll down a cliff). The result is that, like cancer, anxiety disorders are many people's worst fear. And, like cancer, having a debilitating and incurable disease results in a loss of dignity, especially for us guys. What he needs to know is that anxiety disorder is none of these things. It can be overcome. And medication is not only NOT needed, it is seldom actually even desirable (despite what any doctor or therapist might tell you). In fact, few people who have overcome it have done so through traditional channels (ie medication and therapy). Indeed, self-help is often the best help. So this is something you might want to talk to him about. Maybe a book like Claire Weeke's 'Self Help for your Nerves' might be a good starting point. In any case, I think it is best to emphasize that anxiety disorder is NOT destiny. This in and of itself makes it MUCH less of a monster.

[Georgec]

It is really difficult to help someone else with anxiety because it is a mental disorder that is hard to understand even for the person who is suffering.

How sure are you that he has anxiety at all?

What are the symptoms of this virus?

Maybe you are misinterpreting the virus symptoms?

Is this virus something that scares him? Has he talked to you about it? What are the symptoms of his anxiety? Are they different from the virus?

Does he suffer from panic attacks? Anxiety disorder is difficult to spot...

Let me know...

Thank You,

George