do i have an anxiety disorder? should i see my gp?

Mental health
1

Hi guys im rather new to this so any help is appreciated and i find putting things into words pretty hard so please bare with me.

Basically for as long as i can remember (and its gradually getting worse) i suffer from extreme worrying and anxiety, which is getting harder and harder to cope with mentally and keep my emotions in check. I struggle to cope in my mind with pretty much everything and worry about little and big things equally to the extent were i end up having sleepless nights over what would be perceived as basically nothing (i.e. most would shrug it off). its got to the extent were i dont know what it is to feel relaxed or in control any more and i feel like im stuck in a viscous cycle wer im continually on edge and worrying about several issues at the same time so my mind doesnt shut off. I dont feel like im myself anymore and to put it bluntly, i feel like im not all together ther. It is affecting me to the extent were im continually swinging moods between sad (to the extent were i just break down and cry) to irritable or angry and its effecting my relationship with my family, friends and my new girlfriend. I have to admit ive been hiding it but im TERRIFIED of what im becoming and i feel like my head is going to explode.

Im sorry if im not making much sense i just dont know the best way to describe what im going through.

as for symptoms i am always tired and dont get much sleep. It affects me at work were im always distracted and cant focus on anything (i.e. blank mind or worrying about things). I feel tense and constantly on edge. I worry about everything and even have dark thoughts which disgust me when i think back on them but i just get wound up on situations (one of the lighter examples being if my brother goes out with his friends and doesnt come in by the time he said he would i start thinking hes been mugged or worse) please dont judge me i just cant help it.

so sorry to drag on (im in tears writing this and like i said emotions all over the place) but back to my original question i need help should i see my gp?, could it be an anxiety disorder?, its just so tricky with mental health and like i said im scared of what im becoming or telling my family about my issues.

like i said im new to this thanks for reading any help would be greatly appreciated

im just so lost

2

Hello ck36

First of all, no one is going to judge you. Everyone here is struggling or has struggled with these sort of issues. It's awful for you.

I think if you were able to share any of this with your girlfriend and loved ones, that would be a good start. Better than fighting it alone.

You are no alone. Take care.

3

Hi,

All classic signs of anxiety disorder. Go see your GP and tell him what you described here (you did a good job). It all depends how experienced your GP is with such matters (you'd be surprised). My suggestion would be to ask directly for a referral to your local mental health team for an assessment, rather than go down the common rout of 'well, lets try this tablet and see how you get on'.

Good luck, don't despair and let us know how you progress,

Alex

4

Hi, my heart goes out to you!

You will soon see, on these forums, that there are hundreds of people with the same issues - anxiety and depression. You are not alone! So not alone!

The first thing you need to do is to tell someone. Someone you trust and are really close to. Your doctor would only have a short time to listen to you and may put you straight on antidepressants. From what I can gather, there are long waiting lists for therapies.

What I found helped me most was confiding in my 2 closest friends. They both have had to deal with my desperately unhappy texting over recent years. I cannot stress enough just how much texting and talking with these 2 wonderful friends (one male) helped me cope with suicidal thoughts - times when I just couldn't see the point in me being on this planet for various reasons.

It has been several years since having suicidal thoughts, but my hormones are causing havoc with my emotions and I get the most dreadful mood-swings at times. I have also, in recent years, had a tendency to overthink things. If someone close hasn't made contact for a day (or less) I am convinced something awful has happened to them - it's always the worst case scenario.

I guess I am not so much afraid of myself dying than of losing close friends and family - and it can terrify me to the point of panic attacks.

You do sound depressed - the classic symptoms of sleeplessness, worrying all night, and day, mood swings, fear, brain fog...

You DO need to do something about it as soon as possible - but the best way to start is to sit down with the closest person to you - whether a member of your family or a friend - and pour out your feelings to them. I know this is harder for men than women - but the relief of having someone at last knowing something of what you have been going through - it is a priceless feeling, believe me. You don't have to tell them everything in one go - making a start, saying those first words, is the hardest part. Anyone who loves you and cares about you will listen. You may well be surprised to find that someone close to you has had, or is still battling, depression or anxiety.

You will find a lot of sympathetic and nonjudgemental people on these forums - just knowing you are not alone is a huge help and can give you the strength to move forwards. You could even sit your confidant down in front of the pc and show them other peoples' thoughts, feelings and experiences.

I wish you all the best. Just remember that I, and countless other fellow sufferers, are here for you x

5

Hi ck

I too worry about everything, my mind never rests day or night, I worry about the most irrelevant things that other people wouldn even think about. It is definitely linked to anxiety and stress. I agree with the other guys you must talk to someone, its so much easier to deal with when you can talk through your fears, and this forum is great too, knowing there are loads and loads of others with the same issues really helps. Take care and be kind to yourself

6

Hi ck

yeah i agree with everyone and your 1st step to recovery is your g.p don't be surprised if they don't offer you medication sometimes it's just a diffrent way of coping with dealing with things that helps...good luck with it you are not alone....my anxity started as quickly as a day 1 day i was fine the nxt day bang you do learn to live with it and learn to forget how you were in the past...but hey it may not come to that everyone is diffrent if you read these forums some meds work for some some don't you may be lucky and return to normal or you may have to like me reajust to life which hasn't been a bad thing it is far better than just going with the flow and being unhappy hope this helps x

7

Hi ck

I feel like exactly how your describing and it's such

a pain! I haven't even been able to go to my new job

Because of my anxiety and panic about nothing really

I feel I can't enjoy my life or get on with my day as this

Constant worry is always in my head.

I've just been to my doctor and was prescribed with

Some anti anxieties which help calm your nerves,

They don't seem to have helped much yet but they

Do take time.

I'm currently freaking out about most things in my

Life that I can't get a handle on :s i just hope

I can keep on coping and eventually get to a point

Where it's more managable and not so much of

An issue, you have to focus on the good and less

Of the bad, you probabally have more positive

Things to focus on than negative ones.

X

8

Thanks for the support guys ur all amazing, just Wat I needed.

I'm gonna take all ur advise and speak to my family tonight then head to my gp ASAP, it's nice to no I'm

Not alone and ther is help available, gonna see how it goes in the gp think I'm gonna leave speaking to

My girlfriend as it's a new relationship and she might get a bit scared if I bring this up so soon. I feel for you

All who are going through the same thing it's horrible and I can totally relate feel like I'm not who I once was

And that I can't enjoy what I have as I'm continually picking things apart and seeing negatives.

I will let u beautiful souls all know how I get a long as updates come in