Generalized anxiety disorder and similar versions - Thoughts about it

[Ishimada]

I'm newly diagnosed with this thing by my new doctor, and he ordered me a new medicine with one other, which I've been using over an year already.

Some time I may write more about my personal opinion about my feeling about it, and how I feel about other people, with the same diagnose.

But feel free to discuss and tell your story.

[Stir]

Yes. Anxiety tied in with the whole PTSD thing.
You can take medication, sure... But I personally think it's much better to just get used to it, learn to deal with it, and get on with your life. Medication doesn't solve anything; it merely mitigates the problems, but usually creates new problems as it does so.
So yeah; that's my bit of advice: Seek some professional help (not from a physician or GP, and not from a psychiatrist who just wants to sell you medication, but from a psychologist who has the ability to judge whether or not you need to be sent to a psychiatrist), and learn to live your life as normal as you can make it. Don't run away from you problems, but tackle them.

[DeltrusDisc]

I was diagnosed with anxiety disorder at the age of 18 and it sucks.

[Dezerte]

Well, sort of I guess.

I had been suffering a depression for several years and recently I was diagnosed with a chronic disease. That pushed me over my limit I think, every day was such a pain; constant anxiety. That's when I consulted my doctor and he prescribed me some medicine to help with it; and they do work.

[Ishimada]

The interesting thing is, I can't even think my today's strength holding on without the meds I have, especially the new one. I still don't use them much, quite the minimum or slightly over that, doses.

I know few who have somekind same situations. My mom told me she's feeling like she could have anxiety or something. My best friend has few diagnoses on her. It makes me feel that I won't be alone.

[Liagala]

You are nowhere near alone. A lot of people deal with that sort of thing - some are fine most of the time and have occasional issues, others can barely make themselves get out of bed without proper medication. Wherever your trouble lands on the scale, you're far from the only one there. Don't let your head convince you that you're abnormal or alone or whatever it's trying to tell you.

[procne]

The way I imagine it - using medicine to mitigate your anxiety will only make it worse. Anxiety is based on fear, taking medicine is like running away from it. The only thing that makes people less afraid is tackling problems and winning. So, unless you start doing something that makes you proud, that makes you strong, it will continue.

[Catta]

The way I imagine it - using medicine to mitigate your anxiety will only make it worse. Anxiety is based on fear, taking medicine is like running away from it. The only thing that makes people less afraid is tackling problems and winning. So, unless you start doing something that makes you proud, that makes you strong, it will continue.

Anxiety is separate from fear. Anxiety is irrational while fear is rational.

[Dezerte]

As Cattaclysmic mentions;

Anxiety is a generalized mood that can occur without an identifiable triggering stimulus. As such, it is distinguished from fear, which is an appropriate cognitive and emotional response to a perceived threat. Additionally, fear is related to the specific behaviors of escape and avoidance, whereas anxiety is related to situations perceived as uncontrollable or unavoidable.^[8] Another view defines anxiety as "a future-oriented mood state in which one is ready or prepared to attempt to cope with upcoming negative events,"^[9] suggesting that it is a distinction between future and present dangers which divides anxiety and fear. In a 2011 review of the literature,^[10] fear and anxiety were said to be differentiated in four domains: (1) duration of emotional experience, (2) temporal focus, (3) specificity of the threat, and (4) motivated direction. Fear is defined as short lived, present focused, geared towards a specific threat, and facilitating escape from threat; while anxiety is defined as long acting, future focused, broadly focused towards a diffuse threat, and promoting caution while approaching a potential threat. While most everyone has an experience with anxiety at some point in their lives, as it is a common reaction to real or perceived threats of all kinds, most do not develop long-term problems with anxiety. When someone does develop chronic or severe problems with anxiety, such problems are usually classified as being one or more of the specific types of Anxiety Disorders.

[Nayelie]

Not necessarily anxiety, but I am diagnosed with Bipolar II. I get anxiety attacks pretty often. My brain doesn't react to certain situations "properly" it feels like, and I'll get extremely stressed out and have panic attacks. I also have ADHD-like symptoms from it, and during times of hypo-mania I go days without sleep and am way over-productive.

[Kurioxan]

No dont have anxiety at all, my gf however has so im used to deal with it, apparently i've been a huge help to her in general, sadly in my view it kinda prevents her from learning how to deal with it on her own as when she is with me she hardly has any nowadays but when she is alone (right now for example) they are daily

Had that quote from buddha in my messenger Nyaelie

[Nayelie]

No dont have anxiety at all, my gf however has so im used to deal with it, apparently i've been a huge help to her in general, sadly in my view it kinda prevents her from learning how to deal with it on her own as when she is with me she hardly has any nowadays but when she is alone (right now for example) they are daily

Had that quote from buddha in my messenger Nyaelie

Sorry to hear about your gf. I know I put my bf through a lot with my stuff. But in a way, it is always better to have someone to rely on than to deal with it alone. A lot of anxiety issues aren't safe to be handled alone. At least from personal experience. I used to attempt regrettable things when I was in an episode. I now force myself to call my mom, brother, or boyfriend. Just having them on the phone always helps.

And it's a lovely quote. Been a mantra since high school

[Liagala]

I now force myself to call my mom, brother, or boyfriend. Just having them on the phone always helps.

I'm not sure this is the best long-term solution for you. It's great in the short term, but what happens a few years from now when you're totally dependent on someone to help keep you in one piece during episodes, and suddenly no one is around that particular time? You might go so far off the deep end, it makes the "regrettable" things you did before look like child's play. Having a loved one help you can definitely be a good thing, but I think it might be more helpful to you in the long run to work on finding a way to help yourself as well, just in case.

[Kurioxan]

^ yeah i worry about her but never saw it as a hassle, so dont think your boyfriend minds it too much as well.

Then again i do have a loving/caring nature... just wish i could make it go away, sadly i cant so its something im used to deal with albeit its very reduced when we are together luckly, im glad i can help some.
And yeah, counting on others, to just be able to speak out your mind or have company helps.

I wonder if this is something that affects more girls then guys, or it is simply because guys are less open about it (the whole macho mentality)

[Nayelie]

I'm not sure this is the best long-term solution for you. It's great in the short term, but what happens a few years from now when you're totally dependent on someone to help keep you in one piece during episodes, and suddenly no one is around that particular time? You might go so far off the deep end, it makes the "regrettable" things you did before look like child's play. Having a loved one help you can definitely be a good thing, but I think it might be more helpful to you in the long run to work on finding a way to help yourself as well, just in case.

Reaching out is the single best thing someone in that situation can do. That's why there are 24/7 suicide hotlines. And I am not a co-dependent person. I live on my own, work 3 jobs, and just have a cat as a roommate. But my close ones always answer the phone because they know about my anxiety and panic attacks.

[raechuul]

I have anxiety. I kind of fit the diathesis-stress model for it, as I'm already prone to anxiety and depression since it runs in my dad's side of the family, and I've been a worry wart for as long as I remember, trying to prevent situations from happening. Then my relationship made my anxiety worse due to trust issues and the like.

I took buspirone for about 6-8 months, and it took about two months to kick in. Then it helped for about a month, and then it just seemed to make it worse. I was having more fights with my boyfriend, I was always worried about having an anxiety attack, etc. So I slowly got off of it and felt better once I did.

I would recommend medication combined WITH behavioral cognitive therapy, because sometimes it's so bad you need the medication to help you start getting a hold on it, and then the therapy for really getting over it. My Abnormal Psychology professor is a PhD in psychology, and has also treated clients, and he said that behavioral cognitive therapy sometimes works within weeks or a few months.