Anxiety disorder and panic attacks is so confusing I wish I had something specific to be afraid of but I don’t my anxiety is crippling, disabling, hellish place where I can’t make a plan idea or sug as to what I should do ! I recently lost my safe place I worked so hard for due to hurricane Laura and I have bounced from Louisiana, to Houston to Dallas to New Orleans , and I have seriously considered ending it all but I have two cats that mean too much to me to leave them now ! I have fell behind on my paperwork for assistance, and some important paperwork for overpayment from Unemployment that Emma’s their fault but i can’t process 2 thought at the same time, so the law judge will think I don’t care and bam me when I’m just so incapacitated due to panic and stress I can’t move or I would ! Some one please tell me what I can do I am afraid to reach out but I have to do something
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Abolishing the Stigma of Mental Illness
I come from a family of people who have struggled with mental illness. I remember my diagnosis of depression like it was yesterday. Next came my son s diagnosis of OCD . Then my daughter battled self injury, depression and panic attacks combined with social anxiety. And my mom has had some form of mental illness all her life, which to this day (she’s now in her 80s) has gone untreated.
As far as my kids and myself, we are and always have been very open about our illnesses. Having come from a family that stigmatized mental illness to the point that people suffered needlessly, I am determined to fight that stigma by sharing my stories with others.
My journey with mental health
My journey with mental health has not been an easy one. I was diagnosed with anxiety and depression in 2011. I was constantly having panic attacks at bight time which prevented me from sleeping. I finally decided that it was time to get the help I very much so needed. I did, and every since then I can better manage my mental health with the tools that my therapist has given me. There is light and hope even after the darkest of storms. Keep fighting ❤️
Coming out with Mental Health Issues – Career Suicide?
Coming out in the traditional sense of being Gay, Lesbian, Bi, Trans, etc., in the work place has its own set of fears and potential consequences. Coming out that you have a Mental Health challenge, such as major depression, anxiety, panic attacks, PTSD, or other challenge is equally accompanied with a host of fear because of many deep rooted stigmas. Regardless of the current laws and ordinances against discrimination in the workplace any of us who have been around the block a few times know that it is all too real for many of us. The lived experiences of coming out, in many cases can be disastrous, loss of professional status, promotions, loss of jobs, livelihood, housing, relationships, family, leading to more stress and exacerbating existing mental conditions. Other stigmas may also play a factor and further compound the pile on effect, kick them when they are down, crowd mentality.
Hello my name is Alan and i have been struggling with my mental health for about a year and a half now and I’m just now recognizing that i have mental health issues such as depression, anxiety, and panic attacks. I have started attending therapy and group therapy sessions and they have honestly helped me to see that i am not the only person in the world that feels that they may be going through something and that there are other beautiful souls feeling lost out there. Please seek out help, i know it can be hard with the stigma on mental health being taboo in society but understand that there are people and programs willing to help you.
It Gets Better, I Promise
I struggled with mental health for most of my life, though it was especially bad in my teens. I suffered with anxiety and depression; the anxiety was so bad I became terrified of leaving my own room and had panic attacks over being around people at all. I was even too anxious to post to forums for people who struggled like I did. As the anxiety got worse, so did the depression. I self-harmed for 10 years, and attempted to take my life three times. I finally broke down and went to the ER, begging anyone who would listen to help me. I stayed silent for so many years, suffering alone, and couldn’t take it any more. The hospital stay greatly helped me, and I have been clean of self-harm for three years. I hold a part-time job, and even have a few friends. I never saw myself having a “normal” life, but it is possible. If you are struggling, PLEASE don’t struggle in silence. Get help. Whether it’s reaching out to a loved one, a therapist, going to a hospital, there are loads of resources to help you, and even more people who care about you, even though it may not seem like it. Don’t lose hope, don’t give up. Life will get better, you just have to give yourself the chance.
Anxious Abby
October is mental health awareness month and anyone who has been touched by mental illness has an important story that needs to be shared. There are people that need to understand that these issues are okay to talk about and feel all the feels.
I feel compelled to share this story about my anxiety and depression because mental illness took the voice of a friend of mine and countless others when it doesn’t have to. It’s a journey, but there is hope.
“I have a chemical imbalance in my brain. I did not ask for it, nor did a diabetic ask for their illness. Yet, you stigmatize me for mine and call me crazy yet you give compassion for the other.”
That chemical imbalance for me, according to a psychiatrist, is generalized anxiety disorder and depression. Before the diagnosis, let’s go back to December 9, 2016 at around 3:30 in the morning when I was literally catapulted from my bed and my journey began… I jumped up as if someone was stabbing me in the heart. I thought for sure, this is it, I’m dying. Not realizing that I was walking around and pacing in order to decide what I should do next. Needless to say I wasn’t dying… I decided after calling my primary care doctor that I should go to the ER. They pulled me into the room right before the ER pretty quickly after getting there as they often do with unexplained chest pain. They took an EKG of my chest and sent me back to the waiting room. After they took me back to the ER they went through chest x-rays, physical exams, multiple doctors and nurses, and then they said you’re not having a heart attack. We only treat you for what you came in with so we’re sending you home and just follow up with your primary care doctor. What?! That’s it?! Do you people not realize I am actually going to die? Spoiler alert- I’m still here.
Mental Illness is a Serious Problem.
Last year the definition of depression to me was “someone who is sad and needs to get over it.” This year my definition of depression has completely changed. On May 2015 I started experiencing panic attacks. They began in the night. One per night. As the days went by these panic attacks started getting stronger and it wasn’t one per night it was more and suddenly it started taking over my life. I couldn’t sleep, eat or even take a shower.
One day I had panic attacks for almost the entire day.. I ended up going to the ER and was diagnosed with anxiety and depression (I believe I also had panic disorder). I was prescribed medication and it really helped me. I also started going to therapy. When I went to my doctor to get a refill he prescribed me with another medication that instead of helping me, actually made me feel worse and created more problems than the ones I already had so I decided to stop the medication and just continue with the therapy. After a month I started to feel better. I was still feeling nervous the entire day, my head was full of all these thoughts that were senseless and silly.
Acceptance Was My Key To Full Recovery.
My name is Eileen. I am a 60-year-old happily married woman with one daughter and a successful career. I suffered from mental health disorders starting in my early twenties with panic attacks, Pre and Postpartum Depression, followed by on and off moderate depression throughout my thirties, and a major depressive episode at age 41 when I finally hit rock bottom. I have had good mental health since I was about 43 years old. I credit this good health to many things; support from family and friends, the right medication, seeing a good therapist, (by good I mean one that fits your needs), taking care of my physical health and yes, faith that the universe basically has my back. But for me, even with all the resources I had, full recovery was not possible until I accepted two big facts of life. Fact one, I Cannot Control everything that happens in my life. Fact two, I am an Imperfect Human Being who happens to be predisposed to mental illness. The acceptance of these two facts did not happen overnight and so recovery did not happen overnight. But it did happen. Recovery will be different for you, but it CAN happen for you too if you PERSEVERE. You MUST persevere to truly know how wonderful life can be.
I have depression and panic attacks. It’s amazing how such as short statement is so difficult to say out loud. So many of use that live with a mental illness internalize our struggles out of fear of judgement. I have kept the true extent of my mental illnesses hidden for the past 6 years. I was 13 the first time I had a suicidal thought. I was convinced that what I was feeling (or in some cases the lack of) was just due to hormones or immaturity, that one day I would grow out of it and go back to being the shy but happy kid I had spent the first 12 years of my life being. But like anyone with a mental illness knows it does not just magically go away. I spent the 3 years gripping onto my determination to be the “perfect” older sister that my sister’s deserve, using it as a reason to stay alive. I had my first panic attack in October at the age of 16. After years of fighting off the darkest parts of my mind, all while telling those around me that I was “fine”, I now had another mental illness that under the right circumstances caused my body to convince me that I was having a heart attack, suffocating, or that I was in danger. I have spent the past 3 years foolishly allowing my subconscious to develop “coping mechanisms” rather than facing reality. Instead of learning to overcome my fears, I have isolated myself. Finally, after all this time, after the years of tears, and billions of negative thoughts I am making an effort to get help. I have currently started searching for a psychiatrist and I have started being honest with myself for the first time in a long time. So whatever it is that your going through, please don’t make the same mistakes I did. Tell someone, a family member, a friend, a doctor, a guidance counselor, an animal (they are very good listeners). Make your mental health a priority.
Defining Me
Panic attacks, anxiety, depression and self harm. I let those define me over a year ago. That was my reality, and it still is, but this time I am defining myself trough the experiences that I have acquired trough getting healthy.