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how can i get rid of this? [panic attacks in social situations]

This thing i have has been on and off for 2 years. Basically i go in a mood where if i go out I'l get anxious, feel dizzy etc and be worried about passing out (its happened before). Some days im fine and confident when i go out but if im in this funny anxious mood im even more anxious at going out and it sometimes turns into a panic attack. I keep worrying about blacking out since i know its really weird and the embarasment is nothing compared to the experience i hate it! Thats why id rather stay home if im in this mood i wont get as anxious.
The thing im describing usually comes on say for 3/4 days and the next 3 days i'l be fine then it'l start again. Im worried i will miss a lot of lectures or get anxious through them. Thing is no one knows exactly what its like so i cant really get help, if i go and see a councellor and it doesn't help i'l probably be even worse since i'l know its impossible to be helped.

Can anyone relate to what im on about though? I really doubt it just asking.

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Reply 1
have you been to the doctor about it because thats your first step really.
Reply 2
viviki
have you been to the doctor about it because thats your first step really.


yes ive been a few times hes tested for anaemia (p) 4 times over the years and ive told him i think its psychological he just said 'what makes you think that' and I explained its on and off and he just said 'right' and said everything appears fine :confused: He doesn't communicate at all!
Reply 3
see another doctor for a start if you don't feel comfortable with that one. If nothing medical comes up they should refer you to see someone
Reply 4
viviki
see another doctor for a start if you don't feel comfortable with that one. If nothing medical comes up they should refer you to see someone


Ok i will cheers, its kinda weird since im a lad so don't want to sound stupid. Ive looked on the net and read about people with anxiety who have had years of councelling yet nothings worked they are just as bad, don't want to be one of those since ive been like this for 2 years now :confused:
Reply 5
they are just going to be worst case scenarios though. You will prob be fine, not wanting to feel like that has to help too if its psychological rather than medical surely.
I am always whinning on this forum; nevertheless, I am afraid I have admit to having your problem at sixth form college. I think it is psychological, you know. I used to pass out and faint, then I was nervous about doing in front of new people, thus heighening the chances of doing it.
Riddy
This thing i have has been on and off for 2 years. Basically i go in a mood where if i go out I'l get anxious, feel dizzy etc and be worried about passing out (its happened before). Some days im fine and confident when i go out but if im in this funny anxious mood im even more anxious at going out and it sometimes turns into a panic attack. I keep worrying about blacking out since i know its really weird and the embarasment is nothing compared to the experience i hate it! Thats why id rather stay home if im in this mood i wont get as anxious.
The thing im describing usually comes on say for 3/4 days and the next 3 days i'l be fine then it'l start again. Im worried i will miss a lot of lectures or get anxious through them. Thing is no one knows exactly what its like so i cant really get help, if i go and see a councellor and it doesn't help i'l probably be even worse since i'l know its impossible to be helped.

Can anyone relate to what im on about though? I really doubt it just asking.



When I was studying psychology at university we were shown a video about people who had the exact same problem as you. They'd have panic attacks in public and fear passing out or having another attack so much that they'd stay at home and never want to leave. You can get real help for this! It's a fairly common and well recognised problem. People can recover from this and there a good treatments for dealing with it. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy is widely used for treating these problems and sometimes anxiety drugs are used as well.

I promise you that there are people out there that can help you! You just need to find a decent doctor to refer you to a psychologist. Be assertive when you talk to the doctor, they can't help you if you are shy and downplay the problem. Also there are probably online support groups that can help reassure that there are treatments and hope :smile:
Reply 8
LauraWalker
I am always whinning on this forum; nevertheless, I am afraid I have admit to having your problem at sixth form college. I think it is psychological, you know. I used to pass out and faint, then I was nervous about doing in front of new people, thus heighening the chances of doing it.


Did you pass out from the actual anxiety? With me its not the embarrasment of doing it in front of others rather the actual experience i hate waking up not being able to see with everyone around saying 'are you alright' lol. Though Id rather pass out at home than anywhere else.
How did you overcome it? (if you have)
Riddy
Did you pass out from the actual anxiety? With me its not the embarrasment of doing it in front of others rather the actual experience i hate waking up not being able to see with everyone around saying 'are you alright' lol. Though Id rather pass out at home than anywhere else.
How did you overcome it? (if you have)


Apparently one good way of dealing with it when you start to feel dizzy or whatever is to start taking deep slow breaths (when people pass out from anxiety it's often because they have been taking rapid, shallow breaths and hyperventilate). Also you are meant to try and change your thinking i.e. stop thinking "oh no I'm going to pass out" and instead keep repeating to yourself that you "It's only uneasiness—it will pass" and "I can overcome this". This is part of the Cognitive Behavioural Therapy.
Reply 10
Special Patrol
When I was studying psychology at university we were shown a video about people who had the exact same problem as you. They'd have panic attacks in public and fear passing out or having another attack so much that they'd stay at home and never want to leave. You can get real help for this! It's a fairly common and well recognised problem. People can recover from this and there a good treatments for dealing with it. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy is widely used for treating these problems and sometimes anxiety drugs are used as well.

I promise you that there are people out there that can help you! You just need to find a decent doctor to refer you to a psychologist. Be assertive when you talk to the doctor, they can't help you if you are shy and downplay the problem. Also there are probably online support groups that can help reassure that there are treatments and hope :smile:


Yea thanks for that :smile: Ive heard quite a few people have agrophobia its just not well known since those that have it hardly go out. Ive thought maybe I have it but then I get days where I can go out without getting anxious or anything and just can't believe how pathetic I was a few days ago :confused: Then a few days later I'l go into a more anxious mood or state of mind and not want to go out. So with me it like changes, im just constantly wondering when i'l pass out next, its been 8 months lol
Reply 11
I have this basically..I use deep breathing techniques and try and keep my blood sugar even which stops me feeling so faint most of the time.

If I feel anxious I try not to put myself under stress, and just go to bed or rest and be as calm as possible.

I'm worried that if I'm in public nobody would help me, which is a bit different to yours. I try and reassure myself by being around people or calling my mum/boyfriend/friend so they know where I am incase something happened.

I try and use distraction techniques as well so I absorb myself in something else, and usually by calling somebody we end up talking off topic and that makes me feel better too as I'm not so hypersensitive to how I feel.
Reply 12
I'm sorry to hear you're having such a bad time :hugs: I suffered from Panic Attacks for quite a while, and have only just overcome them (well pretty much overcome, still get the odd one) From reading your posts, it seems that the things that triggers off your panic attacks is the very fear of having one in public, so it's kinda like a vicious circle. Say, you have a p/a, then you worry about missing the lectures, so you have another p/a cos you're worried, then you worry about missing lectures and it goes on and on. You need to break the cycle, and believe it or not it is do-able and there is a lot of help you can get.

First as viviki said, you need to see your doctor. They might get you into counselling, meditation, medication, group therapy...many things that you can try.

Secondly, do you have a really good mate that you can rely on? When I was going through my worst I had a mate I would confide in, and they went everywhere with me so if I felt I was going to panic, they'd calm me down, even just talking about something completely different to take my mind off it. They got to know the signs and could even stop one before I realised it was happening! Top mate! If not, it might be an idea to go to a group support meeting and find someone just to have on the other side of the phone, just a friendly voice can calm you down so well - and you could offer to be that friendly voice for them!

Thirdly, I know it's difficult but I'd just try and take one day at a time. See how long you can go without a p/a and if you manage, say 3 days, treat yourself to something...rent a DVD, have a coffee in a nice cafe, buy some pic n mix (my favourite treat :biggrin:) and congratulate yourself. If you can't get 3 days, don't punish yourself or dwell on it, just take a deep breathe and start again! Gradually make it 3 days, then 4, then 5, then a week, then 10 days...until you're going for a long time without a p/a.

Fourthly, if you do have a p/a, when it's happening, just try and think things like 'It's ok, it'll be over soon, I'm not going to die, nobody is looking and they don't know waht's going on, I'm going to get through this' and it might get the p/a to stop quicker, although I know it is very difficult to think straight when having a p/a.

Fifthly, and finally you'll be pleased to hear, just think about all the good things in life. It's so easy to get caught up in the bad things, then worry and dwell on them, that you forget all the good things!

Anyway, sorry for such a long post, but I know what you're going through! But definately the first thing to do would be to see a doctor, so promise me you'll make that appointment! Also if you ever need reassurance, just PM me (and that goes for anyone who might suffer panic attacks!) I hope you start getting better and feeling as though you have more control in your life soon, I know it's difficult but you'll get there in the end! :hugs:
Reply 13
I've suffered for years from Anxiety and Panic Attacks so I totally sympathise with your situation. FIND A GOOD DOCTOR. You have every right to be concerned and want to do something about it - although you have to overcome it yourself mentally a doctor can give you low dose drugs for anxiety which will at least give you a push in the right direction.

Obviously the best way to overcome anxiety is to remove yourself from the situation ...but sometimes this is not possible so a doctor can help you understand breathing techniques, talking about your problem(s), and realizing that you're not on your own, and lots of people have the same thing.

xx
Reply 14
i suffered from anxiety attacks when i was doing my gcse's..bad time i know :p: , it took me about a year to get over them and get back to normal.
when i had the anxiety attacks, i felt like i was gonna throw up in my exam, i felt sweaty, hot, a bit dizzy , n jus cudnt concentrate cos i kept feelin i was gonna throw up n make a show of myself!!
i went to the doctor because i had no idea what was happening to me, n the doc said that i was having anxiety attacks, n sed that whenever i get em i hav to take deep breathes, n calm down basically!
Now i dont ever wanna get into that ever again.. recently i started university n i started getting similar symptoms, but cos i was soo determined not to get them i managed to calm my self down n learnt to get on with things without having to be scared or nervous etc..
Yeah i can relate to you. Believe me, from personal experience I find that not going to school/college/etc. only reinforces the fear - FACE THEM! Remember that fainting and vomiting are extremely unlikely to happen in this situation because the blood supply is directedd from the digestive system to the brain (fight or flight response); this means that you actually are too conscious.

Hope I've helped, and by the way, I got referred to the child & adolescent mental help service to overcome my fears - seeing a shrink is a little degrading but overall will probably help:smile:
Reply 16

I collapsed on the bus on tuesday because of panic/anxiety. Its very scary and its a viscious circle because the more you try not to panic the worse it gets, and unless you have people around you that you feel comfortable with it can be very hard. I was with my grandmother and i felt bad because usually she's the one that relies on me, and we were on the way to the hospital for her to have a check up. Someone let me sit down which helped a lot, but i'm worried about it happening at uni (it didn't happen last year) because people fussing around me would make it worse. I'm also worried because my mum and my boyf who are the only people to have seem me have panic attacks won't be around to calm me down.

You should try and see someone, they can help you talk through things and suggest coping mechanisms.
Reply 17
Sarky big hugs. I haven't had it at uni yet but scared about going back already because of it; today I was just sitting down at home and got a popping pain in my leg which is often a trigger for having a panic attack, and I had one..and I haven't for so long and argh..it's so frustrating.
Reply 18
Sarky

I collapsed on the bus on tuesday because of panic/anxiety. Its very scary and its a viscious circle because the more you try not to panic the worse it gets, and unless you have people around you that you feel comfortable with it can be very hard. I was with my grandmother and i felt bad because usually she's the one that relies on me, and we were on the way to the hospital for her to have a check up. Someone let me sit down which helped a lot, but i'm worried about it happening at uni (it didn't happen last year) because people fussing around me would make it worse. I'm also worried because my mum and my boyf who are the only people to have seem me have panic attacks won't be around to calm me down.

You should try and see someone, they can help you talk through things and suggest coping mechanisms.


aww i know what its like how long were you unconcious? My max has been 5 mins lol but its all down to anxiety I think. Maybe your caustophobic?

btw how did you get 30 A*'s at GCSE :eek: isnt that a record!
Reply 19
Sophdoph
Sarky big hugs. I haven't had it at uni yet but scared about going back already because of it; today I was just sitting down at home and got a popping pain in my leg which is often a trigger for having a panic attack, and I had one..and I haven't for so long and argh..it's so frustrating.


I've just got to uni and had an anxiety attack. I wouldn't say it was as bad as a full blown panic attack but i'm still finding it hard. I'm actually considering whether or not i should continue my course, i just don't know if i have the strength and who's going to want to put up with me crying insessantly for no real reason. I phoned my friend who is in halls and she offered to come round but i didn't feel like i could let her see me like this. My mum and my boyfriend usually helped me through panic attacks, now neither of them are here.

And Alio it wasn't long, about 5 seconds but it felt horrible and i hope it never happens again.

30 A*'s @ is indeed a record, but i am very clever and i'm better than most people in every way.