This discussion is now closed.

Check out other Related discussions

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)/Anxiety

18

For the past 6 weeks or so, i've suffered from near constant anxiety which has taken over my life. I've lost more than a stone through not eating, wake up at around 5am everyday because my anxiety doesn't stop when i sleep, and it makes me constantly on edge because i never know how bad i'm going to be from minute to minute let alone day to day.

I don't know what my specific trigger is, this summer i was in hospital for 2 weeks which i found difficult, and i suffered from panic attacks whilst i was there. My cousin also committed suicide and he was only 27, which i found very hard. My boyfriend lives in Sheffield and us being apart has affected me a lot, but i don't think any of these are enough to make me feel as bad as i do.

Its come to the point where i'm considering leaving university. I've told them about my problems and they've been very supportive. I don't want to leave as i worked hard to get here and i doubt i'd feel better at home because i was still feeling like this there, but if i don't get better soon i will not be able to cope with the volume of work.

Anyway my point is/was, my psychiatrist has arranged for me to have CBT starting tomorrow. I'm open to anything which may help and at the moment i'd rather try this than resort to medication because i used to be on antidepressants and they caused a lot of problems. I have also been prescribed Valium for acute situations but i very rarely take them because they are habit forming.

God i'm waffling. ANYWAY. Has anyone ever had CBT for anxiety/depression? Or has anyone suffered from Generalised Anxiety Disorder or something similar? I feel like such a freak especially as i can't explain to people what exactly it is that is upsetting me.

Thanks for reading.

Reply 1

friendlyneutron

11

I have GAD too and I'm on a beta blocker and an SSRI for it which helps a bit, but it's always there in the background squirming away. I found CBT to be an absolute godsend for my eating disorder, it really turned things around for me. One thing though, it's not like some talking therapies where you can get by on taking a more passive role, in CBT you really have to put the effort into doing the exercises they give you, but trust me when I say that if you do them right, and you do them regularly, then there's an excellent chance that they'll help you. IMVHO I found it to help much more than drug therapy as it helps get to the root of the psychological issue(s) that are making you feel so unhappy and anxious. If you need any advice or support then feel free to PM me anytime - I also know of several good books which helped me a lot too. :smile:

Hope it works out well for you.

Reply 2

Sarky

OP

18

Thank you very much for replying :smile:

I really appreciate it. I may take you up on that PM offer. Good luck in your medicine application, i remember what it was like!

Reply 3

Gem

14

Aww I'm sorry things haven't got any better Sarky :hugs:

But at least you're getting a different kind of help, which willl hopefully make such a difference to your life now. It's good that your open to try other things too.

CBT is basically 'talking therapy' which I'm sure you know. Its used to get people to talk and think about their problems, and will help you realise how you can change things. For anxiety it might be tlaking about how you feel when it happens, maybe making a diary to find off what triggers it, and eventually finiding the root of the problem, and fixing it. The 'cognitive' bit is the thinking part, and the 'behaviour' bit is where you learn to weaken the links between the situations which are causing you problems, and the reactions (i.e. panic attacks) that you have to these situations. It won't happen instantly but given a bit of time, you'll start feeling better :smile:

Please don't give up Uni, after the initial feeling of relief you will come to regret it, and you don't want this anxiety to be you! You will come through a much stronger person. If things are unbearable at the moment, could you defer a year, and come back next year as a much happier person? It might make a difference.

Hmmmm I think I've rambled on a bit :blush:

but I care, and I unfortunately know how you feel. You can PM me anytime you like, I'll do anything I can to help you. Also, you are NOT a freak! You really aren't so please don't think that :frown:

Things will get better and you will have the support of your Mam, boyfriend, friends and us on TSR to get through it. Big hugs to you :hugs:

Reply 4

ledzep15

1

I know exactly how you feel, i have some wierd anxiety thing lol, havent seen a doctor yet. if i think of anything depressing/panic attacks i get panic attacks, otherwise if i forget abt panic attacks/etc they dont happen. and the worst thing is, its making me lose my hair!

Reply 5

Sarky

OP

18

I was reading about it online this morning before lectures (in an attempt to find the strength to go into uni today) and it seems very different to what i've had before which is a positive thing.

Deep down i know i don't want to leave uni, i know it wouldn't really help. I think its just when nothing i have done seems to be working, its the one proactive thing i can do to make a difference. I don't know if that makes any sense. Anyone that knows me knows i worked so so hard to get here. I thought it was all i ever wanted and in a way that still stands. I think i'd be a good doctor. God knows i've seen enough recently. I know how i don't want to be.

I'm finding thinking of whole days a struggle. So i am taking things an hour at a time.

Thanks for the replies, i go back and read them to remind me that i'm not completely alone :smile:

Reply 6

Gem

14

I'm glad you're not gonna give up Uni, after all this, you will make a fantastic doctor :smile:

I'll tell ya what I did, when I was having the same kinda thing. It sounds sad and maybe even a bit pointless, but it helped a bit. I made a list of all the things in my life that were stressing me out. Uni was definately one of them. Then I split the list into what I could change, and what I couldn't. At the time my Mam was really ill, and that went into the list of what I couldn't change, but Uni went into the list of things I could do something about. Then I put the 'undoable' list to one side and put the list of things I could change, or try and make better, into order of importance, or do-ability, then set to work on changing things.

Uni was one of my main worries on the doable list, so I talked to tutors, booked extra sessions, saw the disablitiy advisor (for anxiety) and they circulated a memo to my department saying if I needed to run out a lecture or anything to not bring attention to it, stuff like that. Other things such as my driving lessons were stressful (I'm an awful driver!) so I just took a break from them, and knocked them off my list. Even every time I knocked a stupid little thing off the list I felt a bit better, until I'd eventually solved most. As for the undoable list, they gradually work themselves out and you have to try so hard not to let them bother you, I know its difficult but you can't do anything about them!

Anyway, thats just an idea, probably a stupid one mind :blush:

I hope you're feeling better soon hunny :hugs:

Reply 7

Mata

16

I had one session of CBT and found that it wasn't for me. I like therapy, but CBT was just a bit too structured and sure of itself - the therapist also treated me like an absolute child.

However, with the right therapist (and there are good CBT therapists) and an attitude less cynical than mine, it sounds rather helpful.

Reply 8

dappleddawndrawndauphin

3

Mata

I had one session of CBT and found that it wasn't for me. I like therapy, but CBT was just a bit too structured and sure of itself - the therapist also treated me like an absolute child.

However, with the right therapist (and there are good CBT therapists) and an attitude less cynical than mine, it sounds rather helpful.

:dito: Had *exactly* the same experience. Different things work for different people though, and as Mata said I think it must depend a lot on the person you see... Best of luck I really hope it helps, must be awful having this much trouble with it :hugs:

and don't give up on uni - see how the new sessions go!

Reply 9

Sarky

OP

18

All of a sudden i'm dreading CBT :frown:

Reply 10

dappleddawndrawndauphin

3

Sarky

All of a sudden i'm dreading CBT :frown:

I'm sure it'll be fine! In my case it was just because the person doing it was really very stupid, unfortunately. She spent ages trying to 'make me get to grips with my fear of death' by saying 'you're going to die' over and over again. Firstly, she was meant to be helping me to handle stress, not my fear of dying. Secondly, if you have a fear of ceasing to exist, there's nothing that's going to get rid of it! You can't reason yourself out of it :rolleyes:

I'm sure it'll be a totally different experience for you; I know people who went (to someone other than the person I saw...) and found it completely changed the way they handled stuff :biggrin:

Go with an open mind and it could work wonders

Reply 11

Mata

16

Sarky

All of a sudden i'm dreading CBT :frown:

No, don't! It does work, otherwise it wouldn't be used so widely. Its just that I personally received CBT after having numerous different types of therapy so I was quite cynical about it, plus got unlucky with the therapist.

Just give it a go, you might find that its perfect for you.

Reply 12

IzzTheGreat

10

I've never had CBT though I've been reccommended it, but I have a friend who was completely cured of his panic attacks by it. So it does definitely work in some cases - best of luck!

Reply 13

friendlyneutron

11

Yes it does definitely depend on the therapist but more importantly it depends on on YOUR ATTITUDE towards the treatment. When I was in hospital the treatment was very CBT centred and you were meant to take responsibility for your CBT, do it often and on your own. There are many different methods and exercises, have a browse and see what works for you. As someone who's been through months of CBT, the best advice I can give is to go in with an open mind and put the effort in to doing the exercises. Some of it may seem a little simple, but it only takes a tiny needle to deflate a big balloon, and right now your anxiety is getting ideas above its station by trying to run your life - burst the bastard's bubble :smile:

Reply 14

Gem

14

Sarky

All of a sudden i'm dreading CBT :frown:

Aww don't dread it, it's there to help you. As friendlyneutro said, the most important thing is your attitude towards it. If you go in thinking it'll be a waste of time, and it's not going to help, then it won't. If you go in thinking it might help, and could make you feel better, there is more chance of it working! Try hard not to worry about it, and get a good nights sleep (if that's at all possible) then in the morning try and be positive towards it, just go with an open mind, and the therapist will probably put you at ease right away, and things will slowly improve. Good Luck tomorrow hunny :hugs:

Reply 15

Riddy

Sarky

For the past 6 weeks or so, i've suffered from near constant anxiety which has taken over my life. I've lost more than a stone through not eating, wake up at around 5am everyday because my anxiety doesn't stop when i sleep, and it makes me constantly on edge because i never know how bad i'm going to be from minute to minute let alone day to day.

I don't know what my specific trigger is, this summer i was in hospital for 2 weeks which i found difficult, and i suffered from panic attacks whilst i was there. My cousin also committed suicide and he was only 27, which i found very hard. My boyfriend lives in Sheffield and us being apart has affected me a lot, but i don't think any of these are enough to make me feel as bad as i do.

Its come to the point where i'm considering leaving university. I've told them about my problems and they've been very supportive. I don't want to leave as i worked hard to get here and i doubt i'd feel better at home because i was still feeling like this there, but if i don't get better soon i will not be able to cope with the volume of work.

Anyway my point is/was, my psychiatrist has arranged for me to have CBT starting tomorrow. I'm open to anything which may help and at the moment i'd rather try this than resort to medication because i used to be on antidepressants and they caused a lot of problems. I have also been prescribed Valium for acute situations but i very rarely take them because they are habit forming.

God i'm waffling. ANYWAY. Has anyone ever had CBT for anxiety/depression? Or has anyone suffered from Generalised Anxiety Disorder or something similar? I feel like such a freak especially as i can't explain to people what exactly it is that is upsetting me.

Thanks for reading.

Hey, sounds exactly what Ive had for the last 2 and half years theres no point keeping it secret anymore I have panic attacks and agrophobia (according to what ive read about it). Basically Im scared of having a panic attack in public so hate going to places where I can't just leave when I want to i.e interviews, lectures. It also happens sometimes at home but mildly its kind of on and off for days its like this anxious annoying feeling that I can't shake off.

Anyway Ive quit uni, yea im a wimp lol, cause I can't be arsed with it anymore but the course wasn't right for me which is the main reason I quit. Ive heard you shouldn't give in to it though so its gonna be harder now when I start back at a different uni. :rolleyes:

Ive heard CBT has a high success rate so yea I think you should go for it :smile:

I arranged to see someone a few weeks ago they still haven't rang though.

About quiting uni you should have a think about it and be realistic. It really depends on how bad the anxiety is. First Id give the CBT a go as it will probably help loads there is no point in quiting before you start the treatment. If your still feel you can't cope in a few months it might be best to take a year out or something if you feel your general health is suffering because of it. I doubt you will still be as bad by then but during this time you could see a specialist, look at other options available to treat it cause it will go away you just need to find the right method.

The councelling will help at least a bit though as you will be more aware as to what triggers it, what thoughts set off the panic etc, but yea if you know you want to do the degree and this is the only thing in the way then definately I say try your best to stick it out! Staying at uni will be a good way to put the CBT into practice as well. You just need to stay positive with an open mind I know its difficult since its been happening so long its easy to think that it will never go away but it will cause you are in control :smile:

goes back to being bored again...

Reply 16

frost105

14

Like any type of therapy you have to find a therapist you like and can trust and enter into it with an open mind and not expect it to be the ANSWER. Follow your therapists advice and give it your all.

Reply 17

MNBStyle

9

Sarky

Has anyone ever had CBT for anxiety/depression? Or has anyone suffered from Generalised Anxiety Disorder or something similar? I feel like such a freak especially as i can't explain to people what exactly it is that is upsetting me.
Thanks for reading.

I suffer from chronic depression and high levels of anxiety, i had CBT and it helped greatley i reccomend it very much

Reply 18

Sarky

OP

18

frost105

Like any type of therapy you have to find a therapist you like and can trust and enter into it with an open mind and not expect it to be the ANSWER. Follow your therapists advice and give it your all.

I don't think i am expecting it to be the answer. Lots of anxiety disorders are multifactorial so CBT isn't going to fix everything. I've never expected it to. I've seen enough doctors in the 5 and a half years i've been depressed to know that no one thing can make everything better. On the other hand, i am not in a position to dismiss it when i haven't tried it yet. I am desperate to feel better and will do whatever i have to or whatever i have the emotional strength to do.

Thanks for the advice.

Reply 19

Gem

14

Hey Sarky, how did it go hunny? :hugs:

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)/Anxiety

Related discussions

Articles for you

How The Student Room is moderated