Question:
Have you tried therapy? Cognitive behavioural therapy(cognitief gedrags
therapie)-CBT for short seems to help many with an anxiety disorder,
maybe you can find a therapist near you who will be able to help you?
Answer:
Many people - including myself - have been in situations where panic
and anxiety symptoms take on a life of their own and make us think we
have another more life-threatening condition. Somehow I wonder if,
almost by definition, anxiety and panic disorders direct our minds
away from accepting anxiety and panic as likely culprits when the
symptoms become physical. And when panic/anxiety symptoms also occur
against a background of hypochondriasis, a self-reinforcing cycle of
symptoms and illness obsession can be produced.
It is true that people with anxiety and panic disorders contract more
serious illnesses and that their symptoms mimic their prior anxiety
and panic disorders. But surely anyone with a history of anxiety and
panic related problems should first of all start by acknowledging the
possibly chronic and wide-ranging physical manifestations of anxiety
and panic.
I would like to give some indication of the symptoms I experienced
during a series of panic attacks, which produced a near continuous
state of panic and anxiety between August and November this year. I
might also add that this is the first time my anxiety problems
spiralled into a more serious anxiety and panic disorder.
I am sure there were more. Fortunately, I am much better. I am a fit
and healthy 31 year old male who is physically strong. But when a
major panic/anxiety episode unfolds, the last thing the individual
experiencing it thinks is that the vast array of symptoms connected
with it could be singularly explained by anxiety or panic.
Many people who visit this group enquire about symptoms. The lists of
panic/anxiety symptoms published on websites are rarely exhaustive.
Also in some cases, symptoms related to panic attacks can and do last
MUCH LONGER than the period of the attack (and immediately after).
This is sometimes referred to "status panicus" (state of panic) and
may be co-morbid with a generalised anxiety state.
It is not surprising that many people who have persistent panic and
anxiety symptoms assume they have some kind of neurological condition
with a different genesis. I am not a medical doctor but I think that
degenerative neurological conditions, and heart conditions, and so on
tend to make themselves obvious to medical practitioners. Sure, people
with anxiety, depression and panic disorders get other illnesses. But
be careful before jumping to extreme or exotic conclusions in the
absence of clear medical opinion.
It is my feeling that there is still a long way to go in understanding
panic and anxiety disorders, what causes them, their symptoms, and how
to treat them. Be careful using the internet to rule out panic/anxiety
symptoms just because a website gives vague and general information.
