Anxiety and Panic

9 sep 2011 | 16:03:02 Hi. I'm new here, so please bare with me.

At the start of last year I was involved in a car accident. I was in the front passenger seat, & ended up having to sit there in the middle of a busy road for what seemed like ages awaiting for an ambulance to turn up. I later found out I had broken my ankle, which is why I was unable to leave the vehicle at the time of the accident.

Since then my life has turned upside down, & tend not to go out as much these days. It started with having a panic attack while driving on the motorway last May. This put me off driving on the motorway & I haven't driven on one since, as I fear the same thing will happen again. The very same thing has happened in many other situations, such as going on the tube/train. I become incredibly anxious, my heart starts racing, I feel scared, trapped, & just want to run & get out as soon as possible. Again I'm afraid the same thing will happen so avoid travelling on the tube/train.

To cut a long story short, I have also had these problems while sitting in the cinema, theatre, dentist chair, on escalators, & now when in a car & waiting at a junction to turn right, whether I'm the driver or passenger, or just sitting at traffic lights. I just have the feeling of being trapped & just want to run rather than carry on as normal, whatever normal is.

10 sep 2011 | 14:14:51 Dear Henriette

I completely understand your feeling of loosing control and letting the terrible anxiety taking control over your life. I have suffered from anxiety since a skiing accident 15 years ago, and I just want to give you some hope. At one point I thought my anxiety would create limitations for the rest of my life. But luckily for me a got a therapist who helped me face the anxiety and challenge my anxiety. Together with my therapist i got the courage that was needed for challenging the anxiety.

Today my anxiety is not cured, but I am in control and knows what to dowhen the anxiety knocks on the door. Anxiety has become a necessary and probably life long partner that sends signals for me, when something in my life is not in order. Kind of like an alert lamp in your car.

Just like an alcoholic saying that "I am an alcohoc who quit drinking" I say that I suffer from anxiety but knows how to handle it.

You need to take small steps and plan your fight against panic attacks. My experience is that a professional therapist is necessary to challenge your fears and learn that it is not that dangerous to sit in the dentist chair as you think. Funny enough the dentist chair is still one of my big challenges, and what helped me was to tell the dentist how I felt. Than it's much easier to raise your hand and mark that you need a break.

When I fought my anxiety there was no webcam servide with a therapist but looking back i really woul have appreciated short video session of 15-30 minutes to get the energy to face the anxiety go into the theatre.

Fighting anxiety must come from inside, but planning the fight is much easier if you get professional help from the outside...

So chear up and get on with - I know that you will win the battle.

Kind regards

"The anxious one"

15 sep 2011 | 18:02:29 HI Elis,

The problem here is that help will only be affective if the person is willing to engage with the therapy offered. Have you talked to her about why she's thinks she's okay?

Especially with teenagers it may not be that she really believes this but more wanting to fit in and not being seen to have problems in this sense. As frustrating as it is for you it is important to get her help but help that fits in with the way she's happy to receive it which may not be conventional methods.

I understand that she's 16 and therefore confidentiality issues come into play but a talk with her doctor may also help.

Hayley