This is my first post... please be easy on me because I know this issue gets touchy.

I have suffered from anxiety for as long as I can remember. This runs in my family and several of my relatives suffer from agoraphobia, social anxiety, and so on.

There have been a series of traumatic events within the last 5 years of my life (which I will not get into) that have kept me at extreme levels of anxiety. This, of course, has lead to depression, etc. I was on Prozac for 2 years. It helped a little but made me gain so much weight that I became more depressed due to a poor body image, so I quit taking it and made changes in my personal life to combat this without medication. My doctor suggested exercise, healthy eating, seeking good life relationships, and getting an animal companion since I lived alone.

6 months ago, something good finally happened- I was married (for the second time). I have been worried, however, that I'm going to ruin this because I've been exceptionally high-strung this past 2 months. My husband moved us across the country for a new job... which is difficult because I am still going to school at our origin. Because of this, we are living apart for the time being.

I have flown out a few times but have severe airplane anxiety attacks- horrific racing thoughts... etc. At take-off, my breathing is labored, I'm gripping the seat, my forehead is sweating, and I'm crying. I once told a fellow passenger that my boyfriend broke up with me so that he wouldn't know I was having a panic attack.

I know I can get an "emotional support" letter from a mental health professional but I'm so afraid to ask... people abuse our systems and it ruins it for those of us who truly need help. Has anyone ever done this before? Were you taken seriously by your mental health professional? Having her there would probably give me something to focus on instead of the flight...