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...

Welcome to neurotalk. I understand what you are talking about. I have panic disorder,and OCD. Right now I'm going through depression,and the new medicine that I'm taking is causing me to gain some weight. It's causing other problems that I don't know what to do about.

Doctors,and their treatments need to come a long way,and some of these doctors will not understand what we are talking about. There is much misunderstanding that people will have about us. Don't let it bother you,for it's not your fault. Please try to find treatment,and support groups.

I can deeply understand various phobias,for I've suffered with many. I had a dread of flying in a airplane,but I beat it. I prayed,and brought my Bible with me. That helped me allot.

The bad part about phobias is the dread of them. My thoughts would explode in the fear of these things. I started fearing new things at one time,and I ended up with dozens of fears. These fears where irrational,and I felt like I had a dark cloud come over me as I would go into a panic attack. I'd feel like I was dieing,and my chest would hurt,and my mind would sort of flip out. These panic attacks are hard to explain. They just happened.

In the worst time in my life with these panic attacks,I didn't want to eat dinners with people,I didn't want to sit in a meeting with people in back of me,because I was worried that they would see my head shaking. At times I felt tremendous tension where I felt a anxious dizziness,and felt like my eye's where going to shake,and sometimes they did. It's hard to explain. I've searched the internet,and I've come up with very little. There is a little progress though. Scientists need to work harder.

I have fears of sitting in barbers chairs,being in front of people,and etc.,etc. I've had other fears that I don't want to mention,because I don't want people to get the same fears. I had a real bad case of insomnia at one time in my life. It's like the stress problems would change during my life. Things where much worse when I was a teenager.

My OCD has been a major problem. Just writing out checks,mailing them,and a whole bunch of other things sort of trip me up allot. Little problems that most people don't think about would aggrandize,and become a major problem for me.

I understand thoroughly what your talking about. Some years I get better,and some years I get worse. It's been a constant problem how the people who I know wouldn't understand whats happening to me. I don't understand what's happening to me either.

The panic attacks are not as bad as they use to be when I was a teenager. What bothers me is a pain in the middle of my chest from anxiety. It comes and goes.

I have depression with this allot of the time. My life circumstances have not been good recently,and has been adding to the problem. I have had family members turn their backs on me. I don't know why they get upset with me,knowing I have these problems.

What I have runs in the family tree. I have cousins with the problems like mine,but not as bad. I've traced the problems on my mothers side of the family,back into the 1800's.

At times in my life I make progress. At other times in my life,I've felt like I've been in a maize,and have felt lost. I live by myself. Right now I feel emotionally numb. This worries me. I don't remember feeling like this before. It might be the seroquel that they started giving me several months ago.

Doctors have to find the right medicine combination. Sometimes it is trial,and error for them to find the right medicines.

You are not alone in these types of fears. I'm sorry that you have these problems also.

The bipolar forum is very popular,and people will reply to you quickly. That seems to be where we all meet.

I hope that I've helped. I hope that I haven't scared you in any way. I understood exactly what you where talking about in your post.

There are lots of people that would like to help you in the bipolar forum. Like I said,it's a very popular forum. Brokenfriend

I've been having anxiety problems for many years also. These anxieties started with panic attacks when I was a teenager. They didn't seem to know very much in those days. They gave me Valium,then I started seeing a phychiatrist. He didn't help very much. Then I saw other phychiatrists. Brokenfriend

Hi Tiffy,

I definitely identify with your anxiety isues. I suffer anxiety myself and get attacks in public. I post mostly in the Bipolar forum it's why I am here. But I saw this thread and had to post because I have posted in this forum before but it's noticably slower here then it is in the BP forum. Racing thoughts is the main reason I take several medications for Bipolar depression. Welcome to NeuroTalk! Hope to see you again soon and hear more about your experiences.