So, who else has panic attacks or severe mood swings? (Trigger Warning)

[Anyanka Bunny Slayer]

I do!! Hi there. 😀 Presently in a good mood but that could change at any moment.

Frankly, these annoying conditions are pretty widespread. And it seems that intelligence is a factor. In other words, when you're more aware of things, you tend to experience more stress than the average person. Hence the tendency of getting wasted that some of us have. 😉

Don't be shy...what's up?

 

[Blaze]

I have anxiety (the diagnosed kind, not the kind of anxiety you get before a test). It's affected my life in some big ways, but sadly people don't understand because when I say I have anxiety they think I just mean that I am stressed out. As a result I always sort of have a base level of panic (my heart rate actually never goes below 100, that one had my doctor puzzled for a while). But sometimes I'll go over periods where I gets lots of panic attacks and it's the absolute worst feeling I could ever describe. I've broken bones, I've had my chest crushed by a 1500 pound horse, and I would rather live through that again than have to go through those dam panic attacks. And that's without counting all the other symptoms that comes with the anxiety!

Ugh! So yes, I feel the pain 😛 It sucks doesn't it?

As a side note I've also heard about the intelligence thing, which eh! Awesome!

 

[Anyanka Bunny Slayer]

It's true, many people don't understand what we mean when we mention out panic attacks...they don't realize what HELL it is. When your blood is racing, you can't breathe, and everything seems...too bright.

I've had them since I can remember. For awhile I was given Xanax but I got hooked on it...not good. Valium made me sluggish and alcohol made me really hostile. Meh.

I've found that exercise, music and opiates help a lot. 😉

 

[Ethan Reigns]

There is a known physical cause of anxiety coming from a blockage of the Circle of Willis, a cranial artery that goes in a circle like a traffic circle (roundabout for the British) so that no blockage in one location can starve the brain of blood. But a blockage is known to cause anxiety. Beta blockers may help with the high heart rate.

 

[Blaze]

There is a known physical cause of anxiety coming from a blockage of the Circle of Willis, a cranial artery that goes in a circle like a traffic circle (roundabout for the British) so that no blockage in one location can starve the brain of blood. But a blockage is known to cause anxiety. Beta blockers may help with the high heart rate.

Ah if only I could take Beta blockers, but unfortunately I am asthmatic too!

 

[GwenRaiden]

I suffer from anxiety, depression and I got really bad post natal depression after the baby (it was a given, as the lovely midwives told me, as I was already depressed). I've had depression since I was a teenager. I self-medicated through my late teens and early twenties which resulted in addiction problems and other fun mental health issues. I feel healthy in the present since I have no time to self-indulge and life keeps bouncin' - only thing doing my nut in at the moment is insomnia.

 

[Skanky Vamp]

only thing doing my nut in at the moment is insomnia.

Insomnia is a great book though! you could try reading that one night when you cant sleep and really do your nut in.

 

[Athena]

I get panic attacks at random in the car on the motorway, so much so I don't really go on motorways now. I get them if I'm driving, or the husband, usually when it's really busy or there's a lot of lanes. I first got one on a long journey back from Newcastle a few years ago. Traffic was crazy, it was raining heavily and I'd been on the road for three hours. I think it all manifested from there.

The problem then was I was so scared of having one, it made me have them. And the perpetual cycle began.

I've not had a full blown attack since last November though. We merged onto a five lane motorway in New Zealand and to make matters worse for me, it was a bridge. I'm scared of driving over bridges too.

Needless to say, I was a complete state.

I've tried to conquer it without the help of medication (although I do have Rescue Remedy at home if I need it) and avidance tactics, which on the whole has been ok. I travelled for one junction on the motorway a few weeks back, due to roadworks on my normal route and I did ok and it gave me a bit more confidence that I can conquer this. Plus the husband drove us to Kent and back last weekend too, which was tetchy in places, but on the whole no attack. Usually as soon as I feel something isn't right, I sit in the left hand lane behind a lorry or something and breathe deeply until it passes.

The thing is, I'm actually a really confident driver. I've been driving over ten years, up and down motorways all over the UK and one day this just starts. 😕
 
@Anyanka Bunny Killer Bizarrely, we drove through LA five years ago several times, I was absolutely fine. This all started after that.

Rome is where all the insane drivers are, but again, it also started after that too!

 

[bespangeled]

Depression here, and bi-polar II - also PTSD. I think the PTSD was hardest to deal - you can medicate the others (and I do) but triggers are triggers regardless. I was completely agoraphobic and suffered severe anxiety attacks at one point n my life.

My physical issues are a big part of my current emotional issues - but usually I can manage pretty well. That said, I did go through 3 anti-depressants this year. Part of my problem is that for several reasons I have to take narcotic pain killers, and taking depressants makes me depressed. Medical marijuana is a big help there, though I only use it in the evenings.

 

[Blair]

I have PTSD (although it's no where as severe as a couple of years back) I developed some hell weird phobias from that. At one point I developed a food phobia and didn't eat anything for two weeks (surprisingly enough my body could still function and I never felt hungry. Lost a lot of weight though) I'm mostly over that but there's still some stuff I avoid like red meat. I don't know why, it's just the way my body is (I'm kinda vegetarian now, so I guess that's fine and convenient 😛)

There's still certain 'restrictions' that I can't do although I'm getting to the stage of trying to face those unreasonable fears.

I've had some anxiety in the past. Last year I got whacked with it pretty hard- I have a stutter that is quite mild, but half way through last year I got to the point where it was so hard to speak. It was awful. I've never had full on blown panic attack but I've had minor ones, but hell, I really feel for you guys!

 

[Bluebird]

I have (mild) anxiety and depression, which is so common now! I have the self assurance and confidence to be happy with myself, it's mostly a resentfulness and despondency with life ie other people. Although I do credit myself with having to go through a big ton of bs and betrayal. No matter how much I try to believe that I can move on and be happy there's always someone with a screw loose ready to piss all over my trust. It's hard to give anyone the benefit of the doubt when you've experienced so much of the bad of people.

But that's the modern world we've created, selfishness abounds and empathy is almost non-existent, and that creeps into our interpersonal relationships too.