Nothing I do seems able to ward off this feeling for long...

Post Reply New Topic

I've seen a doctor. He said it was anxiety. I have an appointment pending with some sort of person who hopefully knows what they're doing.

-I don't know what's wrong.
-I'm not usually like this. So nervous and easily upset.
-I've been crying at the littlest things.
-I am less able to focus and to understand new concepts in the logic-based subjects where I usually excel.
-My worst fear WILL come to pass if I keep going on like this.
-At first, I thought I was merely tired and out of focus. That I would return to my usual self once I caught up on my sleep. But it's been over a month now, and it's getting worse.
-I blame almost everything that goes wrong on myself if I've been even slightly involved.

My blood tests showed nothing tested for was unusual.

I haven't told my friends about this. I've been trying not to show any symptoms of this in front of them. Which has worked mostly, though I've been a bit distant and out of focus.

I feel guilty because I haven't told anyone the full story. Not the doctor, not my family or friends, not even you reading this post. But even thinking about the depth of the problem hurts. I feel almost like my mind has partially turned against itself. I wish I knew more about what was going on. All I have is guesswork and observation to give meaning to events.

maybe if you told us what your so upset about, maybe we could help a bit. somethings obviously bothering you.

Something to think about if there is no obvious change in your life which would explain it, is food or chemical allergy/intolerance which your body may have previously been "adapted to"/dealing with, and which any one of a variety of things may have suddenly triggered into "visibility".

Things which can cause your body to suddenly not be able to handle an underlying food or chemical stress are; a bout of illness, anti-biotics for something, brief but unusual exposure to chemicals, fumes, or a new food, more of one food than usual, a change of seasons, simply growing older, ( either at puberty, or in the late twenties, etc etc, as hormones alter, or as the body becomes less resilient ), dental-surgery, etc.

It is worth considering if you can not think of anything in your life circumstances which might be causing "real" anxiety, because food and chemical intolerance can cause depression, anxiety, mood-disorder, lethargy, inertia, fatigue, irritability, tearfulness, insomnia, and loss of cognitive function, ( eg. memory ), among other things.

What foods do you eat a lot of/crave/adore for instance? If you are very "dependent" on a certain food, or love a certain chemical smell, it may indicate an intolerance, which puts a chronic stress on your body, and which has suddenly, for some reason, become too much for your body's adaptive capacities.

You say this has been happening for about a month; can you remember if you did/experienced/were exposed to anything unusual/out of the ordinary a month or so ago?

.

If this represents a change in state from what is usual, it is something else and it is very fixable.
In a couple weeks you can be heading back to your old self.

Check this out (DSM IV-TR)

A. Five (or more) of the following symptoms have been present during the same 2-week period and represent a change from previous functioning; at least one of the symptoms is either (1) depressed mood or (2) loss of interest or pleasure.

Note: Do note include symptoms that are clearly due to a general medical condition, or mood-incongruent delusions or hallucinations.

(1) depressed mood most of the day, nearly every day, as indicated by either subjective report (e.g., feels sad or empty) or observation made by others (e.g., appears tearful). Note: In children and adolescents, can be irritable mood.

(2) markedly diminished interest or pleasure in all, or almost all, activities most of the day, nearly every day (as indicated by either subjective account or observation made by others)

(3) significant weight loss when not dieting or weight gain (e.g., a change of more than 5% of body weight in a month), or decrease or increase in appetite nearly every day. Note: In children, consider failure to make expected weight gains.

(4) insomnia or hypersomnia nearly every day

(5) psychomotor agitation or retardation nearly every day (observable by others, not merely subjective feelings of restlessness or being slowed down)

(6) fatigue or loss of energy nearly every day

(7) feelings of worthlessness or excessive or inappropriate guilt (which may be delusional) nearly every day (not merely self-reproach or guilt about being sick)

#8 diminished ability to think or concentrate, or indecisiveness, nearly every day (either by subjective account or as observed by others)

(9) recurrent thoughts of death (not just fear of dying), recurrent suicidal ideation without a specific plan, or a suicide attempt or a specific plan for committing suicide

B. The symptoms do not meet criteria for a Mixed Episode.

C. The symptoms cause clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning.

D. The symptoms are not due to the direct physiological effects of a substance (e.g., a drug of abuse, a medication) or a general medical condition (e.g., hypothyroidism).

E. The symptoms are not better accounted for by Bereavement, i.e., after the loss of a loved one, the symptoms persist for longer than 2 months or are characterized by marked functional impairment, morbid preoccupation with worthlessness, suicidal ideation, psychotic symptoms, or psychomotor retardation.

(These are criteria for a major depressive episode.)

P.S. It is not something that can simply be "snapped out of." It is a dysruption of neurophysiology. It can be resolved with neuropharmaceuticals that restore normal function. These take about 11 days to begin working.

Most important:
1. Whoever you find to treat should make sense and be thoroughly methodical in approach.
2. You should get BETTER - NOT worse.
3. This clinician should listen to you.

dude you just need a perscription to zoloft. you're depressed.

Okay, thanks very much. I did go see the person I had an appointment with and she said I have depression. She said also that I should tell the people I'm close to that something's going on. But I'm still putting up a front because I can't see how to tell them this. Any ideas?

Also, what happened is kind of complicated. Sort of a series of events which on their own would have been trivial, plus a few which are less minor. But nothing that on its own would cause more than a bit of "Well, that's sorta unlucky... ah well"