Hi. I am a friend of someone who has GAD and panic attacks along with developed symptoms of OCD thoughts/racing thoughts/depersonalisation/DR/ night and waking terrors and a continuing cycle of anxiety and panic. My 30yr old friend up until recently, also developed severe agrophobia and dependancy issues. He has been more open to his diagnosis recently, however the thought of him having another disorder still worry him and exacerbate his symptoms. His panic and anxiety are controlled and reduced alot with 2 larazapam daily and he takes 45mg mitazapine AD at night.

Due to the depersonalisation, he displays many emotions (sadness and hatred/anger) but does not feel love or many good feelings for people. I have worked alongside him 24/7 for the past 4-5 months to help him basically live as he was just a very lost soul with severe agrophobia and dependency also to help him to recognise how his strong reactions to his experiences of ocd and depersonalisation reinforce the symptoms. We have become very close, however, he has strong sexual/violent thoughts about me that are very severe and due to his new found independence can and is avoiding me more and more each day. In addition he avoids his father whom he lives with as his ocd type thoughts are of violence toward him and he is obviously afraid that he will act on these compulsive type thoughts to us. He has suffered for ten years with depression and anxiety and this developed into GAD with additional symptoms severely over the past two years preventing him from working as a solicitor and becoming severely housebound.

Now I am all for him, having time out alone and getting himself together in his way, but am really worried that he is isolating himself to his detriment as he is so self absorbed and of course i am also very hurt that he has just dropped the very people who want to walk alongside him and assist him in regaining his life. He is hoping that by staying away from us he will be able to recover feelings and rid the ocd thoughts he has for us which bother him and believes hinder his recovery. My thoughts are that avoiding us, is not working with his symptoms but against them, giving them more right to persist.

I have read and learned alot on these forums but having not been there myself - I hope that some one can give me advice on how to help or not help my friend come to terms with his obsessive racing thoughts and lack of emotions? As i believe that this way he will be able to reduce these symptoms that plague and rob his personality and life.