I'm new here and scared.

[jazzy100]

Hi all, I have been suffering from panic attacks for 10 years now, my most troublesome feeling is the feelings of unreality, strangely I seem to get those even when i don't feel that my anxiety is very high and i am not in a state of panic. I don't understand why that is, anybody else have any idea as to what is wrong with me, Im scared i may have a dissociative disorder and that sends me into a panic :weep:

[robinhall]

Hi Jazzy
Feelings of unreality are an extremely common symptom with anxiety and panic attacks. They are so common they are given the labels 'derealisation' (a feeling that the world around you is unreal and unfamilar) and 'depersonalisation' (a feeling that your own sense of self is unreal in comparison to 'reality' outside yourself)

These are very frightening symptoms of panic and once you have felt them during panic attacks you will understandably live in fear of it happening again - this is called 'Anticipatory Anxiety' where you have a constant low level feeling of apprehension about what will or might happen if you feel it again.

Often we experience the fear we dread the most because we constantly scan for those particular symptoms which can exaggerate them.

So we get caught up in seemingly endless cycles of fear.

CBT can help you unravel what is happening to you.