why did your anxiety/panic attacks start?

[Harribo]

Hi I only joined a a few days ago and to get to know a few people and be on the same wave lenghth as such I thought I could relate to some people by seeing why, when and how your panic attacks or anxiety started.

Hi my name is Harry and I'm 20 I have been a sufferer for about a year now, personally my attacks and anxiety are down to drugs. I started taking drugs at 16 my abuse got quite heavy towards the end. Just one day I was going home from work on a friday and it just hit me. Scared the living daylights out of me. I continued using up until I met my girlfriend ( I quit on the night I met her) the attacks have slowly but surely worn off I have between 1-4 a month now compared to 5+ I was having while I was using. I still feel very anxious most days but I only have myself to blame. Which is why I find it very sad to read other peoples post and they have not asked or done anything to feel the way they do. I personally believe once I sort my anxiety out I'll be panic free.

Sorry for the long post yours can be as short or long as you like. Thanks for reading and take care :)


Harry x

[Pattyss]

mine attacks were cause by the lack of self-esteem feeling and also because I was having a grudge against the whole world (that was when i was teen)usually it was because I couldn't cope the stressful situations and there was nobody for me to support and help or let me know what I can do with that.I like your idea that you believe once you sort my anxiety out I'll be panic free. Good luck. the insights like that helped me too.

[Keith]

My mole changed colour, I Googled it and of course panicked. Showed it to my mum and dad and my mum raced me to the Doctors the next day! :scared15: He said it was fine, I however just couldn't accept that it was fine and procedded to prod at it for months on end. Every twitch in my body caused me to panic as 'it's spreading.' :weep:

I got it removed thankfully and it wasn't anything dangerous, the procedure took 30 minutes and one appointment which was just a Doctor reassuring me went on longer than that! :mad:

Since then I've scanned my body for anything slight change and it has ruined me.

[Mark801]

Honestly, if I wasn't so stupid back then, I probably would be normal instead of being a health conscious freak :weep::mad:

It all happened back in late '07(I was 17) when my best friend suffered from spontaneous pneumothorax(collapsed lung). We were doing laps in 36 degree F weather and when we returned to the lockers to change, he complained about chest pains. That night, I received a phone call from his parents that he was in the hospital and thank god that he was ok. HE never smoked or did drugs but the docs said that this can happen to skinny tall men randomly.

I told a few relatives cuz my best friend was out of skool for so long and an uncle of mine stupidly warned me that this could happen to me(I was very skinny with my tallness at the time).

Soon after, in '08 acid reflux came knocking at my door and i convinced myself that the chest pains were indeed a collapsed lung and the constant googling started and since then I've been suffering from the horrid panic and health related anxiety. And to this day, my friend is perfectly fine and enjoying everyday while I live everyday in panic and fear.:weep:

[Pipkin]

I've suffered from anxiety since I was 12/13 with no real trigger. My Dad is very similar so I'm not sure if there's something genetic. My problem is that I over-think everything and work myself up into a real state which is hard to return from. The worse I feel, the more I'm convinced there is something seriously wrong with me and that makes me feel even worse. I find it easy to support my Dad and reassure him - shame I can't do it for myself...

[Dazza]

Mine were triggered by a very traumatic event.

I was at home and my left hand went numb..the numbness moved up my left arm, and I remember my mother saying about my father (he felt numbness go up his left arm before his heart attack!). Once the numbness go to the top of my arm, my heart went mental, felt like it was trying to come out of my chest, and it was so irregular, I could hardly breath and I was getting bodily rushes and sensations taht I'd never had. In brief, I was terrified and was convinced I was having a heart attack and was about to die.. I called 999 and the ambulance came quickly... it wasn't heart attack, they gave no diagnosis...it started to happen regularly and I' madee many trips to A&E, terrified that I was about to die. They've gotten less frequent over time, with the symptoms less dramatic and painful...

I think they continue because I'm an anxious person, with negative thinking patterns taht I try to control, but don't always manage. But I'm much better than 3 years ago, when my heart worries meant that I was even too scared to leave the house, for fear of dropping dead due to overexerting my (imagined) dodgy heart just by walking. Totally irrational I know, that that was my reality.