Confusion, speech muddling, everything looks unfamiliar

[Katiex]

The other night I was reading a book when suddenly I felt I couldn't understand the words and my eyes wouldn't look properly at the words they couldn't focus.

I then started to have a panic attack and ran out for some fresh air. I was trying to remember everyones names to make sure I wasn't going crazy and couldn't remember and I started talking jibberish to my partner. For a few hours after I had calmed down everything in my living room looked very unfamiliar. I knew where I was but it felt like I had seen someone elses house for the first time.

Is this panic? Because I have suffered from complex migraines in the past which have caused vision loss, complete speech loss and confusion before but I had no headache this time?

I have been fine since and functioning as normal and able to go to work but so scared of it happening again or something being underlying.

Has anyone experienced this?

[PanchoGoz]

The other night I was reading a book when suddenly I felt I couldn't understand the words and my eyes wouldn't look properly at the words they couldn't focus.Sounds like sleepiness to me! If I read a book before bed and I'm tired my eyes do that as well. Your anxiety is making you hyper aware. Normally you would have seen that as a sign of tiredness and gone to sleep.

[anthrokid]

Hi Katie,

It could have been something called 'derealisation' which is a symptom of anxiety. Sometimes it makes things appear different to usual, makes things look unfamiliar and causes confusion. You may also have just had a fever or migraine, both of which can cause confusion. If you haven't had any problems since it likely isn't anything to be too concerned about. However, if you are still worrying about it, check in with your doctor. It won't hurt to get the advice of a professional, and it will ease your worry about it.

[Rubicon]

Hiya, did you ever find out what this was?

I had the exact same thing, panic attack crossed with extreme confusion and inability to make sense/think, coupled with bad derealization.

I've had it twice in the past two weeks, must be caused by stress as i am in 3rd week of a very challenging stressful new job which is really getting me down and causing my anxiety to be much higher than normal.

The scariest thing was that when i first experienced it i got a feeling of deja vu, and then kept remembering random things, my brain just 'stopped working' and i tried to remember what month it was to make sure i wasn't going mad but i couldn't, i had to physically look at my phone to remember.

It was really really scary :-( I'm not sure if it is just derealization but it's only ever happened when i've been stressed out and struggling at work (which just makes me more anxious as i spend the next hour or so worrying about what on earth caused me to mentally black out on two occasions. :-(

I've gotten past panic disorder and i thought there was nothing else my body/mind could throw at me but this really freaked me out.

[Rubicon]

Anyone?