Is anyone else like me?

[Helen123]

Ok so.. I think I have a combination of disorders. First of all social phobia, I get anxious in busy places etc this is my official diagnosis.
I'm sure I also have generalised anxiety because anything and everything I worry about.
I suffer panic attacks however I'm mostly panicking about panicking.
I have a phobia of fainting and need to make sure I eat and drink enough a certain points in the day, I suppose that would be like OCD? :unsure:
I also think I have separation anxiety where I don't like being on my own and I worry about losing my mum (my dad passed away when I was younger so that might have something to do with it)
I also get anxious being away from home, I just think "if I was to panic now how would I get home".
And to top it all off, I'm pretty depressed about it all. :weep:

Oh gosh that's some list.. :unsure: Kinda good to get it all out though.. phew :)

So anybody else like me? :huh:

[MyNameIsTerry]

Your primary disorder could be GAD. I have GAD but I struggle with social issues. At first I struggled going out but it wasnt agoraphobia because once out, I adjusted after a few attempts.

GAD seems to include aspects of other disorders because its eating away at your confidence until daily things make you afraid. When I hit rock bottom, anything from brushing my teeth to washing to eating would do it. I was on high alert all the time.


So, it could be even the other way around.


Did the fainting phobia exist before the GAD? If not, it could be an aspect of the GAD but with obsessive (OCD) thinking. Its kind of a way to keep yourself safe but its become unhealthy.


Thats how I look at it because Ive found my situation over time has shown me that I could conquer some aspects mch easier than the overall GAD issue.

[Charlotteee89]

My Therapist says I have a combination of a few different Anxiety Disorders - A bit of Social Anxiety, GAD & Panic Disorder so it is entirely possible. :)

Did your GAD come before Social Anxiety or the other way round? When did your phobia of fainting start? & Also your separation anxiety?

You can easily start off with just one type which then leads into another or a few others. :)

Mine has mainly been Social Anxiety for many years but with little bouts of GAD. But once my Social Anxiety went (well nearly, I still struggle with my confidence) my GAD developed gradually. Then I had a panic attack out of the blue which then trigger a Panic Disorder & has also triggered OCD obsessional thinking.

[HalfJack]

Heya yeah, I have those too :) Although like the above comment I just class it all under GAD.
I'm agoraphobic (I find it hard to leave my house etc) and the fainting thing used to be one of my anxieties to do with it, I don't have OCD.

Good luck! You've come to the right place!

[trish1955]

Halfjack don't you go out at all I am agoraphobic to yet the strange thing is I have anxiety and panic attacks in my home as well so is it about the s#fty of how own home cuts I can't stay home alone either which is awful as there is no real pace of safety from panic anxiety as its inside us were ever we go any way as on the first thread on here I to think I ave a few disorder I started if being afraid of dying went on to collect more fears phobia sect over mtpy forty Yeats of battling it all x

[loreen]

Hi Helen,

Yes ,I am just like you. I could have written your post myself,we are that similar !!
The only difference is I prefer to be on my own and don't have separation anxiety. I find I can cope better when I don't have to explain myself to others, but as we are a family of 6, being alone is rare !!

I don't have any answers, but I know it helps to know you are not alone in suffering from anxiety ,in all the many forms it presents itself. xx

[Catherine S]

Sounds like me too. I'm extremely claustrophobic with a bit of agoraphobia thrown in...apparently the two can go hand in hand. My family know that I have my own ways of coping outside of home, so I do pretty well with my coping tools! It can tend to limit life a little but its nowhere near what it was and so I can more or less enjoy life again. I'm due to fly to France in May, alone which will be a challenge but determined to do it :D. Best wishes.

ISB (not to be confused with IBS :))

[anxiouskay]

your not alone, im sure you see this from the other member comments :). i myself have GAD, social anxiety disorder, i get panic attacks every month and been suffering from them on and off since i was 7, bipolar disorder, and separation anxiety.

[Helen123]

Thanks for all the replies. It's reassuring to know there are people suffering from similar. A couple of you asked about the fainting phobia, this started a couple years ago, when I was at a art class and started feeling unwell, then I realised I hadn't ate or drank anything all day, then I ended up fainting :( so I know have it in my head that I must eat and drink or it will happen again.
The separation anxiety has got worse over the years, the only family that I have is my mum, the rest of them live hours away. So I think it's just a fear of being on my own if something was to happen to her.

[lizzie29]

I can totally relate to the separation anxiety, and I seem to find it less common than other anxieties.

[MyNameIsTerry]

I think what you are describing will be familar to many.

If you experience a panic attack in a certain place, the mind associates that place quicker than it disassociates it. It looks for safety behaviours such as avoidance or reassurance (e.g. sitting near exits).

These are features of SA and Agoraphobia as well so there are probably elements of each that cross over so there may be a lot of people who understand.

You could try Exposure Therapy to get habituated to situations. This might work better with the fear of fainting but less so with the separation anxiety since you will be exposed to that without even trying. So, perhaps Mindfulness meditation to relax your mind. Maybe even starting with a view to using it in the places where you would feel the panic so that you can retrain your mind not to panic in those places. It's easy to type though...doing it will take time and Mindfulness is a skill that takes time to learn.