sarah+1
14-08-08, 15:23
It's only polite to introduce myself :) I'm Sarah, I'm 17, and right now I feel like I'm at an AA meeting. My name is Sarah and I suffer from panic attacks. :D Well, I used to. I still get them the odd time but not half as much as I did last year. I missed over half of the school year and stopped going out with friends. It really started to control my life.
I went to the doctor and he prescribed anti-depressants which I really didn't want to take... So i didnt :) I'm so glad I didn't now. I started going to therapy after months of persuasion from my family and friends. I really didn't want to do that either cos I felt insane, but it really helped me.
I've heard about people's symptoms being like a heart attack but mine were just an overwhelming sense of nausea and feeling as if i was going to faint. I always ran to the nearest bathroom and tried to ride the attack out but it rarely worked so I ended up going home to bed.
I'd have never understood that feeling of association you get after you have an attack in a certain place. I had an attack in Irish class at the beginning of last year and I couldn't go back to that class after, even though I had history in the same room with the same teacher, I just associated that particular class with attacks. It was ridiculous but I couldn't over come it.
There were times when I wanted to go out with my friends. Somewhere really far away where I could just be myself without worrying about attacks but then they started to happen me on buses. A lot. So I started avoiding the bus.
I told a few other people about my attacks, and the reaction wasn't the best. People comparing to me to Tony from skins. "Are you a fighter or a flighter Sarah? hahahahaha".
I suppose they came to an end when I became friends with someone I could really talk to. It's weird telling your friends you've known for years that you feel like you're goin a bit loopy,so when I told her she just listened, and even though she didn't fully understand what I was going through, she told me that it was common and normal and that I'd get over it. And I did.
I don't avoid anywhere now. If I feel a little nervous about something I tell myself I'll be ok and I am ok. I also found that if I ate properly and slept enough, I wouldn't be as likely to have an attack. My health was really affected at the time my attacks were most prominant cos I didn't eat out of fear of throwing up in a public place. I lost lots of weight and my immune system went way down.
I'm so glad I didn't give up, and I'm so glad I didn't take any meds for it. It's just my perosnal opinion-I hate anything interfering with my personality.
My advice to anyone who's suffering from a panic disorder is to tell people about it. All the people who you are close to should know. They can help you, and then one day you will be able to help them! 1 in 6 people suffer from some sort of problem with their mental health so you're definitely not alone!
I went to the doctor and he prescribed anti-depressants which I really didn't want to take... So i didnt :) I'm so glad I didn't now. I started going to therapy after months of persuasion from my family and friends. I really didn't want to do that either cos I felt insane, but it really helped me.
I've heard about people's symptoms being like a heart attack but mine were just an overwhelming sense of nausea and feeling as if i was going to faint. I always ran to the nearest bathroom and tried to ride the attack out but it rarely worked so I ended up going home to bed.
I'd have never understood that feeling of association you get after you have an attack in a certain place. I had an attack in Irish class at the beginning of last year and I couldn't go back to that class after, even though I had history in the same room with the same teacher, I just associated that particular class with attacks. It was ridiculous but I couldn't over come it.
There were times when I wanted to go out with my friends. Somewhere really far away where I could just be myself without worrying about attacks but then they started to happen me on buses. A lot. So I started avoiding the bus.
I told a few other people about my attacks, and the reaction wasn't the best. People comparing to me to Tony from skins. "Are you a fighter or a flighter Sarah? hahahahaha".
I suppose they came to an end when I became friends with someone I could really talk to. It's weird telling your friends you've known for years that you feel like you're goin a bit loopy,so when I told her she just listened, and even though she didn't fully understand what I was going through, she told me that it was common and normal and that I'd get over it. And I did.
I don't avoid anywhere now. If I feel a little nervous about something I tell myself I'll be ok and I am ok. I also found that if I ate properly and slept enough, I wouldn't be as likely to have an attack. My health was really affected at the time my attacks were most prominant cos I didn't eat out of fear of throwing up in a public place. I lost lots of weight and my immune system went way down.
I'm so glad I didn't give up, and I'm so glad I didn't take any meds for it. It's just my perosnal opinion-I hate anything interfering with my personality.
My advice to anyone who's suffering from a panic disorder is to tell people about it. All the people who you are close to should know. They can help you, and then one day you will be able to help them! 1 in 6 people suffer from some sort of problem with their mental health so you're definitely not alone!