Need Advice / Help

[aholmes]

Hi All,

I'm new here and was hoping to find any sort of advice for what I am currently going through.

I've suffered from depression/panic disorder for the last 10 - 12 years now and went roughly 10 years without it being diagnosed. A couple of years back I finally spoke with a doctor and was put on effexor. After taking this for a couple of years I decided to ween myself off of it because I didn't realized if it was helping and it was making me quite sick / always tired. This was shortly after Christmas of this year.

Last week I went on a weekend trip and felt panicky / anxious. Usually these feelings go away once I return home but in this case they have remained, and I am now back into the panic disorder and depression. I recognized the need for help and immediately went to visit a walk in doctor who has put me on 10mg of cipralex a day as well as 0.5mg of clonazepam twice daily.

I feel slightly less nervous now in general but I have developed something else rather strange. I have always been afraid of heights but I am now getting to be terrified of looking at the mountains around my home. Just seeing them are bringing about the feelings of panic and fear, which is a real problem since I live in a valley surrounded by mountains! I've lived here for over a year without much issue previously to this.

I'm scared and don't understand how to get over this. I feel that it's controlling my life and the last week has been particularly bad. I know I need help but the medical doctors here seem to only throw medication at the problem. I'm having no luck reaching a therapist/counselor/psychiatrist and really the only support I am currently receiving is from my loving girlfriend who is doing her absolute best to understand and deal with the issues I am facing.

Does anyone have any advice or knowledge with things of this nature?

Thank you,
Aaron

[stephenp79]

cant give you any advise just now but rather strangely my mum told me of a friend of hers who suffer the same thing. she hates even standing next to a really tall building looking up. I guess, just posting to let you know you are not the only one who suffers from this and i will ask my mum and post tomorrow or the next day what her friend does to combat this

[aholmes]

Thank you stephenp79.

Strange, I have also have had that same feeling for years. Normally I just keep my head down and ignore it but it is always in the back of my mind and always raises my anxiety at least slightly.

I thought I was doing well, and overcoming these issues but it appears that I was just simply ignoring them, and avoiding the true root cause.

Aaron

[Burge]

When I was experiencing a really bad bout of agoraphobia a while ago, I found myself going into panic mode just watching someone on the television walking through a huge departure lounge at an airport terminal. Rather than put the television off, I just sat there, did some deep breathing and carried on watching. I think it is best just to accept that you are highly sensitised at the moment. Keep looking at the mountains but try and relax at the same time and try and accept that the problem will become more manageable in time. It never ceases to amaze me that when you think you have one problem kicked into touch, a tired mind will find something new to torment you with!