I am 16 and have been diagnosed with an Anixety disorder and been out on Luvox to help me overcome my anxiety.
My first experience with my anxiety that I can remember is when I was about 10. I was sitting in the living room, just watching television when all of a sudden I had this overwhelming feeling, a feeling of dread, I had no idea what it was and why it was happening and that made it worse
…. I didnt mention anything to my parents because I had no idea about anxiety and just thought I was being silly.
For the next few years that feeling was still happening every now and then. I had trouble at school and would avoid certain situation which brought it on. I had trouble sitting in a quiet class, listening to the teacher, because I would get that feeling again. When it came, I just wanted to get up and run……but from what? I couldn't figure out what I wanted to run from, and that made it more frustrating.
When I was 12 my best friends father passed away. I got told the news when I was out at a sporting event and was not expecting it at all. I think this added to my anxiety because from then on if I was approached by one of my family members when I was not expecting to see them I would think the worst.
My anxiety attacks continued and I still had no idea what they where. I began to become depressed and my mother picked up on this. She her self was dealing with depression. She took my to the doctor several times and it was always blamed on my diet, my hormones or just being a teenager. I got so frustrated because it seemed like they didn't believe me.
By then I had picked up some OCD traits. I used to have a ritual of doing things in threes.
At the end of last year, when I was 15, my grandmother passed away and I think that was the straw that broke the camels back. I became very anxious and depressed and my physical symptoms (nausea, trembling, aches) became worse. i told my mum that this wasn't right and that I wanted to do something about it. I went back to the same doctor and told her the same story, I wasn't coping with this at all.
That was 3 months ago. Since then as I mentioned I am taking Luvox and doing relaxation therapy. I am now handling my anxiety much better and the avoidance has decreased. I still have a long way to go and I suppose I'm lucky in a way that this has happened to me earlier in life and that I know how to deal with those sorts of feelings.
Sally
