Hope the doctor diagnose you quickly so you can get on medication so you will feel better. Sweet gental hugs.

Scott

Hello again, Cubegirl. Good to see you again.

From my just-a-patient senses, I believe that GAD and panic disorder are one and the same. When those generalized anxieties gang up on me, as they all too often do, I start having panic attacks. Panic disorder is GAD, all growed up? That's just how I feel ^it^ inside my own skin. I certainly wouldn't want to argue with a doctor about ^it^.

I don't have authoritative answers for any of your most excellent questions, but I do advocate you making a list of those questions, and any others you can think of to carry into your doctor's appointments. It's okay to not know what will happen next. Just trust the process and let yourself feel free to ask lots of questions.

Keep us posted. Gentle support while you turn the next page of the world's funkiest mystery novel.

I hope you get it sorted out :)

thanks everyone for replying. just nervous bout what happens next.

It's okay to be nervous about what happens next. The waiting is the hardest part. In my own anxiety management, it seems like the whole sequence starts with nervousness which grows in to anxiety which grows into panic attacks. Addressing the parts that make me nervous can prevent that whole, gnasty sequence from ruining my day/week/month/year.

Butttttttaaaaaa. . .

An accurate time-line and/or road map is still pretty high on my own wish list. Just wishing. . .

Thoughts and prayers for you! You are doing the right thing seeing a doctor and seeking help. It's not an easy thing to do. I believe GAD and panic attacks go hand in hand, and like the person above me said- try your best to nip the anxiety in the bud when it comes into mind before it gets to full blown panic. Once it gets to full blown panic for me it takes much longer to settle back down. YOU ARE NOT IN THIS ALONE. Keep us posted!

So glad you went to the doctor! It seems like the process of diagnosis for GAD and/or panic disorder is similar to other diagnoses. You go to the doctor, they send you to a specialist, there's testing, a diagnosis, then there's a treatment plan that gets adjusted as needed...maybe there's a few other steps if needed. The timeline may be different for every individual. Have you found any relaxation techniques that could help in the meantime? Visualization, mindfulness, breathing, etc. I found them quite helpful for myself.

thanks everyone. i hope something is gonna happen.

So glad that your family is listening and that your mom was able to help you to get to the physician. HIPPA has done quite a lot for patient privacy. While there are still flaws, your physicians and the specialist that you are seeing are supposed to keep that information confidential. I am glad that you have started the process for getting the help that you need. It should not take long for you to receive a diagnosis or name for what you have been feeling. Keep us posted on how you are doing. Don't forget that your parents and your guidance counselor at school can be a great support system for you as well!

sorry to ask but what is HIPPA? i never heard of that. im still waiting to get an appointment. they are suppose to be sending a letter soon but they dont know exactly when yet so just have to wait.

I have GAD and SAD (Social Anxiety Disorder) and what they did for me was have me take a written text/exam. Questions going something like "For the past two weeks, how often have you felt overwhelmed by school or work?" and they make a diagnosis from there. It is usually up to the doctor if they decide to put you on medication or have you do only counseling or both. With medication, it's mostly trial and error to see which medication works best for you.