Anxiety Support Group
Anxiety is a physical condition marked by intense and persistent feelings of distress, fear, angst or dread. General anxiety caused by routine day-to-day stresses usually passes quickly and is experienced by almost everyone at one time or another. However, such feelings that linger over time and are very difficult to cope with, and which lack a clear cause, may indicate...
Upon the request of my counselor, I had an appointment today with a psychiatrist today. The appointment overall was okay. I was kind of uncomfortable at first talking to him, but it got easier as the appointment went along. The conclusion of the appointment came out to be that there is a slight indication of some separation anxiety but that mostly I just have general anxiety. He explained that based on my family history and personal history that my anxiety is most likely a result of biological factors. He told me that as treatment not only should I continue seeing the counselor regularly but I should also be put on medication for at least 12 months. Now I'm not so sure what to think about that because I feel like over the past couple months my anxiety has improved a lot from just recognizing and changing my thoughts and discussing my thoughts/emotions with my counselor. In a way I feel like my anxiety in the sate that it is in now is manageable and that I am still learning how to improve it. The psychiatrist made me concerned however that it is very possible that in the future my anxiety will get worse if I am not medicated to balance the chemicals or whatever. I did not agree to being prescribed medication at the end of the appointment and told him that I wanted to think about it and talk with my counselor about it first. I am supposed to make another appointment with him in two weeks, but I'm not sure that I even want to do that. I feel like he just made me second guess myself and what I have been doing. He just kept insisting that I NEED to be on medication and that talk therapy alone is not going to change everything. He actually used those words with me which I did not like. Another thing that really irritated me that he said was that he told me that the stronger person is the one who realizes that they need medication and accepts the help rather than resisting it. I just feel like overall he made me feel like I'm not doing the right thing for myself. I'm just so unsure right now and I don't really know who I can talk to about this.
I too am genetically predisposed to anxiety. My mother had it and my Grandmother had it. I though...(thankfully)...ended up with a psychologist who worked exclusively with folks that had issues with anxiety. Her strong recommendation was to keep me OFF medication.
I was extremely anxious and depressed when I started to see her and I wanted to be put on medication. She did everything in her power to convince me not to take the medications that other doctors had prescribed for me.
I did overcome anxiety and depression and have completely learned how to overcome the negative thinking that caused those conditions in the first place. If I had taken the meds... I would have given the credit to overcoming these conditions to the medications. Also, I would have given into the thought that I was chemically imbalance and would most likely still be on the meds. I have been anxiety free for almost four years now.
There was never anything wrong with the chemicals in my brain....(as they other doctors had told me also). I just had a negative thinking habit that caused me to be anxious. My lack of motivation and the constant blast of cortisol that I was pumping into my system from turning on my fight or flight response....did cause me to have a drop in my serotonin, for sure,....but this was quickly remedied by starting to exercise.
There has been many studies done on the effects of exercise on people with anxiety and depression. It has been proven that exercise works just as well as medication...without the side effects of meds. Not only that....it last longer then medication even when you stop exercising. (Read Week 4 for more information on this study that talked about the effects of exercise.)
The information on anxiety is constantly changing. A while back anxiety was classified as a mental illness. They have now changed this to an emotional disorder...which is truly what it is.
If you have anxiety....you are not sick! Therefore you do not NEED medication. You may choose to take medications but you do not need medications. I, unfortunately, at one time used to self medicate with alcohol. It took away the symptoms also....but it never changed the thoughts that kept me bound in anxiety. The only thing that did that...was making a new habit. The new habit was changing the negative thoughts "one by one" to more positive soothing and companionate thoughts. Over time I literally rewired my brain to think positively. Scientist call this Brain Neuron Plasticity. They have discovered that our brains...no matter what our age, can completely be taught to think and act differently. This discovery came about when researching and working with people with brain injury such as strokes. They found that they could make new connections in the brain at any age.....good news for folks with anxiety and depression...right?
Let me clarify my point as to not offend anyone. If a person who has anxiety and depression is so severe in their condition, that they are truly unable to focus long enough to make the changes necessary to overcome this condition......Well, then by all means, they need to take a medication.
My point that i am trying to make here is that a person who is already implementing changes into their thoughts, actions and reactions...needs to be given proper encouragement and tools that will help them to completely overcome both anxiety and depression.
Please contact me if you have any questions.
My best to you!
There are also different schools of thought when it comes to anxiety. Some believe it is a chemical imbalance and it can be cured by taking meds. Others believe that it is 'just they way they are' and that there is no cure and meds will not help. Some believe that something caused the anxiety to start such as a trauma and/or negative thinking.
I have been able to cure my anxiety by finding the root cause and healing it (childhood sexual abuse). Others here have successfully cured their anxiety by changing their thinking from negative to positive. I had Dr's who wanted me to take meds and I did not for a very long time because I knew in my gut it was not a chemical imbalance. Eventually though my anxiety got so bad that I did take Paxil and it did help me a lot. Then, when it stopped working, I went back to therapy and found the cause of my anxiety. Now I am almost anxiety free and have been med free for a year.
I do feel that meds have a place in the healing process. Without Paxil I was unable to function. It got me through 10 years of my life. But if meds feel wrong for you then don't take them. If what you are doing is working then stick with it. Will you have ups and downs - yes you will. Does that mean you have been unsuccessful and now need meds? No. It just means that in life we experience ups and downs in everything and anxiety is no different.
Be true to yourself and trust your gut feeling.
AdventureGuide I have been working with the information that you have provided on your page and it has been very helpful for me. And in response to the idea of exercise, I took on running a while ago because it just frees me from everything going on and I am actually training for a half marathon right now.
In my opinion, I have been doing well and have been making progress. I was just so thrown off today with the things I was told by the psychiatrist. Especially when he ended the appointment by saying that I need medication. I just needed to hear someone else's thoughts about this. I just felt that everything I have been doing was shot down today, but I'm glad to hear other thoughts similar to my own. Thanks for the advice!
I think stick to how you feel and if ur anxiety worsens in the future, then you can always revisit medication then.
I just want to let you know that I went to countless doctors during my years of experiencing anxiety and depression. Not one doctor during all of those long years told me what anxiety was and how to get it to stop. They did however write countless prescriptions....with not one word from the doctors as to why my body was completely out of control. I never even heard of the sympathetic nervous system or how it turns on the fight or flight response. I didn't learn about these things until years later when I began researching desperately on what was wrong with me.
I don't know why your doctor suggested medication when you told him that you are beginning to do much better? Sounds to me like he is a bit robotic. There are many amazing doctors out there but you will have to research their practices before going to them. I myself finally searched for doctors that had practices that only treated anxiety disorders. I took it one step further and searched for a doctor they them self had had an issue with anxiety. They are not as uncommon as you would think. It seems that people who have overcome anxiety in this field usually end up in some way working in that area. I actually found a few doctors that had issues with anxiety in their past.
Lucky....I wonder...does this bother you as much as it bothers me? All those years of doctors telling you had a chemical imbalance. Did any of them ever take the time to uncover the true source of your pain?
I fell like I am a bit on a soap box here...I just feel like in order to truly help people to overcome these conditions....something has to change. Doctors need to be informed how to address folks who come to them with anxiety symptoms. Just throwing medication at them does not solve their problem. Education and understanding is imperative for doctors in helping folks to overcoming anxiety and resulting depression.
Mea.....you are, from what I have read here, really starting to make progress in your pursuit to overcoming this condition. You are making great changes in your thoughts and actions....running a half marathon...you go girl! I always relate overcoming anxiety to learning a new language.....once you start you may not see a big improvement on your speech overnight or in a week but you will begin to see changes in a month...six months and a year. It takes time to change the way you have always thought. The same goes with changing your brain to a more positive way of thinking...the key to overcoming anxiety. Know that everyday you work on making these changes you get stronger and stronger with your endeavor.
Mea....as Lucky said..."follow your gut". You know your body better then anyone else....(even if the person has an MD after their name). Look for information that is backed up by facts.
By the way....I was told that I had a chemical imbalance also. I did research and found out that the chemicals in your brain are in constant flux. Just typing these words changes the chemicals in my brain. Picking up a pen changes the chemicals in my brain. Not being active and having high anxiety constantly changed the chemicals in my brain.
You know what else I found out....exercising and eating right changed the chemicals in my brain. Learning to change my thoughts from negative to positive changed the chemicals in my brain. Learning to not be perfectionistic changed the chemicals in my brain. Learning to accept the things I can not change...changed the chemicals in my brain. Learning to be more assertive changed the chemicals in my brain. Learning to not fear my scary thoughts changed the chemicals in my brain. Understanding what panic attacks were changed the chemicals in my brain.
My point is.....you don't have a chemical imbalance....your chemical are reacting perfectly normally to what you are inputting into your brain. Once you learn how to change all of the things that keep you in anxiety...your brains chemicals will also change and come into a more pleasurable feeling naturally. Does this make sense?
Again...sorry for the soap box tonight....I guess I really have a trigger with these doctors throwing out diagnosis and treatment without uncovering the true source of the problem.
Oh forgot one more thing....as you begin to work with learning the tools to overcome anxiety....along the way it seems that for most the initial reason for the anxiety begins to come into focus. As Lucky said...for some it is a trauma, for others it is genetic and for others it was nurture. The main thing is that anxiety is caused by negative thoughts no matter what the initial thing was that started it. Find professional help if you get stuck or have any problems with what you may uncover along your journey.
My symptoms started from the pain of loosing my sister to a car accident when I was 16...everything spiraled from that moment on for me.
Again I am here if you need any support.
My best to you!
I dont know why your psychiatrist recommended putting you on meds. That doesnt make any sense to me in your situation.
I was seeing a psychologist years ago that wanted to put me on meds. I was in a difficult situation at the time. I was pregnant and my husband was cheating on me. I didnt really have any bad anxiety issues. I was just overwhelmed by the situation and distraught. I assume a lot of people would find this to be a difficult situation. He was trying to talk me into talking meds assuring me they were safe to take even though I was pregnant. I was not comfortable with the idea and didnt think I needed them. Because he continued to pressure me into taking meds I stopped seeing him. I was going through a tough time and just needed somebody to talk to, to help me through this difficult time not pressure me into taking meds.
Dont let anybody pressure you into doing something you dont want to do. It sounds like you are taking steps in the right direction already. You said your anxiety is manageable and you are learning how to further improve it. I think you are on the right path and you should continue on that path. It does not sound like you anxiety is debilitating to the point that you cant function in daily life.
I cant believe he told you that you are weak, because you decided not to take meds. Thats insulting. Dont waste any more time with that guy. Stick to your plan and always trust your gut feeling.
AG - you ask "does this bother you as much as it bothers me?" Oh yes it does. My Dr's did not try to find a root cause to my anxiety even though I was telling them that I didn't believe it was a chemical imbalance. I remember telling my therapist at the time "Something happened. Something created this in me". I felt like there was a monster inside of me (and WOW was I right!). I knew on some level that something happened but my brain wasn't ready to release it yet.
I have also found peace in knowing that some people do believe that it is a chemical imbalance and others simply feel they are doomed to feel the way they do. I, like you, continue to spread the word and educate and I know that our words are being heard although not always believed. But I also know that when someone is ready to believe, our words will ring in their ears and they will make the changes they need to make to end the anxiety cycle. Each person has to be ready...in their own time...in their own way.
Here is my story with information given some doctors in my past:
After my father passed away (25 years ago)....my mother was having a terrible time. My brother in-law worked for a hospital and thought it would be a good idea that she went to see a psychiatrist. My mother agreed and I went with her for support. We walked into this mans office and my mom began to cry, telling this man how much she missed the man that she married and had loved for all of those years. What this doctor did next shocked me. He lit up a cigar and with no emotion to what he just heard....not an, I'm sorry for your loss....not an, that must be very hard to loose someone you loved....not anything remotely compassionate....all he said was...."Your depressed, I'll write you a prescription". That was it! I was furious(and also anxious at the time...this was long before I found my way out of anxiety) but, I knew what this professional was telling us was wrong on sooooo many levels. I knew in my gut that something was not right.
I ended up finding a new psychiatrist for my mom and once again went with her for support. This time what the doctor said made me think for years! When we walked in...once again my mom began to cry and told her what had happened. This woman psychiatrist told my mom....it is NORMAL to feel this way after you loose someone you love. I asked this woman why is it that we feel so bad. She said it is because of our thoughts. All of our problems in life are because of our thoughts. THAT WAS MY AH-HA MOMENT!!!l! All of our problems where caused by our thoughts!!!!! The only problem is that she never gave out any tools in which to change these thoughts. Who knows maybe back then they didn't know themselves how to overcome anxiety and depression. No matter what...my journey began!
My point with this story....is that SHE WAS RIGHT!!! Anything that makes us feel sad, disappointed, unworthy, unloveable, unattractive, unintelligent, worthless, scared....basically anything that makes us feel bad....is coming from a negative thought. Catch yourself the next I me you start to feel funky.....stop....then ask yourself...."What was I just thinking?"
At that point....change the thought that was making you feel funky to something more positive.
If you learn to do this, and only this,....over and over again....you will dissolve your issues with anxiety. Do you know why? Because you can not have anxiety with out the negative thoughts. Happy people DO NOT think negatively. Positive thoughts create happy people! That's it!
The beautiful thing is that...I once, (unknowingly at the time), was the most negative thinker....at times I still have negative thoughts....the only difference is that now I can easily change them into positives. My life is no longer bound by negativity....everything in my life has changed. There is nothing holding you back from doing the same....I have the same biological make up as the entire population here on earth. Believe me....I am nothing special...haha!
I can see from what you wrote that what this doctor said to you is still bothering you. OK...guess what this is a negative thought....let me give you an example as to how to change this thought.
Negative thought:
Oh no...this doctor believes that I have a chemical imbalance. What if he is right? What if I need to be on medication? What if my anxiety gets worse because I didn't listen to him? What if my life is ruined because I didn't follow his advise?...after all he is a professional.
Positive Thought:
OK....the reason why I know that none of the above is true...is because everyone of my points began with...WHAT IF!!!! What if....is the heart and soul of anxiety. It will take some time for me to break my "what if" cycle after all I have been using these thoughts for sometime. "What if's" are nothing more then negative thoughts. I am now in the process of changing all of my negative thoughts. There are many others here that have done this exact same thing with really positive results. Learning to change my negative thoughts to positive....has no downside. Anxiety is a habit....a habit that I can break simply by learning how to dissolve the negative thoughts that keep me anxious. I will start by watching out for my "what if's". (Deep breath)
I am cheering you on and am here if you ever need a lift. You truly are doing great. I see in your words the tides beginning to change. Just saying that you believe that you will get better is one of the most powerful statements one can make. We achieve...what we believe! I think I will make a t-shirt with that motto!...haha!
My best to you!
I've known a lot of psychiatrists who have said the most ridiculously obnoxious and offensive things.
That said, if your anxiety is mostly under control but you want to take something to keep it that way, there is a natural herb called L-Theanine that is really nice for maintaining a calm mood. Also Valerian root tea or chamomile. And the Chinese herb Xiao Yao San can be helpful to feel balanced.
There are SO many tools to treat anxiety apart from medication - although that's a valuable avenue for a lot of people.
I also believe that lifestyle changes can make a big difference. If you go from a high pressure environment to a calm, peaceful one, it will obviously help a great deal.
Any doctor that forces medication onto you is not a good doctor.
We have to all remember that doctor's are woed by drug companies all the time.
To me a doctor that insists on medicine is a doctor that stresses you out and therefore will increase your anxiety.
Seems to me that this doctor is the problem you need to avoid.
When we have any type of anxiety we need to avoid the people that cause it.
Doctor's are people too, and there are aggressive doctors that need to be avoided.