Depression, Debilitating Panic Attacks, and OCD

Formyownsake

... I have them all (plus maybe a little bit of alcoholism). I am trying to deal with them. I have sought help and things have gotten better, but I have had a few relapse days recently.

I am not sure what my purpose is in writing this post. I guess to see if there are any others of you out there?

dakotababy

I used to have panic attacks almost daily (at one point). It did not take me long to realize it was my very high-stress job was causing them. Once I quit, the panic attacks became less frequent though they still happen from time to time. Anxiety is one of the main trigger emotions I felt before, which I would reach for food. Now that I have dealt with anxiety, the emotional eating has also slowed right down.

I read self-help books to help. I would say I get mild depression at times, no OCD, and no alcohol issues. No medications for me.

Formyownsake

Bump... because I think I need help.

veganbettie

you should probably talk to you doctor.

I have anxiety and probably self medicate a little too much with wine.

Hugs. It's hard, but it's also important to talk to your doctor if you really are truly having more issues than you can handle.

lil_lizt

Heya, I also have OCD, BPD, chronic depression and GAD with panic attacks. My most recent panic attack was today when I had to get a bus and walk half a mile to pick my car up this evening. Both the dark and public transport are triggers for me and it was awful. I'm on medication to help me cope, but there's still days where I can't leave my house its so bad, and spells of that can last weeks. I've got no advice but I'm here if you need the support from someone in the same boat. You're welcome to add me

nettece1

I too have anxiety, depression and would self medicate with alcohol. I am recently divorced after 21 yrs of marriage and understand how debilitating depression and anxiety can be. I try to stay on the up and up but most days it's a hard battle, even with treatment.

kristimason3

Anxiety and panic attacks ruled my life for a long time. It is very difficult to deal with and I am sorry you are going through this. I still struggle with it sometimes and with occasional depression but it has gotten much better and my life is much fuller and happier now. So, it is possible to get better

nettece1

kristimason3 wrote: »

Anxiety and panic attacks ruled my life for a long time. It is very difficult to deal with and I am sorry you are going through this. I still struggle with it sometimes and with occasional depression but it has gotten much better and my life is much fuller and happier now. So, it is possible to get better

I have been treated for years and yes it has gotten better. I work a full time job am a single mom of 2 boys. One with high functioning autism. It's good to know that there is light at the end of what seems like a long dark tunnel. Thanks for the input!

SaraSteeves1993

I am dealing with depression and anxiety. A lot more people than you would expect have the and issues, not many like to admit it or come forward. I went though a lot in one year that caused me to hit rock bottom, I got help from my doctor. I have medication that I've been taking for about a year one, only when I need to. It gets better, it does sometimes you just get in a rut but you'll come out of it.

I suggest seeking help from your doctor, it'll make a huge difference but it mostly depends on you to make the change

dizzzigrl

I would definitely see the doctor first - but have you tried Yoga? I have anxiety and panic attacks but yoga and meditation have taught me how to get it under control.

Kass0708

I have depression, socialized and generalized anxiety as well as OCD. My anxiety gets so bad that I just start crying, I can't breathe and I get all nervous and clammy. My anxiety was so bad, and that was what kept me away from the gym. I was always thinking, everyone is judging me. However, I am on a few different medications and they seem to keep my issues in bay. I am now able to go to the gym. Don't get me wrong, I have good days and I have bad days. However, as I am changing my lifestyle to a more active, healthy lifestyle, I feel it is helping as well with my anxiety, depression, and well OCD I feel nothing helps that. With that I go with the punches, when someone says things like what are you doing, I explain and I say you can laugh, I laugh at myself sometimes with the things I do because of the OCD. Sometimes you have to, there is nothing I can do about it except just go with it and accept it. I hope this helps anyone with these issues.

VeteranMom

Is there possibly a physical reason that you are having these attacks? I was having terrible panic attacks for a few years. I started doing some research. I insisted my doctor test my vitamin D and B12 levels. My b12 was really low and I had to start injections. My D level was really low, too. Sometimes, there are physical reasons for not feeling well mentally.

jnv7594

ManagingIntake wrote: »

... I have them all (plus maybe a little bit of alcoholism). I am trying to deal with them. I have sought help and things have gotten better, but I have had a few relapse days recently.

I am not sure what my purpose is in writing this post. I guess to see if there are any others of you out there?

I've had all three all of my adult life and part of my teenage years. My first major panic attack was at 17, and that was 22 years ago. I was hospitalized twice for depression in my early 20s and have always had a mild form of OCD. I still have all of them, my panic attacks being the most unsettling thing. I had so many ER visits and ambulance visits to my home, they practically knew me by name. They can be horrific, and I completely sympathize with you on that. People that don't have them or have never had them simply don't understand. But they lessen in severity the more weight I lose and when I exercise regularly. I have lost a substantial amount of weight now, but prior to that my panic attacks were extremely debilitating. I had a hard time even going to the store...some days even walking out my front door, and I would have horrific night time panic attacks that would wake me up out of a dead sleep.

As someone who has been down this road for many years, my suggestion is to seek out a good therapist. Not just any therapist but one that you really connect with and can open up to. You may have to try out several before you find the right one, but it's important that you find someone you feel comfortable with and that knows their stuff. I went to so many that would just "talk" and that's it. It wasn't really that therapudic, and while it was nice to sit and talk, it didn't really help me learn how to deal with my issues and understand the root cause of them.

Also, exercise and change in diet is key. Go for walks and get some fresh air. When I started doing this, my panic attacks lessened within a couple of weeks. Take a friend with you or your phone with you if you are panicky about being away from home. Focus on your environment (nature, the fresh air, birds, squirrels ) as much as possible to try (and I stress the word try as this comes with practice ) to keep your mind from straying into stressful thoughts. Find some relaxation music and listen to it as you walk. Anything to make it sort of a meditative experience. Walk in areas where there are not a lot of busy streets if you can. This helped me tremendously. And there are certain foods for me that are panic attack triggers, and even can lead to me feeling more depressed or agitated. Foods heavy in sugar do that to me. Find your trigger foods, and either eliminate them or reduce them. As someone else said, check your vitamin levels. I was vitamin D deficient. Increasing my vitamin D affected my mood and anxiety in a positive way. Though it was not a "cure" it did help.

I guess what I'm saying is that there may be no one answer. No one magic thing you can do to lesson your symptoms. For me, it's a combination of several factors that improved my panic attacks, depression, OCD, etc. Do I still have them? Of course. But they are more manageable now, and don't interfere with my daily life and ability to function. I don't have that constant feeling anymore of the dark cloud over my head. But you have to be willing to help yourself. I was stuck in a rut for a LONG time where I didn't even try to get better. I just felt hopeless and like nothing would help. In reality, I knew that wasn't true, and I knew what I had to do. It was just about making myself do those things.

Good luck to you.

Lounmoun

My dh has severe anxiety, panic attacks, ptsd. He finally got on medication and it has helped him quite a bit. He still does therapy too. Meditation and exercise also help a bit.

Talk to your doctor. If things are really bad for you, don't feel bad about taking medication.

sodakat

If you are in an urban area, do some research and see if you can find a cognitive therapy group session for panic disorder. I strongly encourage you to try a group setting! Best of luck.

kcerrillo

Anxiety and depression. Makes it hard to stayed focus at times on weight loss goals. I'm a emotional eatter. But it can be done

kcerrillo

Ps medication helps me alllllot with both specifically my anxiety

theseaismyhome

I have anxiety, I always managed to control it to an extent, but after I got ill just over a year ago, it went crazy and was so so severe. Coupled with my health issues, I really struggled to get out of the house some days.

I'm now on medication, and finally feeling better both mentally and physically, but it's hard. People who haven't had it don't realise how pervasive it is, and how it overwhelms your whole life

yoovie

I have abandonment issues, trauma induced epilepsy and far too many phobias.

we're all of us wacky in some ways, just find ways to make your wacky parts work in your favor.

best of luck to you darlin!

Formyownsake

Thank you to everyone for your responses. It makes me feel like I am not alone. I hate that we suffer with this though... I have found friends in all of you and that makes today worth living.

kaylatomlinson73

I have all of those issues and I believe "stress eating" is what is keeping me from achieving progress on my weightloss goals! You should probably see a psychiatrist just to talk about it all and they will give you the med you need , my sister deals with these issues too and after she was talked to and medicated she says she feels 100x better! I'm going to get help soon too:)

LAMCDylan

I get depressed off and on. I used to be depressed everyday years ago but that changed. I experienced panic attacks, social anxiety, and some form of OCD as well, but none of this anymore.

My biggest problem is just being lonely and this gets me depressed.

LAMCDylan

PS: Any of you can add me as a friend if you want. I could even talk to you further about these issues and how I got over most of them. Please share your tips too.

Formyownsake

Thank you everyone. I feel better today but it's a day by day thing I guess. I am working with a psychologist and yes I am on meds.

Love you all.

nettece1

Yes it is day by day.

softblondechick

Glad you are here. I suggest each week taking a different food type, wheat, gluten, sugar, and experimenting with monitoring you moods, mental stability and energy level, in relationship to the food you eat. You may find a "cure" for a lot of your issues, just by diet changes.

mockchoc

sodakat wrote: »

If you are in an urban area, do some research and see if you can find a cognitive therapy group session for panic disorder. I strongly encourage you to try a group setting! Best of luck.

^ This helped with my anxiety attacks and I didn't have one for two decades afterwards. Now they are extremely rare. They taught me a simple breathing technique and it works because you don't feel out of control any longer.

Unknown

This content has been removed.

nettece1

softblondechick wrote: »

Glad you are here. I suggest each week taking a different food type, wheat, gluten, sugar, and experimenting with monitoring you moods, mental stability and energy level, in relationship to the food you eat. You may find a "cure" for a lot of your issues, just by diet changes.

Great idea!!

brown996

Moderate to severe depression, anxiety and bipolar tendancies. I do suffer fro panic attacks occasionally, I can't breathe, and I shake and get really dizzy and see black patches. I don't get them as often anymore though. Maybe 2 or 3 times a year now. It's especially hard because I try really hard to be a cheerful person but then once you've convinced everyone that's who you are, you're not allowed to have a bad day and you just have to keep pretending. It's nice to know there are others and I send the best of luck and love to all of you.

szarit1

YOu are definitely not alone. I have Bipolar Disorder and GAD. I deal with anxiety daily. I'm working on removing the stressful situations/people that trigger the anxiety. Medications have stopped working for both disorders, so I'm going to approach of daily exercise and eating right to help. If you ever need someone to talk to, just send me a message. I'm happy to help.