Note from webmaster - It's here at last ! Share your experiences with others via email. Why wait weeks for this slack-o web site to update ?! Share your pain, your victories and possibly your medication with other gentle folk interested in panic attacks & those other related disorders.

Yes,i have seen more emergency rooms than Marcus Welby.... I think that I have been having panic attacks for several years now.

The first time that I remember having a panic attack it was a very hot day in July about 8 years ago, I was 19 years old. I left work and my car didn't have A/C, while driving I started having chest pains, nausea, nervousness, dizzyness, and a feeling that I was going to die.

I went to the ER at the local hospital- I really thought something was REALLY wrong with me. The ER did some tests and said everything was ok. Weeks after I started having chest pains quite frequently, this scared the hell out of me, I thought constantly that I was going to die.

About 6 years ago I went to China, I was eating in a resturant and got very hot, started to feel dizzy, chest pains, nausea (I did end up vomiting), nervousness, fast pulse rate and the same feeling of dread.

Sometimes these attacks have started interfering with my normal life- I can't go out with my friends riding motorcycles or to a movie theater, sometimes they happen when I am at home just watching tv, and doing things that I enjoy. This is the strange part- when I am having a really bad attack I will lie down and try to take a nap. When I wake up I feel GREAT.

I don't ever remember having an attack after I first wake up, even if the nap was only 20 minutes. I have had probally a thousand attacks and even though I thought I was going to die, I always wake back up.

Also, I have never had an attack while under the influence of alcohol, I never have chest pains, nervousness, dizzyness, nausea, feeling of death, fast pulse rate. But if I drink too much I always have an attack mixed in with my hangover unless I sleep all day and stay on the couch. (I've quit drinking for 6 weeks to see if i can control these attacks better, but it doesn't seem to be working)

My symptoms are as follows:

Hot flashes, nervousness, dizzyness, fast hearbeat, chest pain, flushing skin, nausea, numbness in my arms or legs, pains that seem to move around in my chest, feeling of death or something extremely bad is going to happen to me. I seem to prefer being in a cooler temperature enviorment. I never use illegal drugs, but I am taking Prilosec for heartburn and an occasional asprin or tylenol for a headache. I can go sometimes for 3-4 weeks without expericncing an attack, but it always seems to come back.

I have went to a couple of doctors several times but they always say that nothing is wrong with me. But I know that this is really happining to me. They also point to stress but I really don't feel stressed out about anything.

Throwing open the gate,looking down the road therapy was one of my very own idea's that never worked for me as the road had space beyond time. Don't get me wrong on this,it might work for others...i hope so...

********** My name is Louise and I used to suffer from chronic anxiety, depression and panic disorder. I worked on these problems. That was long and painful but I finally got rid of them without drugs or behavioral therapy. But I kept from this experience, the thought that we shouldn't have to suffer that much to get out that tunnel. Today, I have found a new way to help people who suffer panic disorder or/and agoraphobia. It is a simple and fast way of getting rid of the symptoms.

I'm sure you all know the symptoms of those disorder. If not, there are lot of sites where you can find them so I won't repeat. I will simply ask you if, thinking of your panic attack, you can rely to a feeling of vertigo, like if you were going to fall in a black hole, in a nothingness.

If so, here's a way to help you. You have to know that when the first panic attack occured, your brain firmly believed (because of the vertigo) that you were going to fall in the nothingness and then die. It instantly reacted as it always does when you are in danger.It sent a message to your suprarenal gland to produce excess adrenalin so you could be ready to react. As soon as the adrenalin spread in your body (few seconds) your pulsation got up and you breathing ccelerated, causing a form of hyper-ventilation. This explains the symptoms.

You probably didn't have consciousness of that vertigo, because it lasted one second or less, but your brain feeled it. Nobody really knows what causes the vertigo but they exist and the only way to heal is to help our brain understand we are not going to die.

The only thing you remember is maybe that you had awful symptoms that seemed to have no reason to appear. But now, you know there was a reason.Your brain believed you were in danger and he reacted normally. Sadly, it recorded there was a black hole in front of you and still believes it. That was a good reason, for him, not allowing you to go forward or creating a lot of fear that maybe brought you to a partial or full agoraphobia.

If you still can rely to what precedes here is a single tip to help you with panic. Your brain believes there is a black hole in front you? Show it there is not. Just imagine there is a road in front of you. Visualize a road beginning right in front of you and going toward the horizon, any kind of road. Your brain will change its false belief of a nothingness. There is no black hole if there is a road. Just stop to feel the sensation of inner peace and calm when you see that road. When you feel anxious, simply do the effort of seeing your road. The effect will be instantaneous.

This exercise doesn't give a long-term relief to panic disorder but it helps not losing control when anxiety occurs.

If you are interested in this new way to deal with anxiety and panic, let me know the results you've got. If that kind of visualization is efficient for you, it will be possible to get new tips for longer-lasting results.

I have a question that, perhaps, you could give me some leads? I begain having panic attack and depression after a very difficult family problem ....about 10 years ago. They were off and on and I used xanax to control them. After a number of years my Dr. suggested Paxil 10mg and I have been on that med for about a year or so. It has been a blessing to me. No more PA's, no more migraines, no more anxiety or depression. I guess I was a little low on serotonin.

My question is this: DO any of you PA, etc., sufferers, have a family history of Attention Deficit Disorder? Or Learning disabilities? Have many of you had a history of bedwetting past 8 years of age?

I have been doing some research for my son, who was diagnosed as ADHD as an adult. (H is for hyperactivity) Not all ADD folks or children are hyperactive. Many have a regular activity level, a mixed one , or even are "couch potatoes."

My brother is ADD and had been labeled retarded at an early age. So, in our family is is prevalent. My kids do seem to have a lot of the symptoms, as we are all anxiety ridden. One had OCD and an Eating Disorder. We all wet our beds well past 8 yrs old and we had trouble in school paying attention. We all had trouble with math....some had difficulty with reading and others did not. We all are college graduates....BA's to post doctoral....so please don't think we are not doing well. We are all very happy and love our family and have a lot of fun. But, it would be interesting to find a "reason" for our similiarities in learning and psychology. And, it would be interesting to see if there is some correlation in the population, at general, with Panic/Anx/Depression/ OCD, etc. I have read that they are all under some umbrella of Affective Disorders?

We learn through many venues -psychologically perceptually proprioceptoraly anectdotaly intuitively - there are many learning theories and theorists I am not formally either but can with some confidence report that anxiety sufferers who suffer from panic disorder or agorophobia gad etc have to some degree or another a cognitive slump or wall that they hit at one point or another in their processing of information-this is not a learning disability per se but a intellectual emotional hedge or loss of connectiveness.

It may be due to many factors including the anxiety level itself. People suffering from add adhd aspergers epilepsy tourettes etc share certain apparant characteristics but these appearances are not actual tangible similarities-anxiety is an expression of emotion and physiologic response to that emotion or spurious unfounded unconnected responses nuerophysiologically based.

The pathways of learning within our brains have much to do with how these things are manifested but their etiologies are different their treatments different as they are different conditions that share similar expressions.

As for bed wetting -it is not a topic I have studied in relationship to anxiety disorders as an adult or the ramifications of enuresis on this-I did not wet the bed beyond maybe 4-or so-I can only speak for myself at this juncture. Much of enuresis at young ages is caused from sleep archetecture and under developed bladder control-this can be part of the picture as we age as well and then various emotional issues can play a part-like fear or fear of waking sleeping getting out of bed etc. It can also be a release expression as a symptom of fear. As a symptom it can be addressed by increasing ones tolerance to fear and regaining some measure of control over it as well as a perceptual change in how one views oneself.

I have a relative who bed wet well into her prepubescent years and today is a bright physician so correlations between enuresis and adult manifested syndromes is difficult to make conclusions about.

It happened one day So the say, that day I believe that day was in May.

I went to the doc and oh what a shock I was as crazy as a coo-coo clock

Doc said dear don't worry, don't fret I have the thing that will cure you yet

You do, do you doc (I was in for quite a shock)

From beneath the white coat (touting *da cure*) The fine doc pulled out... A script for the X

Oh the fine benzo he gave me, They go by so many names Valium, Klonopin, Xanax, Ativan and on.

The street name I hear For the one that I take, I cannot believe Purple People Eater (I think not)

So its not perfect but better than most It helps me be a most gracious host(ess) I go to work I drive my car Opps, I forgot I left the door ajar.

My keys how they hide... The car it got lost in the big parking lot (I had driven the truck) The milk left behind at the store

A small price to pay for all the good that it does I walk down the street, without fear I no longer feel like I'll hit the floor My heart doesn't pound The room has stopped spinning My hands are not wet My tummy feels fine

Oh thank you doc for the magic pill It has cured all my ills

Yes--I have a severe anxiety disorder, Yes I finally got the government to grant me a disability retirement (couple weeks ago). NOW--I have become paranoid, more lonely and who knows what else. I also stopped the zoloft at the same time. (Don't you all yell at me at once for this. But, I figured--save money etc. bulls--- etc.)

My sleep has also been like a yo-yo. Mostly lack of due to the paranoia. When I was uptight and fighting my inward battles everyday waiting for the gov. -- I was "ok".IF THAT MAKES ANY SENSE.

Now, I am paranoid that somehow they willtake the disability retirement away from me at some point. Maybe by making me see one of "their" doctors. (Have I seen too many Mafia movies? But-- if they can give it to me , they can take it away right? At least that's the impression I got from the form letter which said i had been approved.

Where does it end? It would seem, that the government with all the documentation that I had to provide them-and with the condition from which I ("we") suffer-- they would not threaten me with a kinda maybe you'll get better --between now and 60 yrs of age. At which time--we will cancel you.

Am I crazy or what? Are you there Margrave? Anybody?

********** A Response

There is an old zen proverb-he who has nothing to fear does not fear the knock on his door at midnight. Or something like that. Paranoia? not really the right term-anxiously worrying what you worked for may be rescinded yes.

Now you have one less distraction from your anxiety so the anxiety becomes the gestalt or the foreground again-this is usual and expected. You have compounded this gestalt shift by abruptly stopping your ssri;not a good idea. So you get rebound anxiety less distraction and the original anxiety probelm you went on disability for in the first place.

Your goal isn't to collect disability and withdraw into hermitage-it's to collect disability and fight to get better. The problem is an anxiety disorder the goal is to get better not to just acheive monetary remuneration-if zoloft is too costly change to a generic med like imipramine or amnitryptiline etc.. they cost little and go a long way-also work on managing your anxiety not just resting your laurels. Sorry for shaking you a bit but you got your goals and destinations a bit skewered a bit confused-no one is going to take away your disability you worked for it and recieved it legitamately-but now be proactive in getting better recovering and maybe one day getting back into the work place with a different less stressful job that may be a positive rewarding experience for you.

ell, I'm very proud to say that in spite of feeling really panicky, I ventured out with my oldest daughter (1 1/2yrs) to the grocery store. Of course it was a small store, not ready for the mega markets yet!

But what's even better, is that for weeks now I've wanted to go to the hardware store and get some clearcoat for my deck chairs, but of course I had been avoiding it. Well on my way home, I stopped and bought some.

I even had to stand in line...which is really hard for me.

I even tried talking myself out of stopping, had to turn around in the parking lot twice before I decided that "this is it...do it now!" I know that's not much of an accomplishment for some of you that manage to go out to work or shopping on a daily basis. But considering how down I've been lately...it was the accomplishment of a lifetime. Maybe that's it...I just have to force myself to do things!

Thanks for listening and for the continued support that I have come to find here.

*********

A Response

i didn't go the shops on my own until last year. I had always had agoraphobic tendancies, so i know just how excellent you have progressed. believe me, in respect of the shops, there will be no holding you back. (says she who hasn't been over the front door in 4 days!)

It's really the fear of fear that makes you stop and think - what's going to happen, isn't it.

You have made a splendid achievement. we are all behind you on this one. It makes my day to know that someone is experiencing the joy of being outside.

Hope you experience it again very soon. Keep up the momentum. You'll do great, I'm sure of it.

///\\\

BRAIN REACTIONS

That sudden , overwhelming sense of fear & panic is mediated by a region of the brain called the amygdala.

When your brain is faced with overwhelming threat, the amygdala kicks in and assumes control - you react by instinct because there is no time to think. It is the brain's fear centre. A team of Swiss, French and US researchers, led by Dr Florence Crestani, of the University of Zurich has developed a transgenic mouse whose behaviour closely parallels that of humans suffering anxiety disorders.

Brain imaging studies of humans with chronic anxiety disorders show they have abnormally low concentrations of GABA(Gamma Amino Butyric Acid) A-type receptors in certain regions of the brain. They concentrate on the hippocampus, the organ that mediates memory and parts of the cerebral cortex, the "thinking/reasoning" surface of the frontal lobes of the brain.

People suffering Post Traumatic Stress Disorders or anxiety disorders can sometimes be treated with benzodiazepine drugs. These drugs work on GABA receptors.

It is thought that up to 25% of the population has experienced an anxiety attack, PTSD or a phobia at some time in their life. Approx 35% of women who have been raped experience PTSD.

The reasons why some people who are exposed to traumatic situations develop anxiety problems, while others do not, can possibly be traced to genetic predisposition, specifically the GABA-A receptor sub-unit gene. An individual only needs to inherit one copy of the form of the gene involved in the abnormal fear response to be susceptible. A traumatic experience or other trigger does the rest.

Australian actor Gary Mcdonald, known for his roles in "Mother & Son" & "Norman Gunston", reflects on his anxiety condition.

All human beings have anxiety - it's just a natural part of life, it's just that you don't want it to get out of hand. For me, it's like a white noise in your head & I just can't think straight. There are people who have panic attacks every day; they might have 5 in one hour.

My life was always work-related, or else watching my work, or reading about my work. It tipped over into social phobia - I had trouble going to restaurants, meeting people, going to parties.

Lots of us with anxiety want someone to rescue you. No one can rescue you. You're the one who's going to have to do it.

That was my first anxiety attack when I was smoking dope, when I was about 21. Marijuana can trigger anxiety. And psychosis is quite common.

Margaret - " I couldn't even go from the bedroom through to the toilet. It was an unbelievable experience. I felt humiliated because I had to ask my husband to come with me. "

I just wanted to know like there are other people out there who could share what i was going through. I hate my panic attacks, they started since I had annorexia and my parents split, that was when I was 12, now i'm 16 and I still have them. I just wanted to know how to cope. I've found that pranyahma, (controlled breathing) helps my breathing rate and palpitations, but nothing seems to combat the terrifying feeling of loss of control and fear of death. It keeps me awake some nights just sitting in terror, afraid that if I even lay down to sleep, it'll start over. The problem is i get this overwhelming fear of something but as to what it is I have no clue, I just don't know The only other thing is disattatchment, I feel it in situations, with people and its so diffcult. You're in a crowded room, but really you're alone, simply an observer of what you can never again be part of. I love interaction with people, it's what keeps me going as a person, loss of association has made it all strange again. Any self confidence I had I lost and closeness to people comes and goes, I can't hate, but neither can I love and it's scary, all i want is that closeness back again, just to feel.

Well..I finally have found an apartment. I am officially moving out of my home and breaking up with my boyfriend of 9 years. It has taken months to find a place that is affordable and will take my small dog. In the meantime I have been living here with him, and i have been slowly dying inside watching nine years with someone I love dearly come to an end. It is best for several reasons, but I still am in love with him.

My anxiety has increased, but a very low dose of Klonopin has kept it somewhat in control...to make matters worse, a very deep depression has set in..it is the "have no energy, sick to your stomach, hopeless, all i can do is lie down and stare at the wall" kind of depression. I know it is all related to this long break up and the unbelievable stress it is causing. I dont know how to be by myself again...I am 28 years old and my life seems like it is too long..stretched out in front of me. I know eventually this will all work out, but right now, I feel so incredible alone, small, lonely, exhausted, and terrified of the next few months.

I am seeing a wonderful therapist, but she has been out on maternity leave..I hate to burden people in my life or worry them with how I feel. Please tell me I can do this. How do you stop living in the past and find energy for the future. I literally feel as though I have 21 days left of the only life I have known for the past 9 years.

Hearts are broken every day, but until it is your very own, you just cant imagine the searing pain.

I never thought it could be so painful. I know there are much much worse things that happen to people, and I am grateful for what I have in my life, but right now all I can see is what is ending, how scared and sad I am, and how not like my usual self I feel. I am an independent and somewhat confident person. I take good care of myself and my affairs. I have a good personality....but for the past year I cannot find that person. I hope she will come back. I miss her. I need her :(

If there is one thing the medical establishment is good at diagnosing or ruling out, it's got to be heart problems. If you've had the tests, especially the threadmill stress test and checked out OK, then it's not your heart, so you can relax and stop looking down a dead end. It just feeds the PD.

Stop beating a dead horse! If you were going to have a heart attack, you would have had it by now.

Those of us who have trouble exercising have got to rebuild our exercise tolerance very, very, very gradually. It is doubtful that lactic acid is the problem, because we can't possibly exercise long and hard enough in our present condition to produce much extra lactic acid.

The problem I think is twofold (at the risk of oversimplifying). First, the fact that the heart beats faster and that we need to breathe more are signs that our minds recognize as triggers for PAs. We don't even have to think about it. It comes in a flash, because our minds/bodies have become so conditioned to respond to the slightest bodily sensation (especially those involving the chest and throat areas).

Second, we have become so sensitized to our breathing that we are constantly vigilant about it and our parasympathetic vs sympathetic nervous systems have become unbalanced in such a way that feel we must breathe on manual all the time (this perception is false, of course). This can only be magnified when we exercise and start to actually need more oxygen.

Consequence: we begin to hyperventilate even as we are exercising, with the result that we get all the symptoms associated with hyperventilation, including vague chest pains and chest tightness, and then Whamo! Panic Attack!

If any of you are like me, your breathing will feel even worse after you stop the exercising, and you may panic for an hour or two until things settle down. This is because we are already hyperventilating, but since we need the extra oxygen while we are exerting ourselves, some of it gets used up and the symptoms of hyperventilaton aren't as bad.

Then, when we stop, we consciously maintain the breathing rate that is causing hyperventilation in the first place, and of course then we get the full hyperventilation treatment, the sensation of smothering, etc., since are bodies aren't using up the extra oxygen anymore. So once again, Whamo! Panic Attack! over Panic Attack!

This all used to be called cardiac phobia until the psychiatric establishment started classifying the various symptoms into the system of nomenclature we have now (PD, SP, PSTD, OCD and so forth) -- and as men in our late 30's to 40's, we know we are more at risk for a heart attack, so we are particularly susceptible to this curse.

The thing is, if you've ever talked to a guy who has actually had a heart attack and compare chest pains, you will likely find that there is no comparison between the vague chest pains we get and the unbearable, crushing chest pains of a real heart attack.

Moreover, we tend to confuse "heart attack" with "sudden cardiac death", which are not the same thing. There is usually plenty of warning for a developing heart attack, and plenty of time to get to an ER. Another sign is that there is nothing you can do in terms of feeling the surface of your chest or in moving that will affect real angina or heart attack chest pain. If you can make yourself feel the pain by moving your arms, bending down, twisting or what not, then you can be pretty confident it's not a heart attack.

I do however think it can be a mistake to listen to people who advise us to just keep on exercising through it all. I think there may actually be a danger in that. Hyperventilaton and exercise don't mix and can pose a real threat. I think it is safer to stop when the symptoms come on. As I already stated, we have to rebuild our exercise capacity ever so gradually, at a level that doesn't bring on these symptoms, and hope that we can get better little by little.

I used to be a bit of a gym rat and now the mere thought of exercise brings a 'heart attack' panic and I like you have had all the tests and I like you are still convinced I have something wrong other than

anic :-(

I really feel that the final part of the road to recovery is getting back to the gym but I have tried everything. My theory is that the increase in heartbeat and breathing sets off the panic response.. thru habit

My doctor keeps insisting that I exercise as part of the overall treatment for my PD, but I'm not too motivated to do it, because I know it's going to be a horrible experience afterwards. Last year I even enrolled in a supervised exercise rehab program that was held in a gym/running track floor inside of a heart hospital, just minutes from the adjoining building where a full-service ER is. The program was staffed by cardiology nurses, of which there was always guaranteed to be one on site during each session, not to mention a couple of specialised cardiac rehabilitation physiologists, and a crash cart right in the room in case something happened.

Just to illustrate how bad and strong PD is, I had to drop out after the first session. Not only is it extremely embarrassing to have a PD in such a setting, but it does absolutely no good to have a qualified medical personnel there to help. The panic attack still has to run its course, and when it's over, you sit there both exhausted and humiliated.

And I'm a guy who used to play agressive squash games at least 4 times per week, and cycle for miles, so much so that I had a resting heart rate of 41, and a so-called athlete's heart just like professional road racing cyclists and other high endurance athletes do. This was right up to a few weeks before the very first PA. I'd had to stop for a while because of a slight knee problem.

Little did I know that I would never again exercise seriously or ride my custom road bike more than around the block a couple of times. Even that causes a PA, no matter what med I take or how much I've taken (and I've taken them all, believe me).

Now I've been fighting this for 6 years. I hope you guys have better luck than I've had. One thing I don't do anymore though is try to keep looking for causes or a heart problem that isn't there. I just accept it as PD.

In the end I decided to switch to Zoloft by tapering...over-lapping for a couple of days (if any one is interested in this I've been keeping a day to day record of dosages and how I felt). My doc knows nothing about anxiety treatment (she told me to stop

axil dead and even flatly denied that

axil afftects male sexual function...had to show her the references...think she hates me now :-)), so I made up my own transition programme. It seemed to work well for the first few days...got off the

axil ok and I've now been on 50mg of Zoloft for aprox 6 days.

And...yeah...my sex life is largely restored! Some reduction in arousal but orgasmically functional!! The problem is that I've started feeling really bad during the last couple of days... anxious during the day but worst of all waking up every night at 5am and then sleeping restlessly with scarey, vivid dreams until morning. The dreams are incredibly complex and detailed...it kind of reminds me of night terrors that kids get.

Last night I woke at 5am and had a really terrifying dream/PA cross-over thing where I felt that dream and reality were merging, I was losing myself...got so bad that I wanted to physically tear at myself to dig out the awfull feelings... :-( Bad dreams have always played a role in my anxiety problems...but not in this regular kind of way...it's making me dread the nights...

I took a bit of Valium yesterday afternoon...just to keep the anxiety down...helped a bit but the night was still horrible. Any one experienced this with Zoloft? Will it go away if I keep on the Zoloft? It kind of feels to me that it's working its way out of my system every morning at 5am and I'm feeling the withdrawl. When I wake up I need to urinate desperately (don't normally go during the night) and I always go loads...irrespective of my fluid intake. It's almost as though my seratonine levels go wild as they return to normal.

Will increasing the dose make this better (by giving me 24 hour cover) or is Zoloft just not suitable for me? Might taking a small dose of Valium at night to help me sleep...until I'm weened onto Zoloft be a good idea (not keen of this 'cause I drink in the evenings and I'm fully aware of the Valium/Alcohol dangers).

I dont know if anyone can help or please exchange experiences, but I have developed a terrible fear of flying. Its not that I have'nt travelled much by air. I live in England and have travelled by air throughout europe. The trouble started a few years ago when I had a trip to australia. Firstly the flight was nearly 24 hours which didn't help. But as soon as I got on the plane I felt anxious. Did I sleep? Forget it, no chance, I could'nt even close my eyes throughout the flight.

Travelling over Europe was a calm flight, but as we got to the mountainous areas of the Himalayas, we hit bad turbulance. I was terrified. I thought I must get off now! The worst part was only a few minutes, but I could not belive a 747 could shake so violently. If only I could predict exactly where turbulance is and for how long, I dont think it would be so bad, but Its so uncertain. Anyway, thats my story, even since that flight, even the thought of flying fills me with dread.

My panic disorders start when I am in a car driving. So now the doctor has put me on paxil.

axil helps me but, it's not helping my stomach. Does anyone else have problems with paxil?

Winona Ryder's devotion to filming the best-selling memoirs of a young woman's life in a mental institution is deeply personal.

"There was a time, when I was 19, when I really thought I was going crazy," Ryder says in the November issue of US magazine. "I was exhausted and going through a terrible depression. I had had panic attacks since I was 12."

The 28-year-old actress says she just snapped when her young neighbor

olly Klaas was murdered, and checked herself into "a home for the crazies." "I would walk down the halls at night, and I'd see other people doing the same thing. We'd look at each other, like, 'Oh, hi. You, too?'...I left after a few days and found a doctor and did intensive therapy for a year.

That's the same choice facing her character in "Girl, Interrupted," Ryder's producing debut, due out in December. "I hope that it can offer something to other kids. Maybe if they think they're crazy, at least they'll know they're not alone."

Intro

Anxiety is how we respond to stressful situations or danger. While a certain amount is normal, some people develop anxiety to the extent that it affects their day-to-day living. It develops into an anxiety disorder of which there are different types. Anxiety disorders are common and treatable.

Symptoms

1. Feeling irritable, uneasy, losing concentration.

2. Feeling that you are about to lose control of your mind.

3. Difficulty getting to sleep and/or difficulty staying asleep.

4. Frequent strong feelings that something dreadful is about to happen.

5. Fast pulse.

6. Breaking out in a sweat.

7. Headache, nausea.

8. Vomiting , diarrhoea.

9. Trembling, shivering.

10. Tense muscles.

11. Dizziness, a sense of unreality.

12. Feeling you are having breathing difficulties, hyperventilation, tingling hands.

13. A strong urge to run away !

Causes

1. Recreational drugs - Marijuana, Ecstacy, LSD.

2. Stressful lifestyle. Lack of sleep. A traumatic event.

3. Certain medical conditions such as heart & thyroid conditions.

4. Side-effects of certain high-blood-pressure medications.

Types

1. Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD)

Excessive anxiety & worry about work, money health, relationships & danger.

2.Phobias

An intense fear of a specific situation (more focused than agoraphobia) eg spiders, heights, needles, closed spaces. Also applies to social situations (ie social phobia), where the fear is of things such as eating, speaking or writing in the company of other people. They feel they are being watched closely & fear being embarrassed if they make a mistake.

3. Panic Disorder

Sudden recurring attacks of instense fear, with or without apparent triggers. Sufferers fear a loss of control and become convinced they are going to die. They experience an overwhelming urge to escape. Many people suffer their first attack after working too hard or taking recreational drugs.

4. Agoraphobia

A semi-rational fear of places & situations which may trigger an anxiety attack and from which escape may be difficult (eg crowded cinema, heavy traffic, elevators). Avoidance behaviour often increases until the person is afraid to leave their house. In some cases, the avoidance behaviour increases further until the person fears certain rooms in their own house.

5. Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

A person continually thinks about & needs to repeat a task (eg washing hands & checking locks). These tasks take more & more time until the sufferer's life is greatly affected. The sufferer is aware the behaviour is abnormal & is often embarrassed by it.

6. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

Sufferers experience nightmares, flashbacks, anxiety & are easily startled. They may also become depressed. This condition is caused by a single traumatic event in the person's life, such as a car crash, war, violence, death or fire.

TREATMENT

Drugs are often used with good effectiveness in controlling symptoms of anxiety, although they are not a cure. Sufferers are frequently reluctant to commit themselves to a course of drugs, as they fear addiction & side effects. Most modern drugs used in the areas of depression & anxiety are harmless for most people. A commonly reported side effect in such medications is a reduction in sexual performance. Some common drugs are Xanax, Aropax, Paxil, Zoloft, Valium, Prozac, Buspar & Effexor. Unfortunately alcohol does not help !

There has been a great increase in herbal & non-drug treatments for anxiety in the last few years. Some common treaments are - vitamins (especially B group), St Johns Wort, Valerian, Kava, Cal-mag (by Biometics).

Some people overlook the most obvious treatment - sleep ! Not just one night, but a consistent program of solid uninterrupted sleep. This should be the first thing you try. The second should be a holiday - a real one, not just time off work & not just replacing it with other forms of drudgery & stress. Yoga, meditation & regular physical exercise can also help.

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MARGOT KIDDER SLAMS DRUGS

Margot Kidder called on her "fellow nuts" to take control of their treatment for mental illness. The actress said Thursday at a mental health conference that she uses herbs and alternative treatments to control her manic depression. "I was able to do it - and I was really out of it, as most of you saw on the news," she said to laughs.

Kidder lambasted the use of drug treatments as a "pharmacological lobotomy." Three years ago, she made headlines when she was discovered in a delusional state in a Los Angeles neighborhood. Pictures of a disheveled and confused Kidder were broadcast around the world. "All those National Enquirer reporters, I didn't want them along for the ride," said Kidder, who played Lois Lane in the "Superman" movies.

Spirit, Mind & Body. - Reading through the comments made by all of you were comforting and helpful. Collectively, I see both mild and severe cases of anxiety or panic disorders as a combination of things that trigger an imbalance spiritually, mentally, physically, and emotionally all a reaction to the many different situations one may have in their life, or what one deals with day to day.

As I analyze stressful situations or conditions, job related matters, substance abuse, poor physical condition, naming a few, collectively, I view each area as a trigger to the disorder singularly or collectively.

. You will find that as you change each of the collective areas or ingredient(s) that make up the "formula" causing the disorder, as changes are made Spiritually, Mentally, and

hysically, we disrupt the "formula." By disrupting the formula, the condition then improves itself from within the mind and spirit which is the central awareness of our existence, and then our body which is the physical aspect of our existence. What bothers us spiritually and mentally, bothers us physically as well.

Spirit, Mind, and Body. For instance, one with substance abuse problems, no relation with our father in Heaven (spiritual knowledge), and poor physical condition, added with stress and insecurity can be a harmful formula for one, where a pinch of failing health, 200 phone calls a day, years of prayer, however, a pint of financial problems can be the a formula for another. Find your formula or the things that are really troubling you, write it down, and find a solution to disrupt the ingredient(s) of the formula that is harmful.

But start with the spirit. Work to perfect yourself from within, so that your body can respond to the change. A little herbal drink morning and evening w/relaxation helps too!

Without the spiritual and mental changes we develop within ourselves, our physical change cannot improve. Drugs can offer a temporary solution, however, the long-term solution is inevitable to survive the condition or the condition can worsen as the "formula" works itself deep within us.

The spiritual relationship one has with God is crucial to the improvement of the condition. Most of us will find that the formula is not but one we created initially ourselves. For others, the formula is circumstantial. Adding to the formula with other harmful ingredients without changing or ridding some of the initial harmful ingredients first can be deadly.

So please, work it out within yourself, on paper, and with God through prayer. Keep in mind that there may not be an instantaneous result for some of you, but be patient.

Introducing positive changes and characteristics as new ingredients to the formula, even attitude adjustments can interact and help one disrupt the negative ingredients of the formula.

I am a 27 year old female, mother of two who has been suffering from anxiety and panic attacks for about 8 years. I sometimes still wonder what triggered my first attack. I try to link stressful events in my life to this terrible disorder I have but I just can't come up with a conclusion. I get so many different answers from so many different doctors and therapists that I just dont know whom to believe.

I can recall an experience that I had the first time I tried coke, It gave me really bad psychological and physical effects such as fever, trembling, euphoria, etc. I felt many of the symptoms one gets with a panic attack. Automatically after this event I was never the same, immediately I went to my doctor and had a drug test done and all that came out was CAFFEINE. I don't know what was in that coke that I tried but it must of had lots of caffeine.

Anyhow, at that point my doctor said I had suffered from a panic crisis. I took a month off work to recuperate and with the xanax I was a walking zombie. This was the first time I had ever taken anything for anxiety. Well to make a long story short, it's been a bout 8 years of that incident and I'm still dealing with panic. I have been on and off medications for all those years, but really havnt stuck to a treatment, I hated taking medications, I was too young. My panic increased with my first pregnancy and decreased with my second pregnancy which terminated on june 1st of this year.

I had a healthy baby boy with a very debilitated mother that had held all that fear for 9 months not to harm her baby with medications. I had a few panic attacks in the hospital after having a c-section. This was when I decided I really needed help.

I got the "baby blues" so my Ob-Gyn, gave me a pack of ZOLOFT, to treat my panic. I was so depressed and panicky I didnt even let this take it's effect untill I quit the medication and went to a phychiatrist. I asked to be given EFFEXOR, which had moderately improved me somewhat at one point in my life. I had taken

axil and imipramine but they didn't work, or maybe I just didnt like them. Anyhow I have been on the lowest dose of EFFEXOR XR for 2 months with xanax and I am now begining to want to continue living.

I still havnt got my energy back, but it has definitely helped with my anxiety and panic.

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