Anxiety & Panic

Medication is not a good idea for anxiety and panic attacks, since antianxiolytics are highly addictive and don't solve the problem, but just numben the symptoms temporarily. So please, don't start using them regularly, and only as a last resort if everything else fails! Also, it doesn't have to be a chemical imbalance, as someone suggested here, it may have purely psychological reasons. Different people cope with stress in different ways, and mostly, we have learned these patterns and it can be hard to break them. So basically, I think it's about finding a different way to cope, and learning it all over again.

It's great that your dad is helping you out, but maybe he's just too close to really help in a therapeutic way. That's why I think it's good you're seeing a therapist. We can't really give you any more advice here than that, but I get what you mean by talking to "normal"/"abnormal" people, so feel free to ramble. I guess all I can say is to take it one step at a time. Don't stress yourself too much about the panic attacks, either, because that's only going to make them worse. You've probably been told this before, but when your heart rate increases and you can feel a panic attack coming on, remember that your blood pressure actually increases, too, so you won't faint or anything like that. Try not to hyperventilate, as hard as it can be, try to breathe deeply and slowly, counting 22, 23 in your head. That may even distract you a bit, if you manage. And if not, don't pressure yourself about it, because that certainly won't help.

I've had problems with anxiety/depression for years, and, like you, it was paired with pretty strong OCD when I was a child (luckily, that lessened as I got older). I still get very anxious about tiny little things that don't seem to matter, but I've gotten somewhat better at handling it. If I had a master solution, I'd share it here, but I don't. All you can do is to try to keep a "reality check" on your thoughts ("What is the evidence that things are actually this bad? Is there another option than the horror scenario I'm imagining? Who do I have in my life who is important to me, which proves that I am not alone?"). It sounds stupid, but I try to make myself believe in the reality of the more positive thoughts. A lot of the time, it doesn't work, and it certainly doesn't at first, but it calms me down somewhat.

Maybe an outlet would also be good for you. It's up to you what it is, but to me, it's writing and playing the piano. Afterwards, I feel somewhat more emotionally balanced.

Hope that helps.

How ya doing, buddy?