Question about anxiety disorders / therapists

[W_HAMILTON]

I've had some pretty severe anxiety issues over the past few years, but had been able to manage them somewhat due to my pretty stable life where I run into the same situations over and over again, so I get acclimated to them and they don't make me nervous as much.

However, due to circumstances, I am looking for a new job in the hospitality industry, and my anxiety problems are being more of a nuisance. I get nervous driving to all these new places, I get nervous applying and doing interviews, and I know I will probably be even more nervous when I finally do get a new job and am stuck in a brand new place, full of people for 8hrs. My heart starts racing, I feel sort of nauseaous, I turn red, and if I'm driving I feel like I'm about to pass out or something. It makes new situations like hell for me.

Soooo, my question is this. Should I invest in a therapist? I checked around, and it sounds like around here they are about 95 bucks per session (each session around 45 minutes). I know this is something that I need to get control of, and I'm pretty much in debt as is due to some medical bills. But I figure it would be a worthy investment, if it actually would help to get me over my anxiety and panic attacks. The last thing I want to do is pile on another few hundred dollars worth of debt, and see no results. But if it does actually work, it would be a huge boost to my life.

Anyone have any experience with a situation like this? And is a therapist worth going to, or does anyone else have any good advice on how to get over my anxiety problems?

[femmocrat]

1. Have you tried anti-anxiety meds first?

You can get a prescription from your family dr. cheaper than going to a therapist.

[W_HAMILTON]

4. That's what I wasn't sure about

I've never really talked to my doctor, or anyone about it. I figured it was something you had to talk to a therapist / counselor about. How would my doctor even go about diagnosing my anxiety problems? I figured anyone could go up to their doctor and say that they have anxiety issues, then get all sorts of prescriptions. That's why I wasn't sure I should even discuss it with him. I have a follow-up appointment with him in a few weeks, maybe I should just wait and talk to him about it?

[Monk06]

7. I have had to deal with mild forms or A/D. Maintenance....

of depression is a long term strategy usually
through the prescription of an SRI based med.

I use Effexor. It's old but effective and not
freaky like Paxil.

Anxiety needs immediate attention. Especially
given that you are going through interviews.

If you can't control your anxiety in those situations
you will probably blow the interview, adding to both
anxiety and depression.

Get a prescription for a fast acting anxiety med.

Valium has a bad name due to addiction from chronic
use but in emergencies it is an excellent solution.

Employers want calm clear thinking staff. Nervousness,
poor concentration and lack of focus due to anxiety
are not in your best interests.

[Floogeldy]

10. The doctor will diagnose based upon your stated symptoms.

He or she can prescribe an anti-depressant and something like Xanax with just one visit.

After that, you can probably find free counseling. Check the phone book.

Good luck, and remember that you know more about your job than any of those idiots that interview you. ;)

Floog

[flamingyouth]

2. I think it can help; the trick is to find the right therapist for you.

I highly recommend this book, "Mastery of Your Anxiety and Panic," which has been helpful for me.
http://btobsearch.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbninquiry.asp?z=y&btob=Y&pwb=1&ean=9780195187007

Looking for a new job is very stressful even for people without panic and anxiety.

Meditation, yoga and biofeedback can also be helpful. Good luck. :)

[blues90]

3. I went through this for many years

I did'nt even know what it was at first other than it's not something you want to go through more than once .

I began with a old time clinic with a great regular doc , now days most shrinks always just talk to you for the first session and then hand you a script , if it works they refill it . i found one shrink that was actually good but my insurance changed every year so he was off the list .

For the most part in is pills and if they don;t work it's different pills . I just take valium now and it works for the most part . I was on zanex but this stuff is difficult to get off of .

[fizzgig]

5. see if there are mental health resources for people

without insurance in your area (i'm assuming you don't have insurance) and start there. therapy, for me, wasn't too helpful my anxiety but everyone is different, or if it's feasible (again working on assumptions) see your primary care doctor about it and see what they recommend.

i've found visualization works for me if i start working toward an anxiety attack: picture a calm or happy place and focus on it, see each detail and breathe deeply.

don't know if it helps, but good luck.

[philosophie_en_rose]

6. I'm not qualified to give medical advice, but there may be alternatives

Maybe see if there is a clinic or a therapist with a sliding fee scale in your area.

Be careful though. Just like all vocations, there are therapists that may not be compatible or competent.

In Washington, any yahoo with $40 can be a "Registered Counselor" in the State.

[Digit]

8. A quick, self help method you can try...link below

It is called the Emotional Freedom Technique or EFT. You can do a search for it on YouTube and find a demonstration that is about 10 minutes long you can adapt to your situation.

A guy named Gary Craig also has a website with free d/l of the technique.

Although it does not make sense logically (to me) how this can work, I have used it on several occasions to get rid of headaches and once to overcome a panic attack.

Hey, it's free.

Best of luck to you.

[sakabatou]

9. The best thing, IMO, which has helped me out

is having someone to just talk to. Not a therapist per se, but just having someone there to talk to.

[Giant Robot]

11. Mental health worker here

And I have to agree with a lot of what people have said to you so far. Your doctor can certainly diagnose you with some type of disorder and prescribe you medication; that is within his/her ability. But what you may run into is that he/she may not be comfortable doing so. Some doctors avoid working with mental health concerns and just refer people out. I encourage you to speak with your doctor about this. I asked my doctor for an anti-depressant a few years back when my life was pretty much going down the tubes, and he asked me what kind I wanted, because he did not have much training in that area and deferred to my knowledge.

Certainly you can try to manage this with meds alone. That may work well for you. But I encourage you to work closely with your doctor on that if you go that route. Most anti-anxiety meds have a high risk of dependency, and that certainly is a problem you do not want to add on.

I am not sure if you have insurance or not. If you do, call them up and ask what kind of mental health coverage you have and who the providers are. If you do not/there is no coverage, non-profit agencies will usually work on a sliding scale. You could also call your local crisis line for referrals for free/low cost counseling.

When you call to check out a practitioner, ask a lot of questions. Ask about their qualifications, how long they think you will be in therapy, what types of techniques they use, and how they are willing to work with your budget. Honestly this will give you the best indication if this will be a successful venture, based on how good you think you mesh with this person. If you are speaking with them, and just don't like something about them, or some technique seems wacky, or they think you will be seeing them longer than you think is necessary, move on and find someone else. The therapist really needs to be in synch with you here. I hope this helps and was not too confusing. Good luck.

[W_HAMILTON]

14. Thanks for the replies everyone

Also, I always wasn't sure that meds would help me, since I figured that they helped only involuntary sort of anxiety issues. My problem is mainly mental. It's not like I just have attacks pop up for no reason; I usually worry about it a little beforehand, then when I'm in the situation, I start thinking, "well, what if I get sick or something?" and my heart starts racing, etc, then that's when the "panic attack" starts. Usually if I'm in a situation for awhile and grow comfortable with it, my anxiety issues aren't as much of a problem.

Can medication help problems like that? Where you're basically bringing about the problem yourself?

[Oeditpus Rex]

16. Yes

In allaying anticipatory anxiety, meds allow you to think more rationally rather than succumb to the "what ifs," so you can analyze situations and learn what external stimuli are causing the anxiety.

When you're panicking, you're focused on the panic, and it's pretty hard to do anything about it. That's the first thing you need to address — you stop the bleeding.

[bluethruandthru]

17. I think panic/anxiety issues are largely physical..not mental.

This is why SSRI's work so well. Panic/anxiety disorder tends to run in families. Some doctors say that the onset of menopause can increase attacks.
I went to my family doctor, who also has a PhD in psychology, and the first thing he told me was that I wasn't crazy and that I had a physical, not mental or emotional problem.

I had been in therapy when I was younger for panic attacks and it did no good other than giving me some good coping strategies once an attack happened.

I've used a combination of SSRI's for several years and no attacks, no panic!

[W_HAMILTON]

18. Oh ok, I had no idea

As I said, it seems like I bring them about myself, so I thought that traditional medicine and prescriptions wouldn't be able to help me. Ok, thanks for the advice everyone! I think right now, I just plan to bring it up with my doctor at my follow-up appointment in the next few weeks, and take it from there. Again, thanks for all the help.

[dajoki]

12. See your family dr.

Good Luck.

[dajoki]

13. See your family dr.

Good Luck.

[Lady Freedom]

15. All the time!! Go to a councilor and then take it from there!

They can narrow it down and send you to whatever the next step needs to be. Either send you to a MD or a Psychologist. Sometimes something in your lives spooks us and we have not handle it enough for our body/mind or there is a imbalance in the brain that is causing a backfire in the flight or fight mechanics that is handled with meds.