Topic : Fears, Phobias and Anxiety Disorders

My name is nikki and im 21 years old. I was diagnosed with severe depression and had my first suicide attempt when I was 12 years old. At 17 I was diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder and Agoraphobia. This is a very childish fear but Iam absolutly terrified of Thunder/ Lightening storms. I know its silly. But I have heard such horror stories of people getting struck by lightening and getting burned, trees falling, etc.

 

Im also afraid of driving people in a car. Im not afraid of driving myself. I dont want to be responsible for someone else's life if im behind the wheel. I make my boyfriend drive everywhere. I havent had anyone be my passenger in about 6 months. Does anyone have any pointers?

 

 

Im not sure if I should post this under this message board but Ive had a problem for years now, it seems that all  I do is talk about it in therapy and it doesnt get any better. I dont even know what to call it. Basically all I have is my boyfriend. I dont have friends, I dont work ( im on social security disability) I dont have a social life, Im not close with my family. I eat, sleep, breathe *matt. It seems that im in way over my head. Like to much to the extreme. I always do this, I had a best friend, I revolved my whole life around her, she consumed me. Well we are no longer friends and I just latched on to the next thing to keep me breathing. Does anyone know what this means. Is it OCD? If anyone can give me some in sight, it is greatly appreciated.

Okay, hi, I'm 20 years old. I have posted on here explaining about a death of a child three years ago and I thought that I had found some answers to what was wrong. Me being mad at the man who attacked me. I still believe that is the problem, however, I was just looking up on google.com a few "symptoms" that I have and I didn't find anything to explain this. I'm wondering if anyone here knows what could be wrong so I could mention it to my dr.

For the past, I'd say about two years now, I've been afraid to be left alone, I hate it when people fall asleep before me, I have to fall asleep first or I don't feel safe.

The only problem that is I fear more my thoughts then I do someone else coming in here. I don't know what it is. It started when my sister Amanda moved into my mothers house, and I remember the night that I started to have distructive thoughts and started to become scared to go to bed. She was blaring music at 11pm till 5am in the morning, I kept telling her to turn it down over and over again and she wouldn't. I had an interview for a job I needed to get to see my, now, fiancee And that night I just had something that snapped. I couldn't take her annoying me anymore.

I do have a history of PTSD, panic attacks, clinical depression, and anger issues.

 

I have mentioned these to Drs and I do tell them my worries and everything but none of them seem to really mention anything else. I'm just wondering if ANYONE has an idea of what this might be so I could possible mention it to them.

I'm currently pregnant and I don't want to be like this when my son gets here.

 

I'd really love it if someone could give me some ideas.

Thank-you very much.

 

 

Lindsay.

You sound like you have a phobia, an irrational fear of thunder/lightening storms.

 

Phobias are all the same. One may be afraid of spiders, another afraid of pennies, another afraid of fying.  To the people who have phobias, they are totally real to them and they will revolve their lives  and avoid them at all costs.  I have suffered from anxiety/panic attacks & phobias for over 20 years.  Last year, I conquered the last one, fear of flying.  I hated any enclosed spaces elevators, tunnels, bridges, subways and yes, planes.  I could picture myself being in a plane banging on the doors 20,00 feet above the ground and not being able to get out.  I wasn't afraid of crashing, I just wanted to get out when I wanted to get out!   For 24 years I refused to fly.  I tried all the basis therapy and nothing worked.

 

I found a Dr. in NYC who was on the news who did virtual reality/biofeedback therapy.  Made the appt. and 3 months later I flew, still can't believe it!    www.behavioralassociates.com

 

They treat everything from OCD to social anxiety and yes, thunderstorms!!!  Visit the web site and give them a call.  Changed my life!

I've been going to therapy for about 5 years now-1on1,group,forums and i've been on 20-30 combined different medication's and it seems to only feel worse by the day. I hear the feedback from my peir's and therapist and understand it all but i think it's a little more complicated then being told what hasn't worked for me so far. My problem is my mind (memory,thought's) is my worst enemy. Living in this unfair, unjust world seems to overwhelming for a person only looking for peace, respect and a chance to succeed without the "unneccessary" distraction's from other's. I realize that i set myself up all the time with these thought's, but knowing this and understanding the result's does not help to take away the feeling's of anxiety and anger i feel towards other's. When i assertively tell someone "I feel" statement's, i get laughed at. When i assertively tell someone that i can not do this or help them, i get the cold shoulder for week's, sometimes for good. You know what statement's bothers me the most is " except the thing's you can not change, some things are out of our control". Especially the one>"that's just the way some people are".  It's bad enough that "they" do it to other's, but when they do it to me, it's unacceptable! I've put up with this kind of stuff since elementary level and i'm 45 now and it's time to stop! Because of what's happened in my life i have an abundance of documented disorder's. They are: Generalized Anxiety, Major Depression, Agoraphobia, Severe Social Anxiety,Panic Attack's, Post Traumatic Stress, Uni-Polar and Borderline Personality. I have even read into E.C.T. and liked the part containing the side effect's on "Memory Loss". Even though i realize that this is not a feaseable thought but i feel that this is what i need to do in order for me to function. My severe Depression causes me to isolate, lose my appetite, feeling of difficulty trying to rebound myself back into a functional mode. I have been thin all my life and this feature has always been made fun of by other's. With this depression and lose of appetite, i can not afford to lose weight given my natural size. No one knows but me how hard i've tried to accept thing's, try to forget thing's, try to overlook thing's. The therapist's end with " it's all up to you and what you take with you" and that's why i feel hopeless and helpless. Knowing and willing doesn't feel to be good enough. The traumatic experience that my alcoholic brother had caused has pushed my anger towards other's over the line by fabricating a story to the local police that I was suicidal/homocidal and willing to take myself out and other's because he was upset that I had firearms because i worked for Brinks and he was jealous that he couldn't have them because he was a felon and he got obnoxiously drunk one night and i turned my back on his attitude and he decided to formulate a plan in his head to get me back and being to drunk to realize the realm of the consequences for me by fabricating this story. By the time the cops found me that night, my brother almost got me shot that night by officer's and even though I was not charged with this crime because of documented proof of innocence, this situation is to hard for me to accept in my life. I blame my brother Todd 95% for this but the police for one, never asked me my side of the story, never informed me that night what he hade stated to them, treated me guilty before i was charged with anything, i got scraped up being thrown to the ground, hair was pulled out of the back of my hair leaving a huge bald spot in the back of my head. Alls i can say without debate, that there was no justice there from neither parties involved including the court judge the way she had talked to me and i felt stripped of all my morals.If your own family could do this to you, imagine what other's could do! And have done! Maybe i need a Psychoannylisis. Insurances don't pay for that and I am unable to work because of my disorder's. Maybe i'm helpless??

MajorDepressed~Guy

I am 22. and as a kid I was chased  by dogs 2 seperate times. And I just moved into a new house in CA a month ago, and people leave  their dogs off their leashes and even though this one dog was nice, when it came up to me I had a panic attack and ever since im afraid of dogs coming up to me off leashes, I have this fear of going outside because im scared the dog will get me. I wont even walk to visit my husband at work anymore because of it. What can I do?

Buy a can of Mace or pepper spray.... I think you have to take a class or something - I don't remember but that may give you some piece of mind. Call the police department in your area and ask them what is the rules on pepper spray or mace. The mail carriers use one of them..

 

However... be aware that some dogs just keep charging after you spray... I've seen it happen...

 

Also know that dogs can sense your fear... so if it's a bad or mean dog... it will know right away that you are afraid... that may hasten the attack...

 

Try going to a dog shelter... There are tons of dogs there, but they are locked away and can't get to you... This confrontational type of way may help you because at least you can be close to them, but not to close and they can't get to you and deal with your fear...

Thanks for the advice but what I was looking for, was how to get over my fear of leaving the house and if I do see a dog that is nice, not mean how do I get over my fear of handeling dogs that are nice but just off leashes.  I mean if a dog is nice, I want to be able to pet it but im scared.

I can understand your sentiments. I feel like the world is against me at times and I carry around a feeling of injustice. I'm 45, have been through an abusive marriage have few family and friends and am told I am to blame for everyone else's problems. I'm told I have no emotions, can't feel - here's a thought - perhaps if I was treated halfway decent and like everyone else then I would be able to express my emotions properly. I have been to a counselor a couple of times but it does not help. I have been told by others I have a personality disorder but that hasn't been diagnosed by professionals.
I have trouble sleeping and eating and am also quite thin.
I don't think you are helpless - I don't think I am either. Sometimes I feel hopeless - like everyone else is better off without me but then I think why - why should they have a great life and not me. I deserve everything too and I think I will have it coming to me - happiness and health and people to respect me. I have to believe that and so do you.
All you can do is not let them get you down - try and flow through each day peacefully without letting the people who want to block you and harm you get in your way. Do it gently and peacefully, just ignore those who seek to harm and praise those who actively help. I know that like me you dwell on every bad thing that happens but look at it this way - it is not healthy for you or me - those people are healthy and getting through each day better than us so can we try and put those thoughts aside and think about things we would love to do, places we would like to go, books we want to read, movies we want to watch. That's what I am trying and I hope it works. I have to put negative thoughts and emotions aside and be as positive as I can be. I hope you can too.

need help