Need some help, please!!!

[melNP623]

Ok, so I'm new to this but have been reading your postings and thought this might be a good place to start. So I'm fairly young (29) and healthy and am quite happy with my job (as a nurse practitioner) and don't at all feel stressed or depressed. A few months ago, I began to notice that as I was sitting at a red light behind a bunch of other cars, waiting to turn left, that my heart started pounding, I got very shaky and sweaty and felt like I wasn't breathing and about to pass out.  As the light changed and I started moving, that all went away (few seconds, maybe). The same thing happened on a crowded escalator but only when going up, not down.  Now it's gotten to the point where, if I'm "stuck" behind other cars or behind people that I freak out. I'm okay if I'm first in line or if I'm moving, but once I'm stopped I feel trapped. It's gotten so bad that I alter my routes now to avoid one-lane roads where I might be stuck behind someone at a red light. And it's not that I think anything bad is going to happen- I don't feel impending doom or have thoughts that I'm going to get hurt or die, I just start having somatic symptoms of my heart racing and so on. It's also important to note that when I'm moving I feel fine. (Which seems odd and not your typical panic disorder). And I never feel like this during any other situation. Only driving and going up and escalator. Weird, huh? What seems to help is if roll down the window and focus on something stationary outside of the car but otherwise "talking myself out of it" doesn't work- I guess because I don't legitimately feel like something bad is going to happen like in true panic attacks. Plus, I know when it's going to happen.  It's starting to get bad now, every day,  at every red light and every up escalator. Maybe it's because I don't feel in control. Not sure. Sorry so lengthy, but I need some help and thought this was a good place to start. Thanks!

[xanweaner]

A agree with spade22 re: finding a therapist who can assist with this. Don't go to a psychiatrist because you will be put onto medication. Right now, you are only experiencing this phenomenon in 2 situations - escalators and traffic. You can overcome this! Since you're a NP, you can appreciate the need to find a Ph.D. psychologist, hopefully someone who specializes in panic disorder.
If you can get relieve from visualization techniques, etc., without drugs, I definitely recommend it. Take it from me who has been on the roller coaster of anxyiolitcs, AD, mood stabilizers, it's the way to go.

[spade22]

Just to add, these things can sometimes just "come out of the blue" and for no apparent reason.  However, a lot of times there is a trigger.  Feelings of panic tend to be much worse (or come about) after times of stress - sometimes it may be months after a stressful incident.

[spade22]

It sounds like you may be developing mild "agoraphobia" and associated panic attacks.  Agoraphobia is essentially the fear of being in a situation where you feel "trapped" which is the exact phenomena you describe when you get "stuck" in traffic - an elevator would be another example.  In these uncomfortable ("trapping") situations one may have a panic attack and develop a fear of that happening again and being "avoidance behavior" - again, something that you  describe.

I recommend you make an appointment w/ a therapist to discuss your concerns.  They can help with a diagnosis and recommend techniques etc. to help you overcome your fears.  Now would be a great time to see someone since this has started fairly recently and its best the take care of this before it gets any worse.