Weird feelings

[windsurfer555]

Hi - This weird stuff started happening out of the blue one Tuesday. I woke up one morning feeling uncharacteristically agitated as I tried to go about my business at work. It got so bad that I had to leave early, I just felt so off and couldn't focus. In the weeks since this has happened, I feel very anxious, but not about anything in particular. It is honestly difficult for me to leave the house at this point because I'm worried if I do something, I will feel panicky. My sleeping is fine, but when I eat, it feels like I am gagging on the food, forcing it down. It's just that food is extremely unappealing, which I have never experienced before. My brain also seems to be functioning in a very very different way from before this. Every time I feel an emotion, I feel physically sick to my stomach. Like if I watch a movie and its sad or there is a twist, I start to feel sick. Or if an inconvenience happens, I'm overwhelmed. I've never struggled with these things before. What has happened to me? Is it the onset of madness??

[Paxiled]

Anything happen around that Tuesday that might have affected you deeply?  What you're describing certainly fits the description of an anxiety disorder, and if it's getting difficult to leave the house, if you don't intercept this thing it could turn into something called agoraphobia.  I think it would be a good idea to see a doctor for a very thorough exam, covering all the physiological conditions that can cause anxious thinking, such as thyroid, blood sugar problems, hormone imbalances, hidden viruses, etc.  If you're taking any new meds, many can cause side effects that can make you anxious, such as starting cortisone.  So it could be a lot of things.  While anxiety does seem to come on suddenly, when you look back you can usually see it coming -- what happens is it changes from episodic to chronic.  In your case, if you're not an anxious person who has irrational levels of fear normally, it would be unlikely though not impossible for you to be completely fine one day and suffering a severe anxiety disorder the next.  So the first thing is to eliminate something being physically wrong with you.  If you don't feel your general doc gives you sufficient attention, and they rarely do -- and you will tell if he or she does nothing much but writes you a prescription for an anti-anxiety drug -- try to find what's called a functional physician in your area.  This is a psychiatrist who has remember he's a doctor and will try and eliminate all possible physiological causes before labeling it a mental problem, which unfortunately usually have no known cause.  They don't take insurance and are hard to find outside of major metropolitan areas, so try your regular doc first.  He should give you a blood test that tests for a large number of conditions that can cause anxiety.  I can tell you the mental mechanism that is afflicting you -- you had a traumatic experience with the sudden feeling of agitation and what followed, and you internalized it, expecting it to happen whenever you felt similar feelings.  This is how we develop chronic anxiety disorders.  Avoiding is easy, but it makes it worse, which is why speed in getting appropriate treatment is important.  If it turns out nothing physical can be found, I you're left with a psychologist who specializes in anxiety treatment -- most don't -- and possibly a psychiatrist if medication appears necessary, but any way you can stay functional will help, exercise will help, meditation and yoga can help you keep a certain amount of balance.  Good luck.

[GIlylouise]

I'm not a doctor, I am majoring in psychology. but it sounds like really bad anxiety... possibly Generalized anxiety disorder? I wouldn't use the term "madness" but I suggest you go to your doc and talk with them about the symptoms. Hope you're feeling better! (: