am I experiencing an anxiety attack?

[jae242]

Hello, first of all, my family has a history of OCD and anxiety, but I personally have never suffered from either, although recently I think Ive been experiencing an anxiety attack. Im 28 y/o, currently live in Bangkok, Thailand, (working as a freelance journalist); I think the anxiety is due to the political and societal crisis at the moment here. It's eerie to say the least.

My symptoms: My pupils are small/constricted during day time; its difficult to sleep; sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night in fear/dread, and dont know where I am; I feel like I have an 'adrenaline' rush during most of the day; Im dizzy during day times, and sometimes feel like Im going to faint; Im edgy, and twitch sometimes, and react nervously to any loud noise during day time; it's a bit difficult to think clearly. Also, I have mites in my bed, making it difficult to sleep sometimes, although the dermatologist has prescribed benzyl benzoate for this, and also Tyryptanol, to take at night.

Does the above sound like an anxiety attack, or perhaps I have PTSD?

Ive booked my airplane ticket to leave Bangkok the end of this month - any tips for getting through these next few weeks? Thanks ...

[jae242]

Thanks very much for your kind assistance. Ive booked my flight for Tuesday, Im getting the hell out of Bangkok! Im getting a health checkup tomorrow morning. Its Sunday evening now, and as Im typing this, am feeling a bit dizzy and like I might faint. I can also feel the mites crawling over my body ... whewee ...

I came here a few years ago without any symptoms of anxiety; the political/societal crisis here is reaching its peak, and may result in a violent confrontation between factions on Wednesday - watch the headlines ;). Thanks again ...

[RubyWitch]

I am woefully ignorant of current affairs as I don't know anything about the political or societal crisis happening in Bangkok right now. You describe it as "eerie," which can't be a good feeling to live with on a daily basis and you've also made arrangements to leave. Sounds like an extremely anxiety provoking situation to me.
Some of the symptoms you describe could be simply (sic) anxiety related, but many of them also sound like they could be induced by your living situation.
You say your family has a history of OCD and anxiety, but at the age of 28, you've had symptoms of neither disorder. While that is encouraging, and I don't mean to scare you, anxiety can begin at any stage of our lives. I'm not certain about OCD, but it's my belief, which could very easily be wrong, is that it usually presents earlier in life. Do you have any symptoms of it? Did you have any anxiety BEFORE you moved to Bangkok? I would assume that if you were aware of the political unrest prior to moving there, some anxiety would be expected. It would be normal and sounds like a very healthy response to a very real situation. Are you in danger there? If you are or feel you are, why are you waiting until the end of the month to leave? If that is the case, get out of there NOW. I respect your journalistic ethics of "getting your story" or whatever that saying is, but none of us wants to read about the strife in Bangkok if it cost YOU your life!
You wonder if your symptoms are those of an anxiety attack or PTSD. Has something traumatic happened to you? Are we getting the whole story here? PTSD comes about after experiencing a horribly traumatic event or series of events. Events that affect our minds and our lives very, very deeply. Has that happened to you? Is living in Bangkok so traumatic for you that it raised that question in your mind? If that is the case, I would urge you, AGAIN, to get out of country NOW.
If you can't, for some reason, leave immediately, I would suggest you find a doctor, preferrably one recommended by the American Consulate, if there is one there, and get a very thorough check up.......some of your symptoms could have a physical origin and that needs to be ruled out. The mites in your bed comes to mind! That is how I would spend my time waiting to get the hell out of there!
(I would need a doctor who made "under the bed" house calls, as, by the sounds of things, THAT is where I'd be!)
I probably haven't been of much help, and I apologise for that. This is a very unusual situation. If you are unable to see a doctor while in country, I would strongly advise seeing one as soon as possible when your out of there.  
Please let us know how you're doing, OK?
Take good care.
Peace
Greenlydia