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anxiety and depression causing me to possibly not grad highschool...

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Anxiety & Panic Disorders
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Posted 3/21/2011 3:38 AM (GMT 0)
anxiety is nothing new to me, ive always had it. but up until recently ive been able to hide it really well, i also have depression. this year, i went to the doctor to see about getting prescribed medication to help, seeing as its getting out of control and counseling hasnt helped either. now that i am 18 ive gotten more comfortable the the idea of anti depressants. Its my senior year of highschool, second semester and i am failing three classes i need to graduate due to lack of energy and ambition. most people sum it up to laziness, even my mother although i think shes starting to see that its really due to my anxiety and depression worsening. i started zoloft about three months ago and it had no change or difference, and two weeks ago my doctor switched me to celexa, which seems to not be having much of an affect either. my doctor reassured me its rare to have an untreatable case but that he also thinks i undermine my condition (which i hate to admit is true) im just so afraid that i am not going to graduate. its also taken a toll on my sleeping and my immune system, ive been absent alot this year due to being sick and it has gotten so hard to catch up. i dont know what to do and im getting so frustrated with this darn disorder crap, but its not something i can completely get rid of, id like any outside input if possible. thank you.
Posted 3/21/2011 3:58 AM (GMT 0)
Keep trying different meds until you find one that really works for you. I am 19 and know what your going through not exactly because we're all different but I have a pretty good idea of how you feel. I had anxiety, depression and PTSD all through high school and didn't reach out for help until my junior year. I always thought it was a phase or that everyone was like me but once it affects your daily life you start to realize that maybe you need to talk to someone. I know it seems that sometimes things will never get better because you are so used to being and feeling bad because it's been that way for so long but you need to remember that just because something didn't work for you doesn't mean the next thing won't either. Hang in there don't give up and continue with meds until you find one that works and get help, see a therapist it will really help and they can prescribe meds your regular doctor can't.

Good luck I wish you the best hang in there!
Posted 3/21/2011 3:58 AM (GMT 0)
Hi dancer and welcome (I am a dancer too-teacher/choreographer:))
I am sorry to hear that you are struggling right now. I can imagine how anxiety could affect your situation. I didn't really ecounter problems with it until later in life, so I can't imagine trying to deal with it at your age!

I am worried that if you don't get some resolution for this, that it will continue to take a toll on your health. School of course is important, but your health is everything!

You said that you tried counselling, but didn't find it effective. Can you give a little more detail about it. What kind of therapy? How long did you attend? I am asking because there are specific kinds of therapy to address anxiety and depression, and these sometimes take a couple of months (assuming you attend weekly) for progress to start to show. I personally went through two courses of CBT therapy, and was still seeing results even after I had completed the work. That's a total of six months before everything in total 'kicked in' for me!

I encourage you to keep working until you find what starts to help you feel better. I also found that reading books on anxiety recovery helped a lot...knowledge is power:)

Again welcome, and feel free to post here anytime with questions, sharing, or vents:P

Take care,
Scaredy Cat
Posted 3/21/2011 2:37 PM (GMT 0)
dancer18,

Hello and welcome. Sometimes when we are near the end of something we have been doing for a long time we become afraid of the unknown and may sabotage ourselves. You are facing the end of 12 years of school as you know it and have been comfortable with most of your life. Now change is just down the road and it feels to me that you may be worrying about the "what if's ?" that are connected with fear of change.

Try not to run in circles looking for a quick fix as you fear you are failing. Instead find a good therapist and work on how you can improve your grades and talk about your fears.

Medications may take 4-6 weeks to kick in and sometimes up to 8 weeks for you to receive the full therapeutic dose. My Pdoc reminds me that there is no magic pill as the meds may help but we still have to work on feeling better about ourselves.

Many years ago when I graduated high school I let many people tell me what I should be doing after high school and I tried to be the " good young lady" and please others. Remember you must take care of yourself first.

Graduation means you've completed another chapter or book in your life and ready for the next adventure. Live life to the fullest and pursue your dreams. Allow no one to tell you what career, business, or profession to pursue. Experience everything that life has to offer and enjoy the ride!

Stick with us as we are here to hlep you.

Kindly,
Kitt
Posted 3/22/2011 7:43 PM (GMT 0)

Dancer 18

    Give yourself a break, Every minute spent on worrying about your symptoms, is only another minute spent

on perpetuatng your disorder!  Please visit amazon.com and read the free text offered on this book,

 " The Jokes On Us / The Innocent Mind " ! It will make a difference in how you feel, and especially the way you deal with this disorder! Take this to the bank " If you want to be normal, Act normal " ! Read and believe

what you read, if you have any questions, ask and you shall receive ! You have an overactive power of suggestion! OK 

Posted 3/22/2011 8:03 PM (GMT 0)
Dancer 18,
After reading the other posts I had to add a post script, with due respect to the others! #1- all symptoms of these different forms of this disorder are the same, only the triggers vary, so please judge for yourself! There happen to be many people like you and I who do not realize any benefit from medication, and you have to understand almost all normal people 99.99% can not understand whatever you are feeling, they have no conception of what this disorder does to us. There is a saying, if you were to tell a stranger about your symptoms, they would think it a joke or believe you quite mad!
Best Regards !
Posted 3/22/2011 9:03 PM (GMT 0)
christophegoerg

Welcome and thanks for both posts. I agree many people have the same sx of anxiety but there are many phobias out there too.

Two major goals of patient-centered therapy are increased self-esteem and greater openess to experience.

Some of the related changes that form of therapy seeks to foster in clients include closer agreement between the client's idealized and acutal selves; better self-understanding; lower levels of defensivenesss, guilt and insecurity; more positive and comfortable relationships with others; and in increased capacity to experience and express at the moment they occur.

I have been in therapy 4 times and it is always about me, not the therapist.

Take care and I appreciate your outlook.

Kindly,
Kitt
Posted 3/22/2011 9:19 PM (GMT 0)
Dancer 18
Give yourself a break, Every minute spent on worrying about your symptoms, is only another minute spent
on perpetuatng your disorder! Please visit amazon.com and read the free text offered on this book,
" The Jokes On Us / The Innocent Mind " ! It will make a difference in how you feel, and especially the way you deal with this disorder! Take this to the bank " If you want to be normal, Act normal " ! Read and believe
what you read, if you have any questions, ask and you shall receive ! You have an overactive power of suggestion! OK
I think that there needs to be a balance when dealing with anxiety and panic. Do we acknowledge it? Yes! Do we dwell on it? No!

Giving the anxiety too much power over us by centering on it is not productive of course...but neither can we just 'act normal' and wish it away. It is a real disorder with mental and physical causes. You certainly wouldn't tell a diabetic "If you want normal blood sugar, just act like you have normal blood sugar"

Seeking treatment in whatever way works for you is always a smart and commendable thing to dosmile It is a personal choice what route you choose, and well worth the effort. Don't give up, or let anyone persuade you in your decsion...it is yours and yours alone.

Good luck
Scaredy Cat
Posted 3/22/2011 10:22 PM (GMT 0)

Scaredy Cat,

With all due respect, what I post are absolutely things I experienced including therapy, which may I say did absolutely nothing for me!  have been an advocate for anxiety / panic / agoraphobia / acute avoidance / depression / for over thirty years since my recovery and whatever I recount are things that I have been closely associated with. There are many things that occur to people with these disorders that are triggered by many things, but I found that each of them are fear based disorders and as such are due to an obsessive

preoccupation with ourselves! I have simply expressed my experience with thousands of panic attacks that left me housebound for years, and if my past mental disorder can show some options to others for recovery

I'm thankful! Let me say, that I have been a victim of the most manic forms of these disorders that I write about, and I absolutely do not write to disagree with anyone or their particular problems with any of these  mental dilemma's. I would be more than happy to have a further discussion with anyone regarding my past ordeal?

From Dictionary.com

Anxiety disorder: the inability to keep from dwellng on and anticipating fearful situations and to think of nothing else!

Thank you for your input and keeping a fair outlook on all posts!

Posted 3/22/2011 10:38 PM (GMT 0)
Hello,

Discussions should be balanced and suggestions concerning the scientific validity of such remedies are open for discussion also. We are all entitled to our opinions and when those differ from one another, we can show respect even if we disagree. Each person comes from there own core values.
I am not suggesting in anyway that any part of the comment s in this thread are disrespectful.
Thank you kindly,
Kitt
Posted 3/22/2011 11:28 PM (GMT 0)

stkitt,

Thank you for your return  post to me, my writing may seem agressive but I would say it is emphatic because

of what I have learned about this subject. The reality and facts about these disorders escape most who are affected, I can tell you that the biggest reason that hinders recovery is denial and disbelief of how easy it really is to recover! If I were to tell you that after all the years of my disorder, would you believe that I recoverd completely after an emotional confrontation with my wife outside of an emergency room, not in weeks, nor in days, but in a few hours? That is the absolute truth, that is one of the reasons that I base everything I've learned on that experience!

thanks again,  

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