Hello, I am a 37-year-old male, who has experienced anxiety and panic attacks now for about 8 years. It started when I was having an intestinal trouble a few years back that was finally diagnosed as IBS. I was very fearful every time I left my house because I was afraid of having a very un-pleasant bowel problem when I was out!

I still have serious bowel troubles, but it’s more manageable. The panic attacks; that I have now that is an offspring from the IBS is terrible! In the last two years, I have lost my job, my wife, and family. The worst part of having panic attacks is the fact that no one close to you can relate to what your are experiencing. In my case they feel that I just let things go and I am being lazy and will not look for work. Little do they now how scary it is when you have a panic attack. At my last job interview, I had to walk out because I had a very bad attack, now I am afraid it will happen again. What’s really depressing is now I sit in my home and my rent is two weeks over due, and living expenses are well over 800.00. I can’t pay for medical or physiological help; although I am still taking Paxil at the present moment. So instead of facing my panic attacks now I am facing being homeless and this has just made it worse.

My family has pulled away from me, and the only support that I have is my Paxil. My frustration and anger has pushed everyone away including my own family.

I have never felt so alone and hopeless as I do right now, and I am not sure how to manage this problem anymore and deal with life’s responsibilities at the same time. I am afraid I will be homeless and even more lost in a couple of weeks.

I have been to physiologists and have read three books on anxiety and still can’t get my self to realize the insignificance of this disorder from what I have read about it, and how its only thoughts and actions that makes it swell. I just can’t control it no matter how hard I try; it’s just too overwhelming!

This is crazy! I can’t believe it has come to this! I went from a very successful and well-respected human being to having nobody and nothing in my life!

Anyone else ever been here, and was still able to recover and succeed?