Generalized Anxiety Disorder

Hello.

I posted this in another forum as a response so I hope it is all right to post it again? It seems better suited here.

I have suffered from Generalized Anxiety Disorder for years. Mind chatter is one of my symptoms, as well as the brain never shutting down. I tried to describe it to my therapist once but had trouble, so I put the radio on and as I manually switched channels, I recorded commercials, people talking, music and static all at once. Only then did she fully understand.

Part of the prob with GAD (or any other diagnosis for that matter) is it mimics so many other things that could be wrong medically. That's why Dr.'s shrug off your complaints once they find out you have a psychiatric disorder.

This list comes from www.anxietycentre.com

Common Anxiety Symptoms

Here are some of the many symptoms associated with anxiety disorder (because each person has a unique chemical make up, the symptoms and their intensity will vary from person to person):

BODY

Burning Sensations throughout the body
Chronic Fatigue
Electric shock feeling
Excess of energy, you feel you can’t relax.
Feel like you are going to pass out or faint
Feeling cold or chilled
Hyperactivity, excess energy
Increased or decreased sex drive
Muscle twitching
Neck, back, shoulder pain, tightness/stiffness
No energy, feeling lethargic, tired
Numbness or tingling in hands, feet, face, head, or any other places on the body
Persistent muscle tension, stiffness
Sore or tight scalp or back of the neck
Startle easily
Sweating, uncontrollable profuse sweating
The floor feels like it is moving either down or up for no reason
Trembling or shaking
Urgency to urinate, frequent urination, sudden urge to go to the washroom
Warm spells
Weak legs, arms, or muscles

CHEST

Chest pain or discomfort
Concern about the heart
Feel like you have to force yourself to breath
Find it hard to breath, feeling smothered, shortness of breath
Frequent yawning to try and catch your breath
Heart – beating hard or too fast, rapid heartbeat, palpitations
Heart - Irregular heart rhythms, flutters or ‘skipped’ beats, tickle in the chest that makes you cough

EMOTIONS

Dramatic mood swings
Emotional blunting
Emotions feel wrong
Frequently feel like crying for no reason
Fears
A heightened fear of what people think of you
Afraid of being trapped in a place with no exits
Constant feeling of being overwhelmed.
Fear of being in public
Fear of dying
Fear of losing control
Fear of impending doom
Fear of making mistakes or making a fool of yourself to others
Fear that you are losing your mind
Fears about irrational things, objects, circumstances, or situations
Fears of going crazy, of dying, of impending doom, of normal things, unusual feelings and emotions, unusually frightening thoughts or feelings
Heightened self awareness, or self-consciousness
Need to find nearest washrooms before you can feel comfortable
Need to seat near exits
Head
Dizziness or light-headedness
Frequent headaches, migraine headaches
Feeling like there is a tight band around your head, pressure, tightness
Head, neck or shoulder pain, tightness/stiffness
Giddiness
Shooting pains in the face
Shooting pains in the scalp or head
When you close your eyes you feel like are beginning to, or will, float upwards
Sore jaw that feels like a tooth ache

HEARING

Frequent or intermittent reduced hearing or deafness in one or both ears
Low rumbling sounds
Ringing in the ears, noises in the ears, noises in the head

MIND

Desensitization, depersonalization
Fear of going crazy
Fear of losing control
Fear of impending doom
Feelings of unreality
Frequent feeling of being overwhelmed, or that there is just too much to handle or do
Having difficulty concentrating
Obsession about sensations or getting better
Repetitive thinking or incessant ‘mind chatter’
Underlying anxiety, apprehension, or fear
You often feel you are carrying the world on your shoulders

MOOD

Always feeling angry and lack of patience
Depression
Feeling down in the dumps
Feeling like things are unreal or dreamlike
Frequently being on edge or 'grouchy'
Frequently feel like crying for no apparent reason
Have no feelings about things you used to
Underlying anxiety, apprehension, or fear
You feel like you are under pressure all the time

MOUTH/STOMACH

A ‘tinny’, ‘metallic’ or ‘ammonia’, or unusual smell or taste
Choking
Constant craving for sugar or sweets
Constipation
Diarrhea
Difficulty swallowing
Dry mouth
Feeling like you can’t swallow properly or that something will get caught in your throat
Feeling like your tongue is swollen
Frequent upset stomach, bloating, gaseous
IBS
Lack of appetite or taste
Nausea or abdominal stress
The thought of eating makes you nauseous
Tight throat, lump in throat
Vomiting

SLEEP

Difficulty falling or staying asleep
Frequent bad, bizarre, or crazy dreams
Hearing sounds in your head that jolt you awake
Insomnia, or waking up ill in the middle of the night
Jolting awake
Waking up in a panic attack
You feel worse in the mornings

SIGHT
Distorted, foggy, or blurred vision
Dry, watery or itchy eyes
Eye tricks, seeing things our of the corner of your eye that isn’t there, stars, flashes
Eyes sensitive to light
Spots in the vision
Flashing lights when eyes are closed
Your depth perception feels wrong

TOUCH

Numbness
Pain
Tingling, pins and needles feelings

Other symptoms are described as:

Hypochondriac, muscle twinges, worry all the time, tingles, gagging, tightness in the chest, tongue twitches, shaky, breath lump, heart beat problems, head tingles, itchy tingling in arms and legs, and so many more.

In addition to these symptoms, you may also find yourself worrying compulsively about:
• Having a heart attack
• Having a serious undetected illness
• Dying prematurely
• Going insane or loosing your mind
• Harming yourself or someone you love uncontrollably
• Being embarrassed or making a fool out or yourself
• Losing control
• Fainting in public
• Not breathing properly
• Choking or suffocating
• Being alone

Hope this helps,

Periwinkle Blue

Unfortunately, I know all to well what anxiety feels like

Me too.

It's a good list though; I often think that anxiety symptom lists are a bit too simplistic. You read about 'dry mouth' and think - so what? Whose afraid of a dry mouth?

Periwinkle, your idea of recording the radio noises was inspired. It gives someone a chance to understand something of the position we are in, although it still doesn't actually PUT them in the situation. That would be the real deal. The repetitive thoughts we sufferers have are often personal and horribly intimate. It's on a whole different level of suffering. I have between 100-300 negative thoughts a day, either spontaneous or triggered, and they are very nasty indeed. Fortunately I've learned to let them pass me by, but it's still like being cooped up with my enemies, it's never cosy.

It is the knowledge that we are personally trapped with this illness which is the real challenge, and you have to 'walk the walk' to know what that is really like.

Here is something funny. When people are diagnosed with tinnitus (which I also have) the doctors are always very careful to remind us that tinnitus is a physical problem of the inner ear. They say 'don't worry, the noise is physical, you're not going mad'. So - 'going mad' would be the worst case scenario would it? ---- Yes. That is the level of fear that exists even in the medical profession of this possibility - which for some of us is a daily reality.

I hope I haven't upset anyone with this post, but I just want to say that it is very hard dealing with this stuff on a daily basis, and even if we maintain a positive outlook (which I do) it is important to remember that we are on 'the road less travelled' and a person who does not have these symptoms will never, ever, know what we bravely endure.

My respect to everyone here at PC and everyone who has a mental illness of any kind.

Peaceful thoughts, M

Sorry. I didn't post the list to try and tell people with anxiety what is was like to have it. I suffer from it myself and know that you have to "live it" to "know it." This was a repost from another thread to someone who was just dx'd and had questions. I thought other newbies to the diagnosis of anxiety disorders might benefit if I put it here.

Sorry, didn't mean to step on any one's toes.

Peri

Periwinkle Blue

Hi Peri,

Nothing to be sorry for, nothing at all. You made a good post.

I guess I was venting a little of my own frustration, which happens now and then. It's been a long road.

I'm interested in what you said about 'mind chatter'. The buddhists call this 'arising thoughts' which I think that everyone has to some extent. What seems to happen in depression and anxiety disorders is that the mind chatter becomes somehow toxic, and hurtful. It also becomes more intrusive. I still believe that we can learn to stop ourselves identifying with the thoughts, but it takes a big effort. First we need to be able to separate our thoughts into what we choose to accept and what we choose to disregard. This would be a tall order even for a healthy person, but it is utterly necessary for us to achieve this IMHO, by whatever means.

This is both an interesting and a challenging subject.

Good thoughts, M

PS - I've just noticed that I like to sign off with 'good thoughts' or 'peaceful thoughts' in my posts. That kind of says it all!

Periwinkle, this is a great post. I asked in the "a question" thread if you could post it here before I realized you already had.

(((((((((((((((((((Peri))))))))))))))))))))))

I know my post sounded a bit snippy. I am sorry about that. I am having a rough time with this damn anxiety lately that I took a tiny part out here. No offense to you or any others and I am sorry if I hurt your feelings.

Hugs,

Jen

I have a question that I have been wanting to ask someone ever since I was a kid and I have NO idea what causes it but it happened to me for the first time in a long time just the other night. Perhaps it has something to do with GAD although I did'nt see it on the symptom list. Here goes...

I usually have the TV, AC and fan going all night. About 4 nights ago, the power went off and it got really dark and quiet and hot in my bedroom so I woke up. As I lay there, it was so deathly quiet that I could hear (very clearly) what sounded like heavy machinery running in my head. That's about the only way I can describe it.

I used to get this years ago too but I never got it that often. Has anyone else ever experienced this, what is it and what causes it?.

- GreyGoose

Hi Grey,

That's tinnitus, I have that. Mine's pretty loud on one side and audible all day if I pay attention.

When it was diagnosed the doctor said, "Don't worry it's physical, you're not going mad."

Somehow that sentence seemed to say it all.......

Cheers, M

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They say 'don't worry, the noise is physical, you're not going mad'. So - 'going mad' would be the worst case scenario would it?

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Thanks, you made me laugh. I know they probably just aren't thinking about what they're saying, and to whom they are saying it, but I did find it humorous.

Recently I tried to explain to my doc how I felt about changing the medications I'm on. He was saying it was no different than taking a heart or blood pressure medication. I felt there was a big difference because it has to do with changing your moods and outlook, kind of who you are, and it's not always a positive. His next question was to ask if the emotional pain did something for me, did it have some sort of significance for me... What I couldn't explain at the time, but can see now, is that it was the known versus the unknown. I can try to deal with what's happening in my head, it's familar. Mess it up with some drugs and their side effects, and what's the guarantee I can still deal. I don't know, I guess they mean well...

You're right too, about it not being an easy road to walk. I'm learning that now. But this place, and people like you make it a little easier.

Thanks again for the chuckle, Quay

New here have had along with so many other things would like to find out how you guys deal without meds

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