Anyone else have this with their anxiety/panic disorder?

When I go outside & its really bright or if theres snow covering the ground with the sun out, I have a panic attack. Or if Im in a store with flourecent lighting & white floors, I have severe anxiety. I dont know if its another "me" thing ir if its an anxiety/panic disorder thing.

I don't but we all have our own peculiar things that increase anxiety. For me it's Sundays and cloudy, rainy weather.

i have experienced the same thing with fluresent lights since i was about 12 yrs old .first they make me feel woosy then the classic panic attack symptems come on and sometimes i freak out so bad that i choke or my vision goes completely.pretty scary stuff .you r the only person ive ever heard of that gets this appart from me .its pretty intense but stops when the bright lights r gone .my sympaty to you its really not very nice .

Im the same, hypersensitive! Light, noise, smell, etc.

Hypersensitive is a very good word for it.. I also have anxiety when there are a lot of different colors around me. People who use their hands excessivley while talking causes anxiety too. Also, people who touch my arm when they are talking to me. Basically, obnoxious people. Or places with a lot of activity around me. It overstimulates my senses & makes me want to run away from it.

Hi Thunderbear!
Have you ever considered that you might have a sensory disorder? I'm not trying to dx you with anything, but it might be something worth looking into. I have a severe anxiety disorder and I also have a sensory disorder (that triggers panic attacks).

"People throw rocks at things that shine"

"Sorry I'm only human, you know me. Grown up? Oh no , guess again..."

Its odd, cause youre not the first one to suggest that dx. My uncle, who has been a nurse at the state mental hospital for as long as Ive been alive, said the same thing. He also thinks I should be tested for Aspergers. Hes been pretty sure about the autism since I was a child. But until these past 20 years, no one outside of the med community has been aware of it. Ive always thought I could have a sensory disorder myself. Im gonna find a new pdoc and ask them to test me for it. My panic attacks are mainly triggerd by 3 things, the hypersensitivty I described above, ptsd & hypochodriasis . I dont have ptsd flahbacks too often and my hypochondriasis comes & goes. The senory overloads happen on a constant basis. I cant drive. Or go to stores or any get-together. When I do I get extremely overwhelmed and just break out in hives from severe anxiety. If I test positive for it, how is it treated? Cause if I can figure this out, it would greatly improve my life.

I dont mean to "bump" this thread. But Learning Me gave me something to think.about so I googled sensory disorders (I know. Google bad. But I wanted to learn more to be able to talk my Gp about it). And I copied this list (bear with me):
The symptoms of sensory integration disorder in adults (also called sensory processing disorder) number in the hundreds, but the majority of adults regularly experience one or more of the following:
Smells and flavors can cause intense responses---- I dont eat many foods. Such as, spices if any kind, tart foods, sweet foods- these all cause anxiety. Smells such as skunks freak me out as well. But its more taste than smell on this item.

Soft touch or embrace may "hurt"--- not hurt as much as burn. Whem someome touches my bare skin, it kind of tingles/burns. Not in a painful way. Just makes me very very uncomfortable to the point of crying.

Sounds may make them irritable and jumpy--- Loud, sudden noises or loud people or noisy places piss me off. Always has since I was a child.

Textures like wool, Styrofoam, and man-made fabrics are often uncomfortable--- I hate cloth. I do not like the way clothes feel on my skin. They feel almost scratchy even soft cotton. I hate socks cause of they way they feel on my toes. My clothes are baggy so that the fabric has least amount of contact with my skin. Jeans make my skin feel like its crawling. And styrofoam. Ick. They way it feels and sounds literally makes me nauseus. So does the sound of fingernails scratching on fabric. Thinking about it makes me nauseus and nervous.

Because they have likely struggled with sensory integration disorder since childhood (which may have invited teasing or ostracizing) adults with this disorder may have learned to compensate, leading to some of the following:
Hypersensitivity to touch--- described above

Avoidance of tasks-- daily. Ive been putting off folding my laundry so I dont have to touch the denim and cotton.

Poor self-esteem-- only cause I feel like a failure due to my mountian of phobias.

Fear of failure--- which leads to me not wanting to try.

Perfectionism--if I am writing and my penmanship is not consistant, I get mad at myself and just wad up the whole paper and start over. That is just one example of my perfectionism.

Difficulty staying focused-- Way too many things to list

Irritability in crowds--- more like flat out panic followes by tears then followed by being angry at myself for being so stupid & embarrassment.

Sensitivity to loud, repetitive sounds---:white noise, ringing phones, alarm clocks, clocks ticking, loud people& places all cause either anger or a severe panic attack.

Fussy about clothing, uncomfortable in many clothing items--- described above.. Not to sound gross but underwear freaks me out. The longer Im wearing them the more anxious I get
Prefers to be barefoot--- Yes! I never never wear shoes. They seem like they are choking my feet.

Dislikes bracelets and watches--or rings and necklaces. I dont know why but they make me anxious.

Easily overwhelmed--- I just had to put a blanket over my bedroom window. The bright sun is makimg me feel exposed. If that makes any sense. And thats severely overwhelming me. I havent been out of my bedroom all day due to the overwhelment of my big livingroom. It panics me. I hate that room.

I know I sound crazy. Writing it out like that makes me scared that I might be insane or something. Im sorry if Im getting on yalls nerves, but its kind of like a revalation to me. It gives me hope in a hopless situation. And I had to share it people who can relate. Thanks LearningMe.. You validated my weird quirks.

florescent lighting definitely affects me. I get that sense of unrealtiy, derealization. I think with me at least the whole florescent lighting might just be triggering from something stressful, schooling, hospitals, labs, etc. The lighting is not natural at all and it's creepy.
I read somewhere that it's very common for people who suffer from anxiety espeically forms of dissociation to be affected by fluorescent lighting.
I read your last post and it does sound like you have something more going on.

I don't like florescent lighting either, it doesn't give me panic attacks.. it just makes me uncomfortable and I want them turned off.. I even think the lights in the ceiling are too bright and use lamps in my room. Crowded/noisy places make uncomfortable too and cause a bit of anxiety. Also I went to a casino once... talk about sensory overload, it was the worst place ever!

I've read somewhere that it's OK to have fear, otherwise you'd try to jump out of your window, fall off a cliff or get hit by a car.

Sounds like you're a highly sensitive person. I'm the same way. ((hugs))

Try using lightly tinted sunglasses when going in an area with strong lights.