I've been living with severe anxiety since I was a kid. When I was eighteen, I started having really severe anxiety/panic attacks and there were times when I'd black out. I landed in the ER numerous times after these attacks and blackouts, waking to find myself strapped to a gurney and screaming my head off. Sometimes I'd wake to find scars on my wrists from suicide attempts. I've been given numerous medications to help stop the attacks but they all failed. Some of the side effects caused more attacks.

In 2008, I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and put on new meds. Right now, the combination I'm on seems to work and I no longer have attacks and I don't black out anymore, but I'm still living with a high level of anxiety.

I have anxiety about leaving the house and agoraphobia. I have a lot of social anxiety- I don't go out because of it and I don't see the few friends that I have. When I'm in a large group, say like a small party, I get really anxious and have to remove myself from the group to calm down.

Isolating myself from others is how I deal with my anxiety now. Is this really a healthy way to deal with it?

[healingme4me]

The isolation can wreak havoc on your self esteem, so I'd certainly err on the side of agreement that it doesn't seem a healthy coping skill. Aside from seeing a pdoc or your prescribing physician, are you undergoing any talk therapy or group classes?

Have tried reaching out, on PC under the coping with emotions forum? Maybe reaching the core part of what's overwhelming you in these groups could help? Could feelings of shame, if any member of your social circle be contributing to these feelings? Are the anxiety meds for your bipolar ineffective? Do you perhaps need something different?

[Keyslost]

In my opinion and experience isolation should be temporary. If you need it for a bit to get yourself back together that's better than torturing yourself. Is there a way you can open up slowly to people and slowly desensitize instead of all at once? i.e. having someone you trust with you or back up plan?