Anxious and reassurance needed

[paco]

I have been asked to share some thoughts. If you are interested, here is article (free information):

http://inspiringchange.co.uk/media/overcoming-excessive-anxiety-and-worry/

Am genuinely interested to get feedback. If one person finds it useful, great.

[OverTheRainbows]

I have been diagnosed with anxiety in the past and have had both medication and CBT on the NHS. Both 'worked' to an extent in different ways. I've read paco's post and the process it describes sounds similar to CBT.

Like a previous poster, I am uncomfortable with the 'peddling of (expensive) wares' on a thread that's a cry for help and advice. I agree that there are actions that you can take to begin to tackle your problems, but suggest that the first port of call should be your GP / other free NHS services (health visitors etc) who can provide access to FREE therapy etc.

Extra financial pressures are the last thing you need when you're suffering from anxiety, depression, etc.

When I was post-partum / in the midst of anxiety and panic attacks pre-baby, I was desperate and suggestible. The vulnerable and suggestible are a good market to sell expensive goods / services to. So I do find it inappropriate that this is taking place on this thread (even if it is well-intentioned).

[alice]

well said overtherainbow

and to all non-evidence based shysters - get your own thread

[Saffron]

There is another very good reason for making a sympathtic GP your first place to seek profession help, if professional help is what you want. That reason is that your GP should order blood tests which could help rule out other health issues such as thyroid, low iron, or low Vit D, etc. While not being the cause of anxiety/depression outright, these conditions can exacerbate underlying problems. If after that you want to explore other avenues of treatment, by all means there are many to choose from.

SarahG, your post seems genuine enough, but keep in mind that there have been cases of people posting disingenuous comments on local forums. So suffice it to say that making blanket statements about the curative powers of any treatment (NHS or private) aimed at vulnerable individuals, is always going to met with some skepticism. xx

[WorkingMummy]

Agree with Saffron.

Do not want to throw doubt on the good intentions of anyone on this thread, but someone very close to me suffers from (among other things) severe, chronic anxiety. I accompanied this person to a consultation with a professor of psychology at a London teaching hospital. His advice was very clear that there is very good evidence to support the effectiveness of drug therapy and/or CBT for most (obviously, not all) sufferers of anxiety AND that the evidence is that any other type of therapy (which is not, broadly, aimed at giving you SKILLS, or helping you work out effective coping strategies) is actually counterproductive. He was particularly clear that psychotherapies, for example aimed at making connections between childhood experiences and current anxiety, have been shown to make some forms of anxiety worse.

This is my exact (vicarious) experience with my loved one, who IMO has become hooked on a therapist who gives him what he wants, which is lots of reinforcement that his anxious/negative world view is justified (and supports his ignoring medical advice about treatment), when this obviously isn't helping his symptoms.

I don't want to scare or aggravate anyone's anxiety by saying this. In a sense, any treatment which you find helpful is helpful to you. But I do question the legitimacy of a lot of private "therapy" when nowadays evidenced based options are widely available on the NHS.

[jesska]

I haven't read through all the responses, so apologies if someone has mentioned this before, but several months after my second was born I started feeling increasingly irrational and anxious about everything (much more than just the postpartum emotional roller coaster, and eventually I discovered that my thyroid was barely functioning. I'm sure that not all people who have underactive thyroid experience anxiety and vice versa, but it is a good thing to have checked just in case (and also all those B vitamins). I hope you can get some help, in any form. You are certainly not alone.

[Sol]

There are many reasons for getting over anxiety? Like thyroid problems or a vitamin deficiency. It will be worth it getting some blood test done and making sure everything is OK