Ill make it short and... sweet? i have high levels of anxiety... and panic attacks are like visions where i feel like they are real i get night terrors every so often. mom is bipolar, has anxiety and night terrors BUT when I told her i think i need help for it (shes gotten help in the past) she doesnt believe me. i think its because when she got help, doctors didnt help her... and i am still on the parents insurance due to the college bit and tax thing... whatever... SO i need to talk to her before i can get money to pay for help. i need it. any ideas?
Night Terrors are definately very frightening and can even make some people wonder if they are 'going crazy'. but, Night terrors are actually surprisingly common and they are most definately high anxiety that simply works itself out in your sleep states. Nightmares themselves are anxiety anyways. If you ever do read up on the studies its interesting that even people who have chronic and very extreme 'Night Terrors' will always wake up and come back down to normal within 3-5 minutes (maximum). It never goes further than that even in extreme cases. So yeah, I agree they are terrifying. I never had any such thing until I was well into my 30s and when I did have a 'night terror' the first time I was VERY alarmed. But its actually fairly 'normal' in light of the high anxiety which you have inherited (and I dont mean physically necessarily).
I have High anxiety and panic attacks also. I take St.John's Wort, which are herbal "anti-depressant". Maybe you could try them, you can buy them anywhere herb supplements are sold. That way you get some relief till your mom comes around in helping. or if you need a friend who hass been through it feel free to message me.
When did these attacks start? What is the content of theses visions? List the three top triggers for this anxiety.
Hun, you need to go see the doctor, get a diagnosis and then seek out some Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT). This helps to alter the thinking patterns that lead to anxiety. I suffered anxiety and panic attacks for years and have now recovered with the help of CBT, info and good friends to support me. You don't have to suffer with this and you certainly don't have to take medication if you don't feel it is helpful for you. In fact, alot of people actually feel anxious about taking medication, so it can be counter-productive- and DEFINITELY steer clear of benzos (valium and the like). They can be highly addictive. Anxiety/panic is a natural human state. If you were about to be hit by a train, your body would produce the same physical response to get you out of there quick smart. So your body is doing what it should be, it's just that it is reacting to an irrational fear. Because our brain can't distinguish between a real fear and a 'perceived' fear it reacts in the same way in both situations. You may know this as the 'fight or flight' mechanism. If we change the way we perceive a 'fearful' situation and learn to rationalise it in a more helpful way we can stop that physical reaction from happening altogether. I know it's terrible, but keep on at your mum and if she won't listen get out there and look for help. I'm guessing you are in America somewhere so it might be helpful to get onto the Americal Psychological Association website and have a look for info and links. Chin up,it gets better
If you do start taking St. John's Wort for temporary relief, be sure you understand what a Mono-amine oxidase inhibitor does and understand that you can't eat certain things and take certain other meds while taking an MAOI. Look that up. And maybe give your mom a light kick in the rear end like the dude above me recommended
