New here, old to anxiety

[Unclebuck455]

My name is Brian and I've been suffering from anxiety all my life. Diagnosed as anxiety in my early to mid 20's. I'm 46 now, and it's the worst it's ever been. I've been on and off meds for roughly 20 years. I have a family doctor, psychiatrist, and just started seeing my 3rd different therapist. I've read and tried to adopt so many self help anxiety programs but nothing seems to help. My anxiety has morphed from occasional panic attacks to constant anxiety. I can't get in to see my psych or therapist for a most 2 weeks and it's been almost a month since my last visit. I'm feeling overwhelmed and lost. Hoping maybe to find some support here and share more of myself. Looking forward to hearing from ANYONE.

[Blu80]

Hi Unclebuck

Just wanted to drop you a post to say hello & welcome 🙂

Sorry to hear you're having such a tough rotten time. I know the struggle all too well unfortunately & the complete lost & overwhelming feelings that take over.

If you ever need a chat or rant I'm here.

Best Wishes

Blu 💫

[Unclebuck455 in reply to Blu80]

Thanks for your reply Blu. I know there many people out there who are/have been in the same boat as myself but I haven't met or talked with anyone who is. I might take you up on that offer to chat. Thank you.

[Hidden]

Hi Unclebuck

I am 55 years old and have had depression and anxiety all of my life. I recently entered an inpatient treatment program for the first time. Have you ever done inpatient or PHP/IOP programs?

They are a wealth of information. One of the quickest tools to learn was DBT skills or Dialectic Behavioral Therapy. You could try to Google for more information. There are even phone Apps for this as well. Two of the easiest skills are breathing and mindfulness. Check it out and I hope you are feeling better soon.

[Unclebuck455 in reply to Hidden]

Hi T0918, thanks for the reply. I haven't heard of DBT. I'll look into it. My psychiatrist mentioned inpatient a while back. Honestly, I have no what inpatient requires. I mean like is it residential 24hr or what? I believe the program he was talking about may be a 8 hour daily thing with me being home every day. I'd have to take a leave of absence from my job and I don't know how well that would go over. I'm kind of a key component in a somewhat high profile, demanding engineering project. On the other hand, if it's what I need and can benefit from it then so be it. Things to discuss with my psychiatrist. Unfortunately, I don't see him until the 20th. Thanks for your help.

[Hidden]

Hi Brian - yes residential inpatient treatment is 24/7. Treatment where you sleep and eat at the facility. It sounds like your doctor is suggesting PHP or Partial Hospital Program. You do not have to necessarily go to a hospital but you may go to a facility that is part of the hospital's program. You would have a treatment programs for most of the day and them go home. There is also IOP (Intensive Outpatient Therapy) which for me is from 8:30 to 12:00 Monday - Friday.

I first did inpatient (also called residential) first then stepped down to a PHP program and further stepped down to IOP. I too was afraid to take time off work. A really good friend of mine offered to take me to Mayo Clinic for help years ago but I was afraid to take off work.... It then got to the point that I had no choice. I felt as if I had to go to treatment to save my life, if you know what I mean. I so wish I had taken the offered help years ago but I didn't so here we are.

I have really learned so much through this type of treatment and highly suggest it. You basically learn how to cope with this horrible disease that we both unfortunately have to suffer through. It has helped me and I have made new friends who TRULY understand how we all feel. Validation of this condition is so important. I hope this helps you!

Tina

Tina