Generalised Anxiety Disorder getting worse

[Idannb]

Hello,

I'm 21 years old, I have suffered with GAD for around 6-7 years now. My anxiety started after I was bullied about my weight at school, I was a really chubby kid. When I left school I started a diet and lost loads of weight but actually became obsessed and diagnosed with Orthorexia (obsessed with nutritional food and exercising too much). I managed to overcome that after 2 years, but I still suffer slightly with it today. During college my anxiety settled down and life became more 'normal' and was right up until my third year at university (which I have just completed at a 1st honours degree) and I have been accepted on a Masters Degree to study International Security and foreign Policy. During my third year at university, I had a lot of family issues going on and actually ended up with the passing of my Nan.

Ever since the passing of my Nan my anxiety has got worse and I have slowly developed a different anxiety to do with my health as well. I have developed OCD traits with certain things like checking the door multiple times after I've locked it and even video recording myself looking the door just so I know it's locked.

I was able to manage my anxiety before everything happened during my last year of university, but now I'm stuck as it's getting worse and I can't seem to help it, my girlfriend is picking it up and she said I have changed since the passing of my Nan, I'm more up-tight and compulsive (luckily I can talk to her, but I don't think she understands fully). I have been offered antidepressants by the doctors countless times, but I don't want to that system and be forgot about.

If there is anyone that can give me some advice, I will be very grateful!

Thank-you,

Daniel.

(P.s, sorry for my life story but I thought I would contextualise it to help it make sense)

[Hidden]

I've been going through this for ten years. I saw a psychologist for a year which wasn't very helpful (for me, it's helped others I know). My GP sent me to a psychiatrist, I'd been before to some but either it didn't click with who I was seeing or I wasn't ready to dig deep. Not sure which. Anyway this particular psychiatrist was great. Plus I'd gotten to the point I was willing to try anything. My quality of life was deteriorating. I refused medication for a year - for various reasons, but one was the stigma of it and also lots of people telling me not to. I then realized the people telling me not to weren't going through what I was. I started medication and psychotherapy (intense therapy, twice a week) with my psychiatrist. I've been doing this for eight years now (went off medication at various times - sometimes cause one wasn't working or had adverse effects and sometimes just to see how I would cope). I'm currently off medication but still going to therapy. The medication helped get me on track so that I could practice what I was learning in therapy. Without it I couldn't calm my mind long enough to help myself. The earlier you can get help the better. I actually had this since I was young but didn't know what it was so I just kept pushing all the feelings down. It got to a stage that didn't work and I ended up in a very bad place, hence why I ended up in therapy. My advice would be to get help as early as you can. The tools you learn can make living with anxiety much easier. For me, medication definitely helped (but you may need to try a few to see what works best). Therapy has been a life saver for me as well as very supportive family and friends. Hope you can talk it through with someone. You're definitely not alone.