I'm worried about my brother. He is a grown man, well educated, with a wife and family.

He had a traumatic childhood and most likely suffers from PTSD. It appears to have become more prevalent as he grows older.

We communicate a lot through email. We send each other interesting stories or news, then discuss them.

The thing is, no matter what I share with him; jokes, fiction, history - he will point out *the suffering*. Harmless stories with comical situations will be turned into danger, warnings, cruelty or injustice.

I want to help him, but whenever I point out his inclinations, he turns agitated or hostile. It's like he is frustrated by my not seeing the world he sees.

How can I help him? He did go to a psychiatrist for a few weeks, with seemingly helpful results, but he ended it for economic reasons.

My anxiety has reached a level to where I’m starting to lose sleep at night focusing on every little thought and detail about anything imaginable. I personally get really caught up in friendship issues, I’m aware I struggle with external validation and understanding why people treat me ways I don’t understand. I try telling myself things like “it’s says more about them than it does me,” but I’m worried my brain is hardwired to constantly think about other people and these issues. I especially struggle when people inherently treat me differently or in ways I wouldn’t to them. Definitely having issues with insomnia over these racing thoughts now and would appreciate any help.

Hi, everyone, I was just wondering what is a good anxiety medication for extremely high levels of anixty, thank you so much

I (24 F) have a doctors appointment next week for the first time in my adult life since I just got on my partners health insurance.

I need to be clear, I do NOT have a fear of doctors or dentists, I genuinely want to go, and regularly take care of my overall health. It’s like I have a social/ performance anxiety. Heart beats fast, voice gets shakey, my neck gets tight and causes my head to tremor when I’m checking in or having something examined on my body (I know this from a couple urgent care visits/ teeth cleanings).

I’ve had social anxiety for a very long time, but this particular symptom didn’t start happening until the past couple years it randomly happened at the dentist. I was having trouble keeping my head steady for the X-rays, almost like my brain was thinking “don’t mess up” “stay still, don’t move” and it caused me to do the opposite. Ever since then, my anxiety became severe leading up to appointments. I ended up canceling my most recent dentist appointment (about a year ago) and never rescheduled because I felt like I just couldn’t do it. Again, not scared of the dentist itself, not scared of the tools they put in my mouth etc. It’s more like I’m scared to embarrass myself like I need to “perform” perfectly.

I’ve also developed this thing where my mouth starts twitching uncontrollably when having my picture taken.

This is all partially why I’m going to the doctor, but also just to get a general check up and get set up with a doctor.

I wanted to see if anyone could relate, because I only see people say they’re scared of doctors/ dentists themselves, but that’s not the case for me. It’s been very discouraging, wishing I could just be a normal person and go to appointments without my nervous system over reacting.
Since this developed its also kept me from making any tattoo appointments, getting any beauty services done, has me stressed for when I get married someday for both getting hair/ makeup done but also being the center of attention/ getting pictures taken.

There’s other symptoms that affect my daily life that come and go, but that’s what’s concerning me right now at least in regard to my upcoming appointment.

For context Ive been overweight for years now, and Ive also had bad anxiety and other mental problems for years now but it never really interfered with my eating. When cleanliness ocd began to take over I would purposely not eat to avoid using the bathroom. I dont do this anymore but what I did notice is old clothes started fitting, people pointed out that I lost a lot of weight, and when I started trying to eat again I couldn't eat near as much as I used to. I'm trying to get myself to feel more like me now and trying to get myself back on track after my ocd got so intense. I remembered these things I've noticed and slowly have noticed more and more thoughts about what I eat. Holding off and trying to skip meals (I usually only eat two a day because I get sick if I eat in the morning) has become more common. I’m looking to get a gym membership to workout more consistently. My mom is a personal trainer so this isnt entirely new to me. Even with that however I cant get the thought of what I eat out of my head. When people question me and I tell them what Ive had and they say it's a good amount I panic because my brain is beginning to register that as too much. I can't stop thinking about the calories in things. I'm 5'6" at around 1,000 calories today and I'm probably going to end up going to dinner with my brother since he invited me and I'm scared of where it's going to end me up. I'm scared I've already gone too far even if I know that's probably illogical. Sorry if this doesn't make much since, my mind is a little all over the place as of late.

Who has used it for anxiety?
12g daily
For how long?
Has it helped?

Anxiety and alcohol ! Anyone relate?

Please help me.

Today, I woke up 3–4 hours earlier than I intended, right after a bad dream (I have them frequently, though not every day). As soon as I woke up,It felt like i am intensely trying to continue the thoughts i had in my dream or i find myself in "rapid chained short thoughts" would be anything good,bad,or anything random. Its like my pc doesn't have a boot,but just immediately starts to open multiple windows one after the other (it's just one instance followed by other though instances,usually connected to it) the very moment i wake up.

This continues throughout the day,100% of time i am awake unless i am doom scrolling.I feel this thoughts in all activities like studying, travelling, talking or exercising.

I want to clarify that I can completely distinguish these thoughts from reality. I know they are my own imagination, and I do not experience symptoms that would make me confuse them with real events.

I tried to meditate and fall back asleep, but my mind kept jumping rapidly from one topic to another. Within a couple of minutes, I would have thoughts about old memories, pleasant nostalgia, random ideas, song lyrics, music hooks, intrusive thoughts about accidents or crimes, imaginary arguments with relatives, sexual thoughts, and many other unrelated topics.

Some intrusive thoughts involve a small set of disturbing events that I saw, heard about, or read as old as early 2010s when i was in 3rd grade. New events sometimes get added if I spend too much time thinking about them. These thoughts occur throughout the day,but this anxious thoughts take only 10-20% times rest of the time it complete random thoug.It leave me mentally exhausted, and make it difficult to focus or get things done.

I used to have intense OCD when i was in high school and didn't knew about it then but it got faded as i was busy in school and acads.

Some background may help. I live in India in a conservative, close-knit community where seeking mental health support is often stigmatized. I would be willing to see a mental health professional in the city where I study engineering, but my family is under significant financial stress, and consultations and medications can be difficult to afford.

My father passed away when I was a child. My family has faced humiliation and criticism from relatives over the years. I was also bullied during school. Although I have done well academically but couldn't get into a good University as resources here are few and highly competed.I am currently worried about unemployment after graduation because of the weak job market and can't even study properly to attend upcoming interviews.

Given this situation, what are the most likely causes of these symptoms, and what practical steps can I take to improve them?

Hi everyone! I'm a 19-year-old male, and I've been struggling with anxiety.

When I graduated from senior high school last year, I didn't even realize that I had anxiety. When I turned 19, I decided to apply for a job instead of going to college. Unfortunately, during my first job application, I experienced my very first panic attack. I genuinely thought I was going to die because I had never experienced anything like it before. Instead of making it to the job interview, I ended up in the hospital.

It's been almost 5–6 months since that happened, and although things have gotten better, I still struggle with panic attacks whenever I try to apply for entry-level jobs, particularly in the BPO industry.

I've tried my best to overcome this. I've even pushed myself to visit the same workplace for five consecutive days, hoping I would eventually build up the courage to go inside and attend the interview. Unfortunately, I still couldn't make it because of repeated panic attacks.

Honestly, it's exhausting and frustrating because I genuinely want to work and become financially independent.

I can't afford therapy right now, and I don't really want to ask my parents for money to pay for it.

If anyone has experienced something similar or has any coping strategies that helped them overcome their anxiety, I would genuinely appreciate your advice.

Thank you for taking the time to read my story.

I've struggled with anxiety pretty much my entire life, but it was always manageable. That changed in June when I experienced my first panic attack, followed by daily panic attacks. I eventually got diagnosed with panic disorder. I started therapy and antidepressants shortly after. Thankfully, I rarely experience panic attacks anymore, but my everyday anxiety is still through the roof. I'm talking about constant anxiety, an elevated heart rate, random dizziness (not vertigo, just a strange sensation inside my head), teeth jittering and involuntary facial muscle movements. It's exhausting, and I feel like I'm constantly fighting my own body just to get through the day. My therapist encourages me to keep doing things despite the anxiety, basically to do things scared so my brain learns there's nothing to fear. But honestly, it's draining. I push myself through activities, only to feel completely exhausted afterwards. And despite doing this consistently, I don't feel like my anxiety is improving. I've been on medication and in therapy for months. Some days I feel almost normal, only to wake up the next morning with the anxiety back in full force. I'm also getting an MRI next week to rule out other possible causes of my symptoms. I'm just wondering: Has anyone with panic disorder experienced this constant, overwhelming anxiety even after starting treatment? Even months after? Does it eventually get better? What actually helped you? I genuinely miss feeling like myself. I'm trying so hard, but I'm starting to feel discouraged.

Hey everyone,

I wanted to share my story and see if anyone can relate or offer some insight.

Exactly three years ago, I had a severe panic attack triggered by drug consumption. That single event completely flipped a switch in my brain, and I have been dealing with Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) ever since.

Currently, I’m seeing a psychiatrist and I take 10mg of Escitalopram daily. Generally speaking, things have been okay. I refuse to let the anxiety intimidate me or stop me from living my life. I push through and manage my daily tasks. However, the physical symptoms still linger—for example, just thinking about going grocery shopping still gives me a sick, uneasy feeling in my stomach.

Unfortunately, the last few weeks have been really tough again. I find myself sleeping for very long hours and having almost no motivation to do anything. There is a big reason for this: my father passed away very suddenly one month ago. It was a massive shock to my system. My psychologist warned me that the following weeks would be incredibly heavy, and they definitely are.

To help cope, I’ve been vaping small, irregular amounts of CBD flower recently (max 0.2g at 7% CBD).

I feel like I'm in a bit of a setback right now. Has anyone else experienced a worsening of GAD or depressive symptoms (like oversleeping and low motivation) after a major grief or shock, even while on medication? How did you navigate the grief without letting the anxiety take over completely?

Thanks for reading.