Question:

Hi, I’m suffering PA’s, sleep disorder and anxiety, sometimes my thoughts are so fast, sometimes I get very low. My PA’s are linked with situations I find difficult, like being trapped, the anxiety though is nearly all the time. I don’t take any medication, I tried sleeping tablets but they really knock me out the next day and don’t help with the sleep problem in the long term. I don’t want to complain, I want help ! Please can someone let me know what ways there are to deal with it if any….or point me in the right direction, I hate being like this. — Mark S-D

Response:

Hi, I’m suffering PA’s, sleep disorder and anxiety, sometimes my thoughts are so fast, sometimes I get very low. My PA’s are linked with situations I find difficult, like being trapped, the anxiety though is nearly all the time. I don’t take any medication, I tried sleeping tablets but they really knock me out the next day and don’t help with the sleep problem in the long term. I don’t want to complain, I want help ! Please can someone let me know what ways there are to deal with it if any….or point me in the right direction, I hate being like this.

Hi, Mark – welcome to ASAP. The first port of call really should be your doctor, though when you say you’ve tried sleeping tablets, does this imply that you’ve already seen one? Either way, treatment *is* available and it really can help. Try asking your GP for help and see if you can get a referral to someone with experience handling anxiety problems. This might entail either medications or a course of cognitive behavioural therapy, or both. Meanwhile, I’m e-mailing you our FAQ, which is full of useful stuff. Good luck! — Gary Cooper

Response:

** Hi Mark;-) Hi, I’m suffering PA’s, sleep disorder and anxiety, sometimes my thoughts are so fast, sometimes I get very low. My PA’s are linked with situations I find difficult, like being trapped, the anxiety though is nearly all the time. I don’t take any medication, I tried sleeping tablets but they really knock me out the next day and don’t help with the sleep problem in the long term. I don’t want to complain, I want help ! Please can someone let me know what ways there are to deal with it if any….or point me in the right direction, I hate being like this.

** The first step is always to see your doctor. If your panic attacks aren’t better accounted for by any other pysical problems (of which many do mimic panic symptoms, and can frighten you an thus highten your anxiety), it would seem best to find find a specialist who understands anxiety disorders. That’s the first step in the right direction, I’d say. To help yourself, so that you may better understand what current treatment methods are, visit: http://www.algy.com/anxiety/anxiety.html That’s but one of several sites, but an excellent place to begin in learning more, so that you can participate in your own therapy, which is often quite important. — Used wisely, your 2