Where do I start when my anger/anxiety issues are affecting my health and relationship?
I have always had anger/anxiety issues, but recently, I have come to a point where I can no longer deal with them on my own. A friend suggested starting with a general practitioner, as I am having health issues stemming from my anger/anxiety, such as headaches, weight gain, and stomach trouble. Is this the best place to start? I’ve made an appointment for this coming Monday. What should I tell this doctor?
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When to seek medical advice
Feeling shy at parties or nervous about giving a speech doesn’t necessarily mean you have social anxiety disorder. If your fears or anxieties don’t really bother you, you may not need treatment. For instance, you may not like making speeches but you do so anyway without being overwhelmed by anxiety.
What sets social anxiety disorder apart from everyday nervousness is that its symptoms are much more severe and last much longer. Social anxiety disorder disrupts your life, causes you distress and affects your daily activities.
Common, everyday experiences that may be difficult to endure when you have social anxiety disorder include:
Using a public restroom or telephone
Returning items to a store
Interacting with strangers
Writing in front of others
Making eye contact
Entering a room in which people are already seated
Ordering food in a restaurant
Being introduced to strangers
Initiating conversations
Social anxiety disorder symptoms can change over time. They may flare up if you’re facing a lot of stress or demands. Or if you completely avoid situations that would usually make you anxious, you may not have symptoms. Although avoidance may allow you to feel better in the short term, your anxiety is likely to persist over the long term if you don’t get treatment.
Tests and diagnosis
When you decide to seek treatment for symptoms of possible social anxiety disorder, you may have both a physical and psychological evaluation. The physical exam can determine if there may be any physical causes triggering your symptoms.
There’s no laboratory test to diagnose social anxiety disorder, however. Your doctor or mental health provider will ask you to describe your signs and symptoms, how often they occur and in what situations. He or she may review a list of situations to see if they make you anxious or have you fill out psychological questionnaires or self-assessments to help pinpoint a diagnosis.
To be diagnosed with social anxiety disorder, someone must meet criteria spelled out in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). This manual is published by the American Psychiatric Association and is used by mental health professionals to diagnose mental conditions and by insurance companies to reimburse for treatment.
Criteria for social anxiety disorder to be diagnosed include:
A persistent fear of social situations in which you believe you may be scrutinized or act in a way that’s embarrassing or humiliating
These social situations cause you a great deal of anxiety
You recognize your anxiety level is excessive or out of proportion for the situation
You avoid anxiety-producing social situations
Your anxiety or distress interfere with your daily living
Yes definately see a GP. He/she will refer you to a specialist who can help. Write down everything that you are feeling and hand it over the the GP. I am going to see the doc for a simular reason and I find that it helps to write everything down because when I’m under pressure I tend to forget.
It is indeed is the best place to start. Good luck!
I don’t know whether this will help you, but I have found this to be very true.
When our minds are in the past, we get angry, frustrated and sad. When our minds are in the future we get worried, anxious, fearful and concerned.
If we attempt to live in the moment, in the now, we do not feel so many negatives. If you watch your thoughts for the next few minutes, you will see how they wander away from what you are actually doing in that minute.
In other words we are living more in the past and future, than we are in the present moment.
I have tried this and it is really surprising how much of our precious time, we spend outside the moment.
It is quite challenging, but once we get into the habit of pulling our thoughts out of the past or the present, we start to get less negative and more positive.
I am with Maureen S
When our minds are in the past, we get angry, frustrated and sad. When our minds are in the future we get worried, anxious, fearful and concerned.
So be in the present moment.
Its all in your "thinking". You can chnage your thinking by reprogramming your brain.
I’m also having troubles with anger and anxiety. I was depressed 2 years ago, and luckily it overcame it, but still I have to deal with these issues. I suffer from lack of self-esteem and this is probably the main reason. What I suggest you is to be gentle with yourself. Take care of yourself, no matter what other people say. You deserve to feel good. Bye