do i have anxiety?

[hearn99]

Hi i'm 15 and i don't know if i have anxiety or not? I've looked through the symptoms and i can name a few that are similar to mine like not long ago my parents split up over an affair involving abuse and all that and i've been having terrible nightmares of those scenes and i keep picturing these scenes at school and at home. I find it hard to concentrate on simple things and i've become very bad at remembering what im doing and what im saying like i forget what im talking about halfway through a sentence. i get scared of going out of the house and going to school and i panic over a lot of things. i haven't told anyone but my friends have started to notice strange things that im doing. What does all this mean?

[CrashCoyote]

Hello Hearn99,

Thank you for sharing your situation on here. I am the father of five, my youngest daughter is almost fifteen. I am divorced.

Marriage break up is very hard on everyone in the house and sometimes the trauma for parents doesn't give them the chance to pay as much attention to how the children are coping as they would in other situations.

I am not qualified to diagnose you and anyone that is wouldn't do it without speaking to you personally. I can see you are distressed and it seems likely that there is something going on for you that you will need help with.

Please go and see your GP. It is an excellent place to start. They are objective and trained to recognise various emotional problems. They are also able to refer you to the appropriate help.

You are not alone. There is a help line and resources on this site. Myself and others will ALWAYS answer your posts. 

Please try to see your doctor and, if you want, let me know if it was helpful. (I am confident it will be.) 🙂

Kind regards, John.

[EmmaP]

Hi hearn99,

Well done for sharing on here. You have taken the first step to feeling better. Very brave.

I am 21 and I have been through my Mum's two marriage breakups in my life including abuse etc and I know how horrible and draining it can be on the children. From what you have shared it is obviously not 'normal' to be feeling all of those things together, especially when its affecting your everyday life and functioning. But don't despair, there are so many people on here that are feeling similar to you or have in the past, but it can get better, and you have done the first thing by reaching out 🙂

As John (CrashCoyote) said, we cannot 'diagnose' you on here, but if you are worried about how you are feeling, you should seek out some professional help. I myself have just started my journey of seeking help about a month ago, and I can already see the light at the end of the tunnel. Getting started is the hardest part.

There are two things you could do. If you have a trusted family GP, feel free to book an appointment with them and discuss with them how you are feeling. They are a great starting point, especially if they have a background understanding of your health and life. This may be hard if you don't feel you can tell a parent and get them to take you, especially if they don't bulk bill and you have to pay and get it refunded back onto the Medicare card linked bank account. If you feel like you can tell one of your parents about it that would be great but if not there are other options. Perhaps another adult trusted family member can ring on your behalf (such as a grandparent?).

The other fantastic option is an Australian Youth Mental heath organisation called Headspace. They have locations all around Australia and there may be one near you. They also have a fantastic website loaded with information that is all about youth mental health and how to deal with how your feeling. The other great service they have is they have an online chat service with a counsellor and after your 30-50 min chat they can point you in the right direction- sometimes that means going into one of their branches (if you are near one) to have an appointment with their GP or psychologists, and the best thing is that all of their services are free and you don't need to have a Medicare card on you. So this may be a good option if you don't know where to start, they are very helpful

Anyway I hope this has been of help. Take care and let us know how you go!

EmmaP

[faeriedust88]

Hi Hearn99,

How is your progress going?

Have you gone to see anyone for help yet?  Do you have a school nurse or school counsellor you can talk to?  They may be able to help - especially since you say you have images that come to mind and it sounds as though you are experiencing anxiety from them.

There is some very good info in the last 2 posts.  You could google - youth health services in your local area and u should be able to find some options, there is also Kids Helpline and Lifeline or Beyond Blue has an online chat service from 3pm - midnight - I think.

When i was younger I was lucky enough to stumble across yoga and meditation.  Do you have any yoga or meditation classes near by?  Sometimes youth organisations or PCYC'c offer them at really cheap prices for students - may be worth looking into, take a friend if you are too shy to go on your own.

Going through a family break up is hard and traumatic - you've come to a good place for help and have shown that you are strong and ready to help make yourself feel better.

Hope all goes well for you.

🙂