I've had multiple panic attacks for 8 days straight

Assaad · ‎03-03-2017

Hey all my whole life I've had small fits of anixety that last a few minutes once every few years and they always start when I think of the topic of death recently I've been quite sick and I've been having minor thoughts of what if I died but with no anxiety until last week I watched a movie where the main actor could sense her death was coming and it was based on a real life event and I burst into a panic attack that lasted 2 hours thinking I was dying it's been 8 days now and I have a minimum of 4 major panic attacks a day I have zero appitite I don't even think of eating I've lost 10kgs in these past 8 days I look pale and sick In the last 3 days I've been waking up every morning to panic attacks my mind just jumps on the subject of death and as hard as I try it won't get out of my head it's my mind asking me what if I died questions I'm very fatigued I can't sleep I cant eat I can't communicate to anyone I really need some help and I don't want to get addicted to medication in the process can anyone at least help me with waking up with anxiety because that really really scares me thank you

Slipstream_SS · ‎03-03-2017

Hi Assaad

Im really sad to hear about your situation, i too get panic attacks, but only in certain situations, and with the meds i take now i dont really get them, but i do sometimes get depressed as my social phobia gets me down and i do feel pretty crap sometimes, and i too lose my desire to eat.

Firstly i know its hard but you need to eat, makes sure its atleast half decent food, and also you need to see a DR. I sometimes stress over things like you do with death, for instance one thing that scares me is, what if i get called up for Jury Duty. With the phobia i have about not being able to to do things in front of ppl like paperwork and what not. Ill sometimes think of this for a day or so, but it goes away, and doesnt cause me a panic attack. So kinda know what your saying. Like i say you need to eat, go for a run, see family. Act Belong Commit..

CK

BluBelle · ‎03-03-2017

You're not alone Assaad. I had my first panic attack thinking about death when I was 15 after smoking a bit of pot and having those deep stoner thoughts. I remember frantically knocking on my mums bedroom door at 1am in hysterics and she took one look at me and straight away understood I was having a panic attack. After that I had them semi-frequently, almost always when I was alone in my bed at night and my mind was wandering. During the day I can keep my brain busy enough but night time is the hardest.

I did a bit of research on it after this and learned it's really, really common. It even has a name (a bit of a scary one) - Existential Death Anxiety. It's such an awful fear and the panic it causes is just horrific. It sounds like you've been battered pretty hard by it these last few days, and could use some help.

First step is getting yourself to a GP. If you're too tired or shaky to drive, do you have someone who can take you? Let the GP know you've been having panic attacks and how badly it's affecting your life. Ask if you can have a referral to see a psychologist. There's no need to put extra worry on your mind about medication and addiction. A good GP who understands anxiety isn't going to reach straight for the prescription pad if this is your first experience with panic attacks and it's specific to one line of thought. Once you have a referral to a psychologist, they can work with you on overcoming these thoughts of death.

I can share what worked for me in managing my panic attacks about death, and learning to stop them before they become full on. When I get that first heart-racing flood of fear, my mind wants to roll the thought over and over again in my brain but I've learned to sternly tell myself to stop. Then I do something to take my mind off of it and ground me in reality - watch a bit of tv, listen to music, read a book, play a game on my phone. I'll sleep with the light on if I'm still a bit wobbly after that. I take some small comfort in knowing that when it happens, I won't know it's happened - and that every single person in the world is coming with me. Someone once told me a fear of death is a sign you're not living right, and it struck a chord. While I was happy (say, sleeping next to my partner at the time) I never had the panic attacks. Only when I'm alone. So I made an effort to be around more people and live a life I wanted. You can probably browse around the forum for more self-help techniques.