I had a real bad year about 12 years ago, lost my dad to cancer, step dad jumped off a railway bridge in front of an oncoming train. Together with that and the increasing pressure in a job I hated it all got too much.
I kept getting periods of anxiety but didn't have a clue what they were, I found myself going to the loo just to get out of the office for a few minutes 4-5 times a day, went to my docs and he told me to take it easy and that I was 'just a delicate boy'. Looking back, if that doctor had been a little more pro-active I could have prevented what followed.
Ended up having a full blown panic attack at work and had to walk out mid shift, got in my car, drove home and locked myself in the bedroom for hours. The following weeks were horrible, I was anxious continuously, going outside and doing social stuff was a nightmare and I ended up avoiding everything.
Anyway upshot of it was I finally got taken seriously by a GP and was offered CBT councelling, it was a slow process, probably took about 3 months altogether, but a positive mental attitude and baby steps saw me completely recover. I was offered medication but refused it, maybe it would have helped but I didn't want the old brain chemistry playing with if I could avoid it.
Oh and splitting up from the moody-pig missus was also a big step in the right direction.
I do still get the odd twinge of anxiety, but I think I always have been prone to the odd twinge every now and then.
My advice to anyone who gets more than the 'odd twinge' of anxiety is to get yourself a few hours booked in with a CBT councillor they help a lot, I know there's a stigma about such things but it affects so many more people than you'd think and that very stigma is what stops most people getting help.
