Social Anxiety: Sweating, Suffocating and Panic Attacks

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Question:

Dear Doctors,

I am writing to you because my social life has been changing recently. In fact, I tend to go out much less now because doing so gives me a lot of physical and mental discomfort. My problem is related to sweating and to strong and bad odor; the problem, I think, instead is not only linked psychologically but more importantly to my ability to respire.

For example, if I find myself in crowded and somewhat heated places, I suffer like a dog; I become paranoid when I feel like I am suffocating and try to avoid places with a possibility of sweating. I would like to know if a septum deviation can solve anything, including palpitation. Thank You.

Answer:

Dear Francesca,

The fact that you asked this question to someone who is specialized in psychology related science brings me to think that there is something inside you that is pushing you to think that there are some psychological component to the problems that you are describing, not only physical.

Surely I do not exclude the importance to put into consideration the problems that are physical and can have a negative impact on your problem, but wait before considering seeing a specialist doctor; as a psychologist, I pay much more attention only the perception that you have on these physical characteristics and the amount of pain it cause you more than the sweating and the bad odor itself. A high pain can become something that can slowly hinder your social relations even more.

I think at the bottom of all this there is an anxiety component that is more or less known and limiting you particularly; connecting it to your social situations, it manifests through your fear of “having something wrong” that the others can tell. Following this hypothesis it can also be considered the palpitation that you’ve quickly mentioned as a very important element to understand your situation better.

Referring back to your question, I have to confirm how much I believe breathing to be the most important element to take in consideration, and to improve on. For example, beginning from techniques that are specific and goal-oriented, with the help of an expert, a path can be found to help you overcome in the best way possible the problems that you’ve said. To conclude this, what I really want to tell you in all honesty is that you must develop more trust and hope within yourself, because the consequence can be seen in these problems.

Wish you all the luck in the world.

Answer:

Manuele Matera, Psychologist

Question:

Francesca, 27 years old

Publication Date: 03/23/2007

For other posts related to Social Anxiety check out Fear of judgment

Check out the original article here 

Is it anxiety? Is it Panic?

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Question:

Dear Doctors,

 I have a simple question to ask. As I was leaving the house today, I had one of those feelings that people can have when they are facing an exam or they are emotional and scared: tachycardia, agitation, and I am sure that my hands were trembling as well. I was very much agitated and anxious, as if I was afraid of something even though there is nothing that justified it. I tried to assure myself verbally and called a friend in order to talk about something else. I did calm down after a while.

I want to ask if this could be a type of mini-panic attacks or maybe only a bit of repressed anxiety. I don’t think that I currently have huge problems; it could be because the attitude of my father is rather anxious when he thinks about my future: he would like me to have clear ideas, big projects, and to follow his ideas. However, this period is not one of the worse regarding this. In fact, last year he gave me a lot of anxiety always accusing me of “not having time” or “make the wrong choices” .. and always pointing out that I have the wrong life and how it contradicts everything he knows.

I am in University with maximum grades possible and in addition, taking a course for a degree outside of the university related to my studies, but it is never enough.

Excuse me, at last I’ve dwelt more than I intended to!

Thank you very much for the time that will be dedicated to me.

 Answer:

Good day Bruna,

It seems like you have already done the diagnosis and timely intervention, with their own means. I give you my compliments. You were cautious before concluding it to be panic attack; even if the symptoms that you’ve had do not differ in quality, but rather in intensity.

 As for your question, I would not define it as a repressed anxiety, but an anxiety that suddenly became manifested, in which the cause can be found in the relationship with the family. The continuing requests from your father to “do the best and doing it better” can generate a conflict between the desires to achieving goals following a plan and the need to please your parents. 

 The conflict that I am talking about is not seen by the discussions that you have with your father, but from you inside. In the unconscious part of your mind, you cannot agree on how to act and on what to obtain. As an example, it is almost like, even though you are always staying ahead and obtaining good grades in your studies, there is always a little voice that says “you have not done enough and your father is not happy.”

 If your relationship with your family continues in this way, most of your energies will be dispersed with anxiety and with non-satisfactions. These energies instead can be used to clarify with your father what he is doing and the goals he has for the future. If the conversation within your family is not sufficient to make any changes, you may contact a specialist that can help negotiate between. It would also be useful to find an individualized approach to establish a consistency in your mind so that you can create a harmonic and equilibrium act to pursue your dreams with better results and waste less of your energy.

 To conclude this, in order to find calmness and harmony within yourself and prevent anxiety attacks, you should learn the technics of relaxation that are simple but with great therapeutic effects; it would need to be practiced constantly and would be best if it is learned from an expert.
I wish you the best.

Answer:
Giovanni Iustulin: Psychotherapist
Question:
Bruna, 22 years old
Publication Date: 09/14/2006

For other articles on the topic check out Scared of everything and What is Anxiety Disorder
Check out the original article here

The fear of judgment

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Question:

Hi, my name is Mark and I am 30 year’s old. My problem is this: my mood depends almost entirely on the behavior that other people have in my regards. If I notice detachment from them, I immediately think that they are mad at me. My reaction to this is a strong depression (it is 7 years that I take drugs for depression and panic attacks). I have a strong fear of judgment.

If I think that someone is mad at me, I create any excuse to come in contact with that person as soon as possible because I feel an unavoidable need to understand the reasons of their anger or if that anger that I perceived is actually inexistent. All of this creates a chain mechanism that sometimes annihilates me for days (for example if it is Friday and I cannot see that person until Monday.) I lay down on my bed and I keep thinking about it all the time. Obviously I do not reach any conclusion. In this way, I am destroying my life and myself.

I cannot find joy, enthusiasm, and energy to do my daily stuff anymore. The future of my days is strictly linked to the mood and the behavior towards me of the people around me. I cannot live in this situation any longer, I feel oppressed and “driven” by someone that is not I.

Help.

Answer:

Mark,

I see that you are asking for help, but you do not really formulate any specific question. I am not sure what do you need to be helped. You say that you have a strong fear of judgment. What I see is that you have clear ideas on your situation. The description that you give is lucid and rational. You are in a depressive state that makes you feel like “in a cage”, you cannot see the exit. There is no way out! That is what the panic attacks are telling you. And somehow it is like that. You live everyday based on others, what others think about you, what they do, their expressions, their behavior, etc. You are always living outside of yourself, and surely influenced by someone that is not you. You survive thinking about what you think is the other people’s judgment about you. In this way you are out of yourself, you gave your power out forgetting your entire world that gets inevitably neglected.

Of course this has its advantages! The most obvious is that you are busy, you fill your mind, and you have something “else” to think about. Apparently to think about others, or through others, creates less pain and responsibility than doing it directly.

You must be very strong! You need a lot of strength to survive in this condition. It is a shame that this energy gets used in such a destructive and painful way. Imagine what you could do or you could feel if you would use this energy for yourself! First of all working on your situation, to change old mechanism and put yourself on the podium, at the center of your mood and your world. This implies putting yourself at the center of your pain, but also of your joy! In fact you, living outside of yourself, do not know the real taste of life and the joy that exists in it. You live constantly annihilating yourself, even though from your words I can see a deep need for love and relations. In fact, what you fear the most is the detachments from others and their judgment, almost like if their love was vital for your existence.

You said that you are taking anti-depressants since 7 years, but as you can see the drugs are not enough to modify the situation you are in. Drugs dull the symptoms, but they are often not enough to modify your life. To do so you need to start a journey in your emotional world, supported by an expert psychotherapeutic guide.

Mark, I am not sure if this is what you wanted to hear, if it is what you expected asking for help. Mine can seem like a simple and banal answer. Surely, it is not easy to take the situation in your hands. It is hard, and I mean it, to stop feeling sorry for yourself, and to drop the victim’s benefits. There is only one way: find your center! There are no shortcuts or easier ways.

I wish you a good journey.

Answer:

Sabrina Costantini, Psychotherapist

Question:

Mark, 30 year’s old

Publication date: 01/17/2007

If you were looking for panic attacks or anxiety related topics read about What is Anxiety Disorder?

Check out the original article here

What is Anxiety Disorder?

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Question:

Hi, since about two years I keep having panic attacks and real or delusional fears. The only way I have to stop it is to take Xanax (Alprazolam) twice a day. There always have to be someone with me. What can I do? 

I don’t want to take drugs for the rest of my life and be terrified by everything.

Thanks for the answer.

Answer:

Dear Patrizia, the problem that you are reporting is a pretty common face of the Anxiety Disorder.

But what is anxiety disorder?

As you probably know, Anxiety is an adaptive experience connected to our ability to foresee our future. By itself Anxiety has a benefic function of protection and awareness in front of potentially dangerous situations. Although, when it persists, it becomes a disturbing experience and can, like in your case, pose limits to one’s life.

Using “technical” terms to describe your situation, in this moment you are suffering of something that we call the “fear of fear”. In other words, your thought is constantly involved in a catastrophic prevision of your whole reality. The result of this can only be “catastrophic” itself. This does not mean that your life is really horrible, but just that you perceive this way because you are stuck in a negative psychological reality that keep feeding itself.

How do you get out of this cycle? How do you stop anxiety?
The answer is simple and complex at the same time. It is simple because your situation is fairly common, and there are plenty of ways to solve it (psychiatrists/psychotherapists can surely be of great help.) It is also hard, because in this moment you have problems accepting professional help since the negative feeling that you perceive of your reality prevents you to have an optimistic hope, and so you tend to rely on symptoms containment therapies (such as the Xanax), rather then starting a real transforming therapy.

In conclusion, my suggestion is to look for a good professional (psychiatrist/psychotherapist) in your area. Think about this: what you are going through right now is filtered by how your mind is perceiving your reality, so your fears and your anxious attacks are only one kind of realities generated by your mind, just one of the many ”worlds” that we think is our reality. But, after all, it is just a mind-loop that can be changed.

Good Luck!

Answer:

Paolo Chellini, Psychotherapist

Question: 
Patrizia, 36 year’s old

Publication date: 12/28/2006

Check out the original article at: rolandociofi's blog