Severe Anxiety

I have had panic attacks for 10 years recently they have gotten so much worse and I can’t get through them anymore. I have severe health anxiety and my heart will go fast for no reason it seems like so now I’m convinced I have A fib and I can’t let it go. My heart has been checked I’ve had a monitor for a month, stress echo, ekgs all they have found is premature beats but I’m still convinced and its ruining my life. Now I can’t tell if my heart is racing first or I am having anxiety then it starts racing. I’ve been trying to get into a mental dr but haven’t been able to. Please any advice on what I should do I can’t stop obsessing i check my pulse over and over and If it goes up at all I freak out I’m living in misery.

A. The best way to overcome anxiety is to believe in the truth. You have been cleared of heart problems but you are choosing not to believe the doctors. This is a choice. You can choose to believe or you can choose not to believe. Ideally, you should believe in the truth and forgo entertaining ideas that are not supported by facts. Understandably, this is obviously easier said than done, but you can learn these cognitive changes in treatment.

You stated that you have been trying to see a “mental Dr.” but have not yet. Keep trying. You might consider seeing both a psychiatrist and a therapist. A psychiatrist is a medical doctor who can prescribe medication for your anxiety. A therapist will teach you helpful strategies for decreasing anxiety. Both medication and skills training will help tremendously.

You’ve been living with anxiety for over a decade. Without treatment, it tends to worsen. With treatment, however, that can all change. You can be helped. Many people have overcome their anxiety and live high-quality lives. With the proper treatment, you can expect the same positive outcome. You don’t have to live in “misery” if you’re willing to participate in treatment. It can make all the difference. Thank you for your question. Please take care.

Dr. Kristina Randle

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