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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 3 of 3. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by ricardo on February 23, 2003, at 5:18:16
Hi everyone
I've just posted this message on the Psychgological Babble board, but I thought I should post it here, as well. There it goes:
Hi
I do have fears, but... can they be called panic attacs, clinically speaking? I'll tell what happens to me. It's actually a very specific situation. I'm a 38-year-old gay man. I've had two long relationships in my life. One that lasted 12 years and it was not my decision to break it, and another one that took almost 4 years, and it was my decision to break it after. Now I've been with someone else for a year. My boyfriend is a very difficult person and sometimes I suspect that he's bipolar. This should be the subject of another post... Anyway, my boyfriend has "disappeared" a couple of times. Not really for long periods, and he hadn't really disappeared. Only, he pretended he had disappeared by asking his co-workers to tell me he hadn't shown for work on two different occasions, after fights we'd had. He just has a cellular phone, so it's very easy for him to turn it off. No real telephone in his place... Well, on those two occasions, when he disappeared, I was really scared. I really freaked out! I thought about the most terrible possibilities concerning where he could be, or what could have happened to me. Lots of tragic stories came through my mind, and the more I thought about them, the more I panicked. All the time, it was rationally clear to me that he was just playing with me, but that stayed on a very superficial level. I just couldn't *emotionally* believe in my rational side! When he appeared, I had this big rage attack due to what he had caused me, but of course I was totally relieved to see him back. Now, every time I call him on his cellular and he doesn't answer within the the first two ringing tones, I kind of panic. I keep re-dialing one time after another, almost non-stop, until he answers it. It the phone is off, I'll keep calling it for as long as it takes, until it starts ringing again and he answers it. My boyfriend kind of knows how I feel about him turning off his phone, so he got used to using it against me whenever we have fights and he wants to "punish" me somehow. But, even *rationally* knowing about it, I do freak out just the same whenever he does that. Of course I've been discussing that with my therapist exhaustively, and I even tried AD's. None of them really helped me feel better in those situations (of him not answering the phone). My question is: should I consider that as being panic attacks and try to get specific treatment for that? I have to say that telling you about that is REALLY very embarrassing to me, since my *rational* side knows how stupid this all is!
Thanks, and I'll be looking forward to your support!
Ricardo
Posted by linkadge on February 23, 2003, at 15:16:43
In reply to panic attacks - do I have them?, posted by ricardo on February 23, 2003, at 5:18:16
It sounds to me that you are the type of
person who can benefit from treatment,
but who could also exist the rest of
your life without treatment (somewhat
lower in spirits than others however)You probably are experiencing some degree
of panic attacks - again you could benefit
from proper treatment. The fact that you
said it was like a split mind (one part of
you was completetly rational - and the other
part was freaking out) says something to
me.It can be difficult to experience what you believe
to be true, but it is possible.If you seek treatement for panic attacks then
they will most likely give you an SSRI. They
will not give you Wellbutrin as this can
make panic attacks worse. Depending on what
you say about your responce to SSRI's, they
may try some other stuff.when it comes down to it, you really need
to ask the question. Is this interfereing with
my ability to live, work, and expereience pleasure?. If so, seek treatment.Good Luck
Linkadge
Posted by ricardo on February 24, 2003, at 20:07:06
In reply to here's the deal, posted by linkadge on February 23, 2003, at 15:16:43
Good points... thanks a lot!
Ric
This is the end of the thread.
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