Thanks,Vickers4. Its nice to have the support of this site. Without it I know that I wouldn t have done so well. chard ;)

Hey Chard! I am so glad you went to the interview and did so well - that is fabulous! Remember, even if you don't get the job, it was a victory all the same because you went and you conquered the moment! Woo Hoo!! :8|:

:)Thanks Vickers4 and Warren for all your help! I did have the interview yesterday and did ok. I had no panic whatsoever on the presentation (really calm) and on the interview stage I had one jitter (everything went brighter and I felt the room spin) but managed to correct it by telling myself the thoughts you gave me. I do believe it was probably the best interview I had! I also took 2 Vitamin B complex tablets and used my Bach Rescue Remedy Spray (regularly) if I felt the tension build slightly. I am using the SELF CONFIDENCE TRAINER CD and listened to the exercises on that the night before. I came up with a few new thoughts that seemed to work for me in stressful situations: "If you are calm, you can cope in any situation" I used this as a trigger to calm myself down if I felt the stress rising, I haven learnt very well how to calm myself down but I try with the breathing exercises. I also realised something else, a big thing...I have always felt inadequate as a person, that I wasnt good enough for not being able to cope or avoid situations. Then I thought, well Its the panic disorder that makes me feel like this; If I was calm then I would be able to cope. Underneath all this panic, there is calm deep inside me. I guess I had suffered with this disorder for such a long time that I don t really know who I am without it!!! take care the owner of chard the fish x (he's one big goldfish!)

Congratulations on the interview - I hope it goes well for you! When you feel yourself starting to panic about the interview, take a few deep breaths and remind yourself that it is just panic and you have survived these attacks before and will again. Make yourself go and if you start feeling panicky, stay in the situation and know that even though you feel like bolting, you are not in danger. You will be ok! Interviews usually only last 15 - 30 minutes so if you're feeling panicky while you're there, remember that the interview won't last very long so just keep hanging on for a few more minutes. I find that the anticipation is always worse than the event itself. Remember that you are stronger than you feel!

hi warren, thankyou for that advice, it really helped and now i think i am about to put a big fear to rest!!! There is no history whatsoever of psychosis in my family- only anxiety/depression. I am 29 years old, my anxiety developed into attacks at 20. I had a bit of a bad day on fri, had a nasty panic attack with derealisation for a couple of minutes. I can handle the normal ones but those still freak me out. Worse than that, I have an all day interview this thurs. Interviews are what cause panic attacks for me. Any advice?

Hey chardthefish Hows it going. I am sure you have heard people say before that you cannot go "crazy" from panic and anxiety disorder. They are completly correct. I hope what I am going to tell you will put an end to all your worrying of maybe one day of developing some kind of serious psychotic disorder from your anxiety and depression. I use to worry about all of those things too and it is hell I know, all that worrying over it when there was absolutely nothing really to worry about. The reason people say that anxiety disorders will never make you go "crazy" is because anxiety disorders have to deal with sicological (sorry for spelling) stress. People with disoders like schitzophrenia have more of enviromental stress, like they cant handle the enviroment around them or their reality, until eventually they cant tell the difference between reality and unreality. People that develop schitzophrenia are between the ages of 17-25 because there are a lot of changes your going through during this time of your life and a lot of enviromental changes happening. Also people that develop disorders like schitzophrenia are predisposed to developing the disoder, meaning it runs in their family genes. I dont know how old you are but if it doesn't run in your family at all and you have went through a lot of the changes that people go through between the ages of 17 and 25 and your biggest problem is anxiety then you dont have to worry at all about developing some kind of serious psychotic disorder. I really hope this helps. If you have any more questions or you did'nt really understand something then dont hesitate to ask me. Take care

Hi, I found this written on a panic site, What You Fear the Most Cannot Happen A panic attack is a horrible and terrifying experience, but it is not in any sense dangerous. Panic disorder is actually an entirely natural bodily reaction that is occurring OUT OF CONTEXT. For example, when we feel our survival is somehow threatened, all mammals have an instinctual response to either fight or flee. This response produces a sudden surge of adrenaline, accompanied by strong feelings of anxiety and panic, and a very intense urge to flee or escape the situation or circumstance. It is interesting that the intensity of the reaction and the strong urge to flee are things that would ensure your survival if you were truly in danger..... The flow of adrenaline and the resulting extra blood flow increases your strength and awareness of the danger. This extra "awareness" of the perceived danger may cause all sorts of feelings, such as dizziness, nausea, hyperventilation, heart palpitations, confusion, lack of control, unreality, being dazed, shaking, trembling, and sweaty palms, among others. During a panic attack, your body goes through the same physical processes as it would if you were in real danger. The DIFFERENCE, of course, is that although you feel you are in danger, you really ARE NOT. That you undergo panic attacks -- without knowing why -- only makes the situation much more frightening. Because of these feelings of panic, it's very common to "invent" or attribute danger to the accompanying bodily symptoms. Remember, though, that NO ONE has ever had these things happen to them as a result of a panic attack: "I'M GOING CRAZY": No one with panic attacks and anxiety has ever gone "crazy". In fact, because you realize that you have panic attacks, this is just another indication that you are not going crazy. People that "go crazy" lose contact with reality. Anxiety people are too much in contact with reality. Thus, people with panic and anxiety problems NEVER "go crazy". It simply cannot happen. "I'M GOING TO PASS OUT": Temporary dizziness leads people with panic to feel that they may pass out. This is not possible because, during panic, your heart beats faster, and your blood pressure rises. As the blood pressure rises, it becomes im

hi warren. i have the fear of death thing to. It has contributed to me not driving any more because of the derealisation attack. I am trying to accept the whole notion at the moment that you can t stop whatever happens, if you are going to go you will. Along with being extremely curious about joining an alpha course to learn more about christanity. I also have the fear of going insane. It has always terrified me that I may develop a psychotic illness if my depression/anxiety isnt treated. So if you can give me any reassurance on that it would be helpful, I have never had any hallucinations etc but just an irrational thought. thanks chardthefish xxx

Thanks everyone for your replies. Its good to know that Im not alone in this. Hey Andrea I use to have the same fears of worrying about going crazy with my panic and anxiety. Im guessing your talking about like "Crazy" like scitzophrenia right? I dont worry about those things at all anymore. I know that panic and anxiety disorder can not make me go crazy. I learnt a lot about scitzophrenia when I was worrying a lot about that kind of stuff and I learnt about how these diseases happen and who gets them and I know now that there is no way I will ever develop that kind of mental disorder. So you dont have to worry. Because Im sure your just worrying just like I was about that kind of thing. With no real chance of it actually happening. My advice to you is learn about it. Mind you sometimes its pretty hard to find the answers your looking for, so if you have any questions feel free to ask me. Everyone take care and thanks again.

my fear of death has been since i was a child. does prozac really help that? i think its a trauma i faced. i also went through a lot of deaths in the family this past 12 years. my mom, my grandmom, my uncle etc. just watching them die - well since then ive had panic attacks and now agrophobic. well before my marriage goes really down the drain, i decided to get help