When l look in the mirror it feels like someone else, if l look at pics of myself it does not feel like me in the pic. l can not sleep at night, l feel weird all day, like my brain is on overdrive. l feel scared all the time, detached. l will start crying all of a sudden and do not know why. could l have a disease in my brain that is causing this? i'm scared. l went to doctor and he gave me xanax-just made me tired. l have ativan but have not taken it yet. l see a therapist but it has not helped. i'm so scared. l don' t know how to stop this horrible feeling. please help. l was thinking it was anxiety or depression but now i'm scared l have some type of infection in mybrain.

You're right, it is anxiety with depression. Give therapy and your meds a chance, eh?

Hiya,

l am absolutely sure u havent got any disease in ur brain as these do sound like anxiety & depression symptoms. My girlfriend suffered with anxiety & would just burst into tears at anytime. Keep up the sessions with ur therapist as these will help but it does take time. If u do not think the medication helps or u get strange side effects then go back to the doctors straight away & let them know about it.

There r many people with the same symptoms as u on my site that helps people with phobias, depression & anxiety called oFear The Online Fear & Phobia Forum so maybe u could join & ask some questions there. There r online mental health nurses to answer questions as well so that could prove very helpful for you.

Hope this helps

John

Okay, what could have happended in your life that would cause you to feel upset in general? You are suffering from a response to emotional trauma. You do not need xanax or any other meds. Do not listen to others, it is most likely that you are suffering from a reaction to something that was very upsetting for you.

l am also sure u do not have an infection in ur brain. It sounds as if u r reacting to some stressful circumstances in ur life. It could be past stress or present since often we react to stress after the worst is over. Anyway, medication does not really resolve what is bothering you, it just helps ur symptoms lessen. But u need to deal with what is caused ur trauma. Those r scary symptoms, but they wo not hurt you. I've had them myself & they will go away as u become more peaceful in ur life. Find some things to do that u enjoy & find a meaningful purpose for ur life. Helping others helps us. l will pray for you. l am sure u will be fine given some time to relax more. Bless you!

For the past 18 months l have been feeling like you. l have been to my GP surgery about 6 times & l began CBT therapy about 8 months ago however l did not stick to it as l was agoraphobic & l just lay in bed all day everyday & l do not go out anymore because of a range of factors, for example people treating me like crap, undermining me & making me feel worthless all the time, & not just enemies but my friends & family would also make me feel this way. l often get racing thoughts & l am so lost & confused, l sometimes wonder whether l have a brain abnormality like you, but other times l get paranoid that l am bipolar or schizophrenic & also l sometimes just think it is all in my head & nothing is wrong with me. Like u l was given anti-depressants (citalopram) though l stopped taking them as they made me feel worse than l already was & less in touch with reality, & thats the problem l think we r both normal people but we just need to get in tune with reality, we r not going crazy & to some extent we might be hypochondriacs & that just makes us who we are, just try to relax life was never meant to be easy, l always fight with myself in my head but this needs to stop, l need to take a step back & assess my surroundings & do everything l can to help me feel less like a paranoid schizophrenic & more like a normal human, & l think u need to do the same, just stop focusing on the bad & only think positive, if u think negative u will be negative, if u think positive u will become more positive, also u never said ur age, if u r young 19 like me l think this a problem lots of people our age have & we get over this & it makes us stronger in the end as we learn to deal with this kind of thing, though if ur like above the age of 30 then l feel very bad for u & l hope u turn out good in the end.
Finally if u wanna chat my email is i-likepussylive.co.uk
Good Luck