Panic Attacks & Worsened Anxiety Due To Grief?

[BrookeM]

My dad passed just a little over a week ago, and this is the first time I've ever lost anyone that close to me before. My anxiety and panic is through the roof. I've had GAD and panic disorder since I was 7 (which later worsened at age 11), but it comes in spells. I seemed to be doing pretty okay until this happened. I can't seem to get the idea of death and the future and the general unknown out of my mind. Nothing but "what if" and being skeptical has been swirling in my mind. Questioning the reality of everything and if anything is even real or matters. I was just wondering if anyone has had a similar experience, and even if they haven't, if they have advice on tips to stop over-thinking / over-analyzing / worrying / driving myself insane about everything? And how long did the worst of it last, if you've had similar experiences. Thank you all ahead of time.



Edit: I've been on Sertraline (generic Zoloft) since I was 11, just in varying doses. I'm not sure if a raise in dosage would help, but I'm already at 100mg, and I have been for over three years now. But I'd also like to find a way to cope as well, not only depend on medication (although it has helped me very much throughout the years).

[Otherside]

Ah, not uncommon for the things you suffer from (both physical and mental) to flare up due to grief (or at least, so I have been told by a bereavement counselor.) I've been through a similar thing. My Uncle passed away in August, and it pushed me into an episode of depression. My anxiety issues became worse after my uncles death as well, just as you are saying yours did.

I saw a bereavement counsellor after it happened, which helped quite a lot to be honest. If you haven't looked into speaking with one, I'd suggest considering it. If you're beginning to struggle, speaking with one can really help.

As for the medication...yes, increasing the dose may help you a bit. You could discuss it with your doctor and see whether they think an increase would be beneficial at this period of time. I'm on zoloft myself, and the medication was increased due to the depressive episode that was caused. You could increase the dose for a short period and come back down again when you begn to feel better, given that this is a difficult period for you (which is what I'm planning on doing). Ultimately though, the decision is up to you.

And I'm sorry for your loss, and wish you the best of luck with everything.

[InvisibleGuy]

I'm really sorry for your loss. I agree, I think you should consider seeing a grief counselor. There's no shame in asking for help while you're getting through this. The grieving process has proven to be really, really tough for me, I lost a loved one to suicide a few years ago, and I'm still very much in the beginning stages of the grieving process....I seem to be taking baby steps. I have a grief counselor, and a therapist, and a psychiatrist.

My anxiety went through the roof after my gf passed away. So much so that I didn't think I'd ever feel "normal" again. You talk about uncertainty about the future and the unknown, and that's how I felt. When I look back on that time, after she passed away, I remember first of all I couldn't even care for myself anymore, I had to move into my parents' house. It was over a year before I could even hold down a job again. And I remember feeling so completely, totally out of control. Like I couldn't control anything....like my whole life was spinning out of control.

Looking back what helped me was talking about it. And...looking back, I can tell you through experience, that shutting down when you're going through the grief process can send you to some very, very dark places. It's just not a good idea to do that in my experience, you can't hold everything in. If you start stuffing the feelings that come with grief, it will come out one way or another, and it usually comes out in ways you'd rather it not. It's best, imo, to talk, talk, talk. It's painful to talk about. There are times when I hate going to see my therapist, there are times when I walk out of there feeling worse than when I went in, tbh, but imo you have to talk it out.

I hope you work through this. I will eventually have to work through the same thing. My parents both just turned 66 years old, they are not getting any younger, and there will come a time when I have to bury my parents. It's not anything anyone likes to think about, but....that's the natural order of things. Children normally, at some point, bury their parents. I can't even think about that, at this stage of my life, right now, but at some point I will have to.