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HELP PLEASE (need advice on panic attacks and my parents reactions) Please!
Sat, 05/25/2013 - 18:50Topic: Community Issues and Chat
Since grade 10 I've had stressed induced seizures which means that after I have a panic attack(from a stressful situation work or family) I panic and then have seizures after words (the most is 3 or 4 in a period of a couple days). It's been going on for 6 years and has slowed down to once a month, like a strange cycle I can't stop. I keep thinking about what if I have them, what will happen. When I panic I try to get away from people not wanting them to see, not wanting attention. I still live with my parents and have a part time job. I do want to go to school next year and plan too but when ever I have a panic attack or a 'fake' seizure. My mother always yells and tells me that I am mental, will never have a normal life, never have a boyfriend. That is why I'm still living at home. I've been talking to someone about my problems and when I told them about the way my parents react, they told me to keep my voice calm and ask them to not yell.
It doesn't work, they can't understand and are constantly getting annoyed with me, they do not believe that I will ever get out of this, that I will never go back to school, because I will panic and fall about. I will be stuck with them forever.
It hurts because I know they are wrong. It's painful and annoying when I have panic attacks and seizures but I don't think that will stop me. I've been called names to the lowest with them(I even wrote a list down to show them later) and I have no where to go until next year. My mother says she knows that I do this on purpose for attention and that she tells her friends at work that I'm mental and need help. I keep telling her that it is not there problem and that , that doesn't help at all. She thinks I'm seeking attention. I'm not I don't want attention on me and so I try to hide these attacks from her since if If tell her she will get angry.
I just need advice on how to handle the situation. Will it get better if I move away? What should I do to get my parents to stop getting fed up with me and making me feel so crazy, and mental. I feel like crying everyday because of it. Help please! any advice!
Comments
Re: HELP PLEASE (need advice on panic attacks...
Submitted by dpkhandro on Tue, 2013-05-28 - 18:57
I agree that getting a formal diagnosis by a neurologist, not just a family practitioner is the best way to define your experience, for you and your parents. Once the diagnosis is made, there are plenty of medication options to help you gain some control of your symptoms.
In the meantime, since you know stress is a trigger, do what you can to reduce your stress through exercise in the fresh air, avoiding people and situations where you feel unsafe, listening to music which has a calming effect, breathing slowly in and out, following your breath with your mind. Know you are not alone and most of us thought we were losing our minds before we were finally diagnosed with epilepsy.
Re: HELP PLEASE (need advice on panic attacks...
Submitted by Masterjen on Tue, 2013-05-28 - 21:39
It might be that your parents are in a state of denial and just have an unpleasant way of showing it. I went through this with my dad, even after a diagnosis. He loves me like crazy, and me him, but this was just too much for him. He walked out of the room once when I was going into a seizure - it took me a long time to get over that one. For a long time he called my seizures "twitchies" (yes, I mean with the "ies" on the end!) Made me feel like more of a freak than I already thought I was. He is adjusting, as am I, but he still struggles to talk about it. My mom has been my main support through all this.
Re: HELP PLEASE (need advice on panic attacks...
Submitted by Mendelblot on Tue, 2013-05-28 - 16:30
You know, getting a formal diagnosis might be able to clear up some of the misunderstanding, or at least put it in context.
As for never having a boyfriend, I always think of that Beatles song, "Lonely People". There are a lot of people (Such as myself) out there who in our modern age have no idea how to go about finding love. But heck, if you feel alone, you are never alone! ;-)))
So as you can tell, I'm pretty useless with advice. But do seriously consider talking to a doctor. A 200,000 dollar white lab coat telling your parents that your problems are not your choice might go a long way to giving them the tools to support you better.
Good luck. Be good to yourself and to others.
You know, getting a formal diagnosis might be able to clear up some of the misunderstanding, or at least put it in context.
As for never having a boyfriend, I always think of that Beatles song, "Lonely People". There are a lot of people (Such as myself) out there who in our modern age have no idea how to go about finding love. But heck, if you feel alone, you are never alone! ;-)))
So as you can tell, I'm pretty useless with advice. But do seriously consider talking to a doctor. A 200,000 dollar white lab coat telling your parents that your problems are not your choice might go a long way to giving them the tools to support you better.
Good luck. Be good to yourself and to others.