Anxiety Issues

I started fish oil and vitamin D and my anxiety has dimensioned and has got so much easier. The meds even work better.

Ja Cee

You might want to pick up an excellent book entitled WORRY: CONTROLLING IT AND USING IT WISELY, by Edward M. Hallowell, MD.

When I feel anxious, I often listen to a Yoga Nidra cd (mine, that I love is by Gillian Ross). It takes me through two great relaxing meditations that are around 30 minutes each. It really slows my racing thoughts! I realize it won't be "the solution" for you but might help in the meantime. I also would put a few drops of Bach's Rescue Remedy in my water. Again, these are likely good solutions for mild anxiety but they are easy to do straight away for you while you work to get what you need.

I suffer under depression and anxiety too, especially when the weather is gloomy. I used to calm my fears by saying, "Well, whatever happens to me, God will take care of me and see my through to heaven." It helped a little, but I still focused on my fears, even though they were often unrealistic. I was afraid of pain, loss, abandonment, ridicule, and many other things that I've never really experienced but I've read a lot about.

Then I realized that most of my fears were unrealistic. God had done better than seeing me through my difficulties. He had prevented the difficulties that I was worried about altogether. I realized that God would take care of me, but he was and is taking care of me right now. There's an old lullaby that ends "If God will, thou shalt wake when the morning does break." Since I'm awake, he must want me alive and whole. He loves me. He also loves you.

It takes a lot of work to remember that at first. The brain gets in habits of thinking about "what if" instead of "what is right now." Right now, we are whole and healthy and happy. I find it useful to look at the exact thing that I am doing right now -- the piece of laundry in my hand, my daughter trying to sneak under my feet, the fact that the lights are on in the kitchen. And I don't let myself make stories or raise questions about it. I just accept it as a fact. This helps tremendously because my facts are pretty good. God has been good to me.

"Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God, and the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Phil. 4:6-7

V.:

First, my advice would be to take deep breaths and search out a new Dr. to advise you better of what will work for you.

Second, you need to work on getting out of the house to do something for yourself, not just taking the kids here or there. I'm not sure where you are located, but if you have a gym near you or some kind of library, or something you like to do, DO IT NOW. I started to go through the same thing about a month ago, and my kids could feel it too. Everyone was suffering, and I took the initiative to join 24 Hour Fitness and take a group yoga class. This is an easy class because if you just focus on what the instructor is saying, then go into your own little world when she lets you (and you get more familiar w the moves), this will allow you to "breathe" through your emotions. It's a great training strategy. If the gym is not a good thing, then find something that will allow you to help your nerves settle, to include Dieting.

When I say dieting, I do not mean leave out burgers and fries and all the yummy things that life has to offer, but think about what nutrition you are getting and NOT getting. You might want to go online or talk to a Dr. about a more natural approach to depression, like watching your caffiene intake, making sure to take the right dose of fish oil and other vitamins for your body. This will help not only with depression, but anxiety and other ailments. It's been my experience that when your chemicals are not right, you must get checked to see what you need to add to your diet or take out of. Try this and you'll see great improvement.

Best wishes, and keep me posted on how you are.

Kim B.

I completely agree that you've got two issues going on, even though they relate to each other.

- Getting the kids to activities
- The anxiety/depression + being on the wrong meds

Soccer:
I think it's a fantastic idea to see if you can get someone to take your kids to and from soccer & other activities for awhile. Not a permanent solution. But one that will GET RID OF THE GUILT... while you deal with the other problems going on. Once those are dealt with, then getting the kids to and fro won't be a problem. At least, no more then the usual (traffic, scheduling, an attack of the sunny day lazies, etc.). You could probably talk with the coach, and see if they can help you arrange it with one of the other parents. All you have to do is tell them that you're having a reeeeeaally hard time getting the kids to practice this season due to health reasons.

Anxiety / depression
Plain and simple, unless your meds have a 30 day "waiting period", you're either on the wrong meds or on the wrong dose. Everyone's brain chemistry is different, which is why there are more then one kind medication out there. Sometime sodium reuptake inhibitors work better for some people, sometimes beta blockers, sometimes SSRI's, they're all very very very different from each other.

I know many many many women who are bipolar. It typically takes them about a YEAR of adding, removing, tweaking doseages for them to find the combo that they need. Unlike Nyquil... these drugs don't come bundled together for the very reason that having them all be discrete and seperate allows each patient and their psychiatrist to add/remove/& tweak doseages as best suits the PATIENT. Now, every bipolar woman I know of is on at least 3 meds, frequently 5 or 6. So if you're going to be on fewer... the amount of time for you to normalize is going to be a LOT shorter then a year. ADHD meds usually only take about 3 months to tweak, others take even less time. It depends on the types of meds, the number of meds, and whether you get "lucky" and find the best fits early on.

Now, some Doc's in short, suck. Sad but sorry truth. Same token, some fantastic General Practitioners make the TERRIBLE mistake of prescribing psychiatric drugs. You wouldn't have a psychiatrist preform open heart surgery, or an OB/GYN treat bone cancer, or a pediactric surgeon practice in an Alzheimer's nursing home. Yet for some reason, many people feel it's okay for their GP to do psychiatric work. GP's don't keep up on all the reading for psychiatry, the med updates, or quite frankly have the training. The same way a psychiatrist would make a lousy GP.

The reasons I bring up the question of who is prescribing and monitoring your meds (and how good they are), is that I most commonly find that people who are on the wrong meds for longer then a week either have a LOUSY psychiatrist, are going through their family doctor (don't do it, no matter how special and wonderful they are!), or are "new" and don't know yet that they're supposed to be calling, nearly every day in the beginning and meeting with their psychologist (counselor) at least one a week, and their psychiatrist at least every 2 weeks. These numbers go waaaaaay down, as soon as you find a med that WORKS for you. Calling only when there's a problem, meeting your psychiatrist every 6 months or so for refill & check-in, and their psychologist as often as is helpful (from once a week, to once a month).

All of this info is from long personal experience. I may be a double major in psych, but it's actually having to deal with this business that you learn all the ins and outs. I had a LOVELY time about 10 years ago that left with some pretty hefty PTSD. Before I knew better, I was on some meds (and stayed on them for a few months) that worked for most people, but just made me tired. Not actually able to sleep, just sleepy and WIDE awake, but still with every single symptom I had to begin with. Ummmmm. Not so much. It was a fluke I switched doctors, who yanked me off THOSE meds, put me on some others... and it was like the sun came out. My other doc had told me I'd have to be on his stupid regimin for life (a sign of a very bad doc, indeed, btw. Regimens change over time, even for disorders that people have their whole lives... like being bipolar, or ADHD, or etc... because our brain chemistry changes as we age -menopause is a HUGE one, as is pregnancy- and over time as we learn and learn to cope. For TEMPORARY problems like PTSD, most forms of depression, etc. a patient is only on those meds for a limited time).

The new meds I was on for about a year, and then tapered off. I still have a few twitches left over, but they're minor things that I can handle, or at least work around without meds. <Grinning> I'm also ADHD, and have quite literally "tried" everything out there. Some work better for me then others... but none of them would I actually choose to take these days. Most of them I gave about 6 months to a year. Hence, while the acute PTSD thing was 10 years ago, I've been in and out of therapy/medication management for years. For me, I prefer dealing with the pitfalls rather then losing the benefits of ADHD, so I avoid meds. There really aren't any benefits to depression, however. So while I can choose to go naked with adhd, anxiety, panic attacks, & depression aren't anything you want to. At least *I* wouldn't want to.

The very short point of this long business... is tweak your meds, or change your doctor.

So, too, depression and anxiety can be signs of other things; PTSD, ADHD, Bipolarity, thyroid or other adrenal problems, EVEN simple high blood pressure or low blood pressure. Some people who present with classic psychiatric symptoms actually have something physical going on. a reputable psychiatrist will have you do a FULL workup with your family doc, before prescribing you anything. We're talking 6 vials of blood, pee, xrays, blood pressure, everything.

Good Luck, and remember, everything is temporary.

Hi V....not sure how you feel about non-traditional treatment methods, but if you aren't having success with counseling and meds, it might be beneficial for you to look into acupunture and/or homepathic treatments. I've seen a tremendous amount of success in several friends/family members who have gone one or both of those routes.

You need to remember to take care of yourself too....the whole "you are what you eat" thing is true. Eat whole grain healthy foods and avoid sugar. Exercise daily. When your body is healthy it helps your mind be healthy. Take time for yourself each day. Whether you take a half hour long bubble bath alone in the evening or you read a book or something...make sure you have some quiet down time for yourself.

Glad to hear you're seeking treatment.

Have you heard about EA, "Emotions Anonymous"? It is a 12-step program in the tradition of Alcoholics Anonymous, but for people with any type of emotional problem, severe or mild. By practicing the 12 steps, people learn to live emotionally healthy lives. There is a group that meets saturday nights near the zoo in north seattle. EmotionsAnonymous.org. I realize if it's hard to leave the house it might be hard for you to go to the meetings; you might want to start by reading the principles, promises, and steps on the website. They have two books that they use, one has a daily inspirational teaching. I think you can buy them on amazon. For example, today's reflection starts out, "When tense and confused, I need to realize I cannot force-feed thoughts, positive or negative, to my hurting emotions. It only serves to cause more anxiety and depression. I must be accepting of my thoughts and feelings...." The meditation is, "Help me accept that I am hurting. Help me to be gentle with myself and to reach out." They have slogans you can repeat to yourself throughout the day, such as "Let go and let God," "You are not alone." "One day at a time." "First things first," "This too shall pass" "Keep it simple" "I have a choice."

If you can get to a meeting, though, it is good. It is an opportunity to share your thoughts and learn from other people by listening to them. It's been really good for me, and I wish you luck.

Hi, first of all it sounds like you have two different issues: 1) conquering your depression and anxiety, and 2) getting the kids out to activities. I believe they should be treated as separate issues. With regard to your kids, you don't have to feel so pressured to conquer your anxiety right away. Find someone else to take them to their activities if you can. Pay someone, if needed and consider it extra 'babysitting' expense.

As for your anxiety, a counselor told me that anxiety has the highest success rate (97%) in the field of counseling psychology of all the possible issues. Therefore, I would suggest you try to find another counselor. My recommended method? Look through the yellow pages for names that are NOT with an advertisement and are NOT bolded. These professionals rely on word of mouth and are successful based on that alone. If you run across one who is booked or not accepting any new patients, ask them who they would recommend for anxiety issues. Get the recommendations and try to talk to at least 2 of them on the phone before you make a decision. I know this is super-involved, but I believe it is a sure-fire method of getting a top notch counselor.

By the way, I used to have social anxiety and panic attacks along with my depression and now am generally free of anxiety and rarely have episodes of depression. For the anxiety, you can give it a one-two punch with counseling and biofeedback. Biofeedback is the best thing I've tried and gave me a manageable and fairly peaceful natural labor for my second child. Also, having family around helps. Good luck -- if you stick with it, I know you be cured of this without a doubt! Take care. :-)

Science has said usually panic attacks are due to over stimulation of the adrenal glands and you need to FEED the adrenals. (believe me I know this because I have had panic attacks and I don't have them anymore and I don't use drugs) Drugs just mask the problem plus you have contraindications (negative symptoms) and you don't have ANY contraindications with just plain good nutrients except, of course, health. With our society and the way we live with going here and going there we need to take care of the problem. There are a lot of good ideas and some work, some don't but whatever works for you make sure you FEED those adrenals with good nutrients. This is so important I cannot stress how important this is.

Dr. Donsbach has a glandular book which has a test in it regarding adrenal exhaustion. Go to amazon.com if interested.

Pure Adrenal 200 by Professional Complimentary Health Formula which you can only get from a naturopath.

Or Stress Relief from Shaklee which I take and Vita-C and B-Complex and Magnesium which I also take from Shaklee. You can go to www.shaklee.net/a_leading_edge and check out the information.

N.
wife, mom, grandma, wellness coach

Hi V.,

Sorry to hear about your troubles. I just want to second the recommendation to find an EA group. I've had depression and ADD (as another poster has also) issues for years and years that went undiagnosed. Depression medication helped both, but actually wasn't a good comprehensive solution. I found out about Codependents Anonymous, another 12-step group, and it's been the real healing solution to my life-long problems, that medication and therapy never would have done as well. In an EA group, you will not only find the steps for healing, but you will also connect with others and find resources that they've used that worked for them. It's hard to make the effort to go at first, but it will liberate you.
Best wishes.

I will third professional homeopathic treatment. If you are unable to afford going to see someone, there is a website I have used several times called abc homeopathy (http://www.abchomeopathy.com/forums.php) that has a forum where many experienced homeopaths offer their services for free. I encourage you to go read other people's stories on there and then consider posting yours and asking if someone will take your case. I found a good deal of success dealing with my depression & anxiety with homeopathic treatment (as well as counseling and St John's wort combined with 5 HTP).
Also, something that might help in the short term as you seek a more permanent solution is to go buy some Bach's Rescue Remedy. It is a combination of 5 flower extracts that is extremely effective for most people in helping them with anxiety and fears, etc. It's a temporary fix, but might help you get through the day. You can pick it up at many stores including Fred Meyer if you have one nearby. You can definitely find it at New Season's or Whole Food's though. The cheapest way to get it is online through www.vitacost.com but you have to wait for it to be shipped and it's only cheaper if you're buying other things at the same time so it dilutes the flat shipping cost. By the way, that's also the website where I get my st john's wort/5 HTP combo vitamin; it's a great product for a great price.
i'm sorry you are having to deal with this. I hope you find some good help very soon.
Take care,

S.
www.hazelaid.com
All natural, organic, handmade hazelwood necklaces for the relief of eczema, acid reflux, & teething pain for babies and their families.

I have anxiety as well and had a severe bout of it many years ago, shortly after September 11th. Not being fond of medications I went to a homeopath. She sat with me for close to two hours just chatting, asking me about me. Based on this she developed a remedy... in my case the venom from a Brazilian coral snake:)( the remedies are diluted so much that there isn't a chance of poisoning)... I felt a million times better just leaving her office and after I took the remedy I was finally able to mentally get control of my anxiety. I still have small episodes but nothing I can't breath through, plus I can take my remedy anytime I feel overwhelmed.

I suffer from depression and anxiety too! Have you tried Effexor XR. I might be off on the spelling. I have found that it is pretty helpful. I'm more level.

Maybe you can try self talk with taking your children to practice. Talk yourself through it ahead of time. What is the worst thing that can happen and then realistically what will happen. I know that anxiety sucks though.

Listening to Bach or soft classical music is very good for depression. Deep breathing or 6 to 7 deep breaths a minute for 30 minutes is very good for getting more oxygen to the brain. Needs to be done every day. Music everyday too. Diet is super important. The whole foods and flax seeds. Exercise daily for at least 30 minutes. This is HUGE. A great resource is with Dr. Neal Nedley. http://www.drnedley.com/ He has great success with depression recovery and just overall mental health!

I wish you the best. I know how difficult it is. Its not easy!

Blessings,

M.

This is probably just related to me, but when I quit drinking caffeine and went off birth control my anxiety attacks went away. I don't know if this would work for anyone else in the world, but for me it was sort of amazing discovery that happened accidently.

Dear V.
Hay sweety you have made the first step the reason I
say this is because your going out of your safe zone
to ask for help.
Try medatating when your girls are in school sit yourself
down in a quite place no phone nothen just quite & talk
to yourself peace come all will be ok do this as often as
you can you control your fillings think of the warm sun
soft colors what ever you want calm quite bring peace to
your mind & body try this it works for me & dont forget to
tell yourself good things there are so many good things
pick as many as you want just try it.
A warm bath may help with the medation but you can deside
if that is for you just let youself know all will be fine
it may take some time but I have found it to help me alot
I'm a Mother of 4,3 of them are boys so sports were all I
new so I know were your at just try I know this can help
not cure maybe but it helps.
God Bless Love yourself take care J.

Your panic attacks can be dealt with by trying techniques. Your depression is a physical issue dealing with the electrodes in the brain. You can't take a long bath and make that dissapear. If you aren't successful with the meds you are on, keep trying others. I didn't have luck until I was changed to Cymbalta, as a lot of other people I have heard from. We changed our insurance co. and they wanted me to try cheaper types first, so I had to change. I felt myself sliding backwards and too became attached to my house, didn't want to talk to anyone, or do anything at home. I finally got back on my Cymbalta and have felt the difference already. This is so exciting for me as I know I can be happy with these. Talk to your doctor about trying other meds. and remember that there is one out there that will help.

A couple of things.
1st breath. When I have a panic attack I ask myself what am I panicking over. I then talk my way threw it. I ask what am I scared of, and then ask how I would react. Can I live with that outcome? Worst case/best case? can I live with that? It helps.
The other thing is to think about hypnosis. It works.
Good luck

What's helped me in a similar circumstance (albeit without kids) is 1) EMDR therapy (can recommend a therapist if you want to try it) - it heals trauma and lesser issues by helping the brain reprogram itself to have positive thoughts in difficult situations and 2) being diagnosed with ADD (no hyperactivity - I tend toward lethargy), which seems to have been the root of my anxiety and depression, which were helped some but not hugely by 20 years of therapy and medications. Of course, you may not have ADD, but it's worth checking into IMO; it often goes undiagnosed in women and wreaks havoc on our lives because it makes it impossible to meet cultural expectations of organizing the home, kids' schedules, or really anything - untreated. If you want to look into it, I'd Google Amen Clinic and take the online test. There's also a good book _Women with ADD_ (by a woman whose name I forget) with an even better check list.

Hi, my heartfelt sympathy goes out to you. Being a mom is one of the hardest jobs there is and that is when you are feeling good. Its even harder when you are suffering. Not that it isnt the most rewarding job either, but still.
Anyway, I wanted to ask if you have had your thyroid checked? I was suffering from severe anxiety and depression about 1 year ago. I have 2 children (at that time they were 3 and 6mths), a husband, a fulltime job, I had lost my dad within the last year and almost lost my husband, father-in-law, friend, and friends dad in a car accident. I thought I was going insane. I was losing it. So many people told me that I was just another working mom...I couldnt accept it. So, I sent to the doctor and sure enough I have Grave's Disease (hyperthyroidism). Now this is not to say that I didnt have other things in my life affecting my mood and stress levels as you can see it was a rough time. However, being able to get my health issue under control and seeking counseling, I was able to work through it. I am one year out and feeling great. I think I can actually handle it all. Not to say I dont have my moments as we all do, but I am much better than before.
I urge you to see a doctor and do a complete blood panel. Check everything. If there is something health wise that is affecting you, getting it undercontrol may help everything else. Best of luck to you. PLease know that you are not alone. If you ever need to talk email me. My mom has battled severe migranes and depression for most of my life. She may be able to help with some insight also.

I would say talk to your dr. this does sound like it is your medication is set to high the dose, or it could be not high enough . I have alot of same issues and not luck with meds, so I'm not on any and it is tough. I feel that you need to go to your dr. and tell him this, tell him your not better, and you want a dose changed, sometimes the meds take forever to get the right kind, ask him about other types of meds like SSRI"s, or wellbutrin or even seroquel, or Cymbalta. I like Cymbalta, it helped everything! Check with your dr. and ask what to do, dont give up and dont let yourself get worse, it only takes longer for you to get out of that hole your feeling your in. Do get to the dr. and I hope he can help you, or she. Make sure they listen. Make sure an if he dont go to a new one, dont give up! You deserve to enjoy this time with your kids, not struggle and tell the dr. you cant' enjoy yourself when you feel this miserable. Good luck, J.

I'd recommend that you keep trying till you find a really good counselor/therapist. There are many different kinds of therapy. Personally I'd recommend someone who does more of a bodymind approach rather than just talking - such as Hakomi or someone who specializes in working with early trauma, as I would guess that this goes back to something very early in your life. This is important! For your sake and your daughters' sakes. There may also be groups or classes you could join that might help you.

I have gone through the same thing. Being depressed and being filled with so much anxiety I couldn't leave the house. I tried Zoloft with a little bit of relief but didn't not like the sexual side effects. I recommend the book "The Mood Cure" by Julia Ross. It is simple to read and suggests great natural supplements to try. She suggests 5-HTP (5-hydroxy-tryptophan) Start with one 50 mg capsule in the midafternoon and go up to two if you don't notice much benefit in an hour.
In addition to this eliminate sugar and white flour. Anyhow, there is so much more info. in the book about a healthy, balanced diet and basic vitamin supplements.

Are you being treated by a specialist in anxiety and panic disorders? There are several drugs that treat that. In my reading I've learned that sometimes one needs a combination of drugs or a different one if the one you are taking isn't working.

Deep breathing can help. Breathe in thru your nose until the lower lungs are full. You can feel this by putting your hand on your stomach. The stomach should rise. Then breathe out. Do this several times.

There are different ways to treat panic attacks. Ask your therapist if you could try something different.

I do not know anyone who has tried this but hypnosis seems to help alot of time. You could look into that.

I have both depression and anxiety issues. I've had one panic attack and that was when I was inside a MRI tunnel. INtense anxiety is common while having an MRI. They gave me Valium. I had no anxiety the rest of the day. I talked to my counselor who prescribed Ativan for me. Ativan is in the same family of drugs as Valium. I took it daily for a couple of weeks and noticed that I need to increase the dose.

Ativan can be addictive and if you're taking it all of the time you will have to increase the dose. For those reasons doctors hesitate to prescribe it.

Now I take it as needed. A prescription of 60 pills last for 3-4 months. I haven't needed to take more than one tablet as a time. It does almost immediately relieve my anxiety.

My anxiety affects me differently than yours does therefor Ativan may not be for you. I leave the house, my social contacts are still good. But I have difficulty following thru on such things as paying bills, doing taxes, cleaning house. With the Ativan I can focus better and not have the fear I've had associated with those tasks.

I pray that you find a way to conquer the anxiety and panic attacks soon.

Bach Flower Remedies are all natural and are made from flowers. I would suggest going to someone who can help you with this or buy the book and do it yourself. It is a beautiful way to heal your self and has helped people in the most extreme situations.

First of all I agree 100 percent with Jennifer B... second of all God gave us friends; tell your friend what the issue is and invite her to come along. Good friends love to help and know they are making a difference in someone specials life. Do it for your kids, husband and yourself.
Happy Mothering!

Have you been checked for anemia, thyroid or adrenal disorders? All of those can cause these symptoms.

There is a great natural help called calm tablets that you dissolve under tongue that you can get at any health food store or groc.

I hope this is helpful.

Try to find a support group of other people who suffer. Growing up my mom had agoraphobia and didn't even drive until I was about 12. My dad would take her to support groups on Friday nights and it helped tremendously. A lot of my memories though are of my mom sleeping all the time and not putting us in activities because of the agoraphobia and also she has depression. You don't want your kids to have the same memories, especially with so much more help and understanding of anxiety, depression, and agoraphobia. One more thing, your kids will remember this and it will effect them. My brother, sister, and I all suffer from a lack of confidence and some social anxiety because that's what we were constantly exposed to with our mom. I'm sure it is also someone hereditary. Having one daughter and another one on the way, I try to constantly work at not showing any anxiety or to hold her back from trying knew things because of my own fears. I want her to grow up to be confident and have me as a strong role model.

try xanax and yoga, then any type of aerobic activity so you can burn up your anxiety. i would also strongly recommend someone who does energy healing. it changed my life!

V.
You have gotten a lot of great advice .
Here is mine in addition to all the rest.
Drenamin ,by Standard Process, is a great supplement for anxiety . http://www.standardprocess.com/display/displayFile.aspx?d... (you might want to cut and paste this website onto your browser) Have you tried seeing a Naturopath?
J.

My suggestion would be to contact NCNM's teaching clinics (National College of Natural Medicine) assuming you are in Portland.
www.ncnm.edu

Make an appointment with Brandt Stickley. He specialises in treating anxiety and depression and other psychological disorders using Chinese Medicine - acupuncture and herbs, with great results.
There will be students observing, but you get to see an expert at low cost, and they bill insurance too.

I wish you all the best

hi V., i am so sorry for you. do have any idea what began causing the anxious behavior? i have an aunt that has been dealing with this very thing for the past 30-40 years or so. just recently she is taking baby steps to leave the house again. even just sitting on the front porch or a stroll around your block. just really be strong and remember that you dont want your children to be affected. and lastly, ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE THROUGH HE WHO GIVES ME STRENGTH! good luck to you V.. please keep me updated, i will certainly keep you in my thoughts and prayers.

I would suggest that you get a pet that you can keep with you all the time. This can be a dog, a cat, or even a hamster if it makes you feel better. (There was even a lady with a snake as her service animal once). If you can find the right one for you, it's worth it! A dog or cat can be very calming. Get one that is the right size for you. This is your dog, but the kids can have "play privelages" on a companion animal. The nice thing is the ADA says any animal that brings comfort to anyone mentally ill or physically handicapped can be a service animal and even go into stores and stuff with you. It sounds to me like you are more Agoraphobic that depressed. (Which can be brought on by depression from what I understand.)

If you already have a pet, consider training them to travel with you in the car. (you can start with a carrier, where you can reach in and touch the animal as you start to feel panic. Stroking a cat, scratching a dog can be very soothing, and the energy they exude will calm you. It's like taking a little tiny valium dose every time you do it because it causes the pheramones(sp) to start circulating from the brain. (These are the things that make us feel good.) I also suggest that perhaps you need to change your diet to a more natural one. Reduce the amount of sugar in your diet, start eating produce when you can find it and add spices to your foods that are calming. (Chamomile tea at night..don't do that if you will be driving)valarian root tea with honey can make you nice and calm..though you must be careful about driving with that too...its an intoxicant sort of. But, lots of herbs are comfort herbs. Think how you feel when you smell a pot of simmering spaghetti sauce. Use aroma therapy for those moments as well as your pet. (Lavender is supposed to be very calming, mint refreshing and cooling, Euchalyptus cleansing, refreshing, warming, etc. ) There are also things like st. johns wort, that help with depression issues, concentration and that sort of thing. Don't mix these with antidepressents until you talk to someone more qualified than us. See a natural-path person and ask about interactions, look up herbal remedies for depression issues online *(Gotta love Google!). Good Luck..I know how ya feel been there. Mine was brought on by post partum depression and then doctors that only treated with drugs and not counselling. If you are in counseling and its not working then ask that ever mundane and outraging but necessary question they love to ask "And how does that make you feel?". Are you angry that the doctors you are seeing are not helping you? Perhaps there is a communication break down somewhere in your counseling. Some things to ponder at any rate. If you are having issues with your kids, please be safe and be honest with them so they don't feel you are "copping out on them). Tell them you feel lousy and you are sorry but you cannot do this today. Call a friend, or ask them too. I know its hard to ask for outside help but perhaps its time to post an ad somewhere asking for someone to help transport your kids (you can even offer the use of your vehicle for someone with a good record.) I have lots of info on Americans with Disabilities act etc that might be helpful if you want to go the service animal route. Really..we have one that when he wasn't needed for a mobility dog anymore..learned to detect diabetes (or could already not sure)...and to pull a sled and cart. Really, its one of the best investments toward healing yourself you can make!) Just for now if you do have one, you start walking the dog..every day, same time. Always go as far as you can, and think about the dog instead of yourself...dog needs exercise..longer than a block. You can do it :) Good Luck!

A long time ago I was diagnosed as bi-polar and had anxiety attacks as well. It turned out that some of my mood swings were due to diet, and others because I needed emotional healing. Sugar is REALLY bad, because after you eat it, there can be a drop that can cause you to feel anxious and depressed. This is also true not only for sugars, but also any high-glycemic foods such as white breads. Also, food allergies can cause terrible mood swings and panic attacks. If I were you I would rule that out first, before I would take another step.

Through prayers, confession and being able to talk to a priest, I finally don't have any depression any more either. (I'm an Orthodox Christian - see goarch.org) I had another problem as well, in that all of the anti-depressant medications caused me to have migraines so I was forced to find a solution beyond drugs, and praise God, I'm depression and anxiety free, and have been for about 5 years now.