Anxiety, Panic Attacks, and Mood Swings

Hey guys,

I'll start this off by saying I started going to my college's therapy due to being stressed and getting panic attacks. I've been dealing with anxiety since about 14-15, but have been going to therapy since I was 7-8 years old. I'll be 19 this March. In the initial meeting I told the T that my mood shifts pretty quickly, and that the low-swings have been interfering with being able to study.

The first panic attack I had of this semester was partly because I felt like crap that day. I have not been diagnosed with cyclothymia, but am aware of it and thought (first when I was 15) that I was cyclothymic due to the fact I'm a moody person. This has been pointed out to me by my mother (a R/N) and recently a few friends. Mood disorders run in my family, specifically Major Depressive Disorder. I do know that depression and anxiety are hereditary to some degree, but I didn't know if cyclothymia could develop from having a hereditary background with MDD and anxiety.

I've never had a psychiatric evaluation, but the T suggested to me (during our initial meeting) that I should get one. As well as continue individual therapy and do some group therapy on mindfulness.

The mood swings are basically this: when I'm happy, I feel elated and fantastic all over. I have so many ideas (that will never get done...but still, I like 'em ) and everything is going great. I last like this until something small sets me off into either an angry mood or 'evens' my mood out to a neutral state. I'm very sociable and outgoing too.

On the flip side, when I'm down I tend to barely leave my room unless it's for food or something I need. I do maintain limited social interaction, but essentially I go into what I refer to as hermit mode (see Hermit Mode: The Necessity of Alone Time in the schizotypal forum). I get furious easily too, and tend to get frustrated to the point of crying.

I'm not sure what the evaluation will foretell. But...what do you guys think?

Hi surrealism,

I'm going to guess you're more worried about the evaluation than what it's going to tell you. Since you're already familiar with therapy, the evaluation shouldn't be a surprising experience. It will pretty much involve piecing together things you're already talked about with a therapist.

If it's the result that's worrying you, think about the things you've done in therapy that have and haven't worked. The things that work to help you manage your mood swings won't change. What may change is your and your therapist's perspective on why the mood swings happen. That will lead to new ways of trying to anticipate the mood swings. And whatever doesn't work still has to be modified or discarded.

I remember having to confront these things myself. The label is frightening. But whether you have the label or not, you already have the problem and you know you have the problem. It's like dealing with a dog that growls and bites. Learning the dog's name doesn't change a whole lot.

There's also the possibility that you'll get a diagnosis that's replaced with another diagnosis after a few months or years. That's a rather common story, because psychiatry isn't as exact as other sciences yet. People with that story are the first to say don't obsess over the label.

I wish you well.

Thank you for your kind words. I'm not afraid of the diagnosis if there is any, if anything it might put my mind more at ease. The beast is not so scary when you realize its name is Fluffy

I've been using short term methods to relieve my anxiety attacks. I realized that I tend to derealize more than anything, and when my heart rate spends up due to physical activity it triggers an attack. I'm currently taking a dance class and have a negative internal voice that constantly reminds me of how crummy I am compared to the others (I am pretty bad with coordination and dizziness). Considering academia is my strong-suit, I'm switching it out with an actual class or a directed independent study.

I meant to ask if anyone has bouts of terrible rage and anger? My anger, when intensified, is way out of proportion. It takes a long time to build up though thankfully. I usually snap at people when I'm more down in the dumps that happy...