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"Why I am I so anxious?"

ZocdocAnswersWhy I am I so anxious?


I am a female. I am 20 years old. I feel anxious about all kinds of things. These range from letting my dog out to getting in elevators. I especially hate flying in planes. I don't like feeling like I'm out of control of my environment. I have seen a medical professional about this in the past and they told me that I have to listen to this recording over and over again.


What you describe is a concerning symptom. I would strongly recommend that you see your primary care doctor to have this evaluated. In general, anxiety is a common psychiatric disorder. This is caused by a chemical imbalance in your brain, much like depression is. Therefore an evaluation with a psychiatrist is often helpful. However before you do this you should make sure (with your primary care doctor) there is no other cause of this. The few things to rule out are (1) high thyroid levels or hyperthyroidism and (2) high steroid levels. After ruling out these few causes, I believe seeing a psychiatrist can help. There are many different anxiety spectrum disorders that your psychiatrist can help with. Generalized anxiety disorder is the most common, where people feel anxious and perseverate or many things. Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) can also be on this spectrum. A doctor can help with these with therapy as well with medications. See a psychiatrist. There are also some specific phobias that cause anxiety. Agoraphobia is an anxiety disorder that causes symptoms when the patient feels they are in a position where there is no perceived means of escape. This sometimes causes people to never leave the house -- a serious condition. I recommend that you talk to your doctor as soon as you can.

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