Hi all I totaly believe now that this is passed on in familys, although still saying that, i have three brothers who are chilled beyond belief and have never suffered, two of them being identical twins. I was the first born though, my mum was suffreing with something when she carried me, and was taking valium for that time.(this was the 60's so i guess they didnt know as much as they do now). Although i've only had this panic disorder+agrophobia since november, due to a stressfull few years, then a seperation from my wife. i've realised since coming to the support group, that i have had symptoms of panic attacks at an early age. looking back with my new found knowledge, i now know that i used to have panic attacks, which were bad enough to have me jumping up, desperate to get outside from the age of five. I have had the odd isolated attacks all my life at stressfull times, just nothing as long lasting as this time though. Probably because i didnt know what they were and didnt have the knowledge to link events with panic. i just had "Funny turns" which passed. So yeah, for a child to have panic attacks, then there must be something in the blood i reckon. Seems too abvious to dismiss it. Best wishes Mudslinger uk

Coco, I also have a lot of the same questions regarding heridity & panic disorder. Some Dr's will say that it is & others will say that it is more learned & imbedded in us as we are raised. My therapist seems to think that someone may have the gene but it still depends on the upbringing as to wether or not it will lead to a full blown disorder. I am 26 & can always remember being "clausterphobic" (as I called it then, I now know that it was small panic attacks all along) I also worried about everything as far back as I can remember. I personally think my case is about 5% heredity & 95% learned. (programmed or imbedded) My mom was scared of everything. Just a few examples, as a child I was never allowed to play outside because she feared that I might get kidnapped or run down by a car. never allowed to have a dog because it might turn on us & maul us to death. If a thunderstorm was blowing thru during the night, we all had to wake up, get completely dressed, shoes & all, just in case a tornado came & we had to run. These are just a few examples of the way I was raised, so for me it's easy to see how that could program a child's mind in to thinking that the entire world is a dangerous place. Which is exactly what my mom use to tell us "the world is a dangerous place". Now in my consious mind I know this isn't right. The world although not perfect is a beautiful place. My mom is my whole inspiration for working on my problems & facing them head on. I do not want to be like her. I do not want to raise my kids like that. I know it seems like I'm whining "poor me, this is not my fault" & I guess I am, but I have had a little less than a year now that I've been working on this & right now I'm at a place where I have to overcome the anger I feel towards my mom, forgive her & take on this complete task without blaming her or anyone else for my problem. Is it obvious that I'm not there yet?haha Sorry I know I can go on & on but I just get on here, start typing & venting & there's no stopping. Just since I was diagnosed with PD last July, I found out that my mom had also been diagnosed with Anxiety disorder years ago & she took Prozac for a time. I take 50mg Zoloft now & I am doing well, but I am trying to face this thing so that I can eventually get off meds

Hi trish and other member, That is some great info all the way around. I will go and get that book that you both found so helpful and the one I was talking about I really cannot find but am going to pick up another copy so I will let you know ! Hope all is steady and head clear for us all for awhile.........you know there are alot of people who will say, its not that easy, this Mind over Body but they are right its not easy at all but it is possible. Trish, I don't know if you read my first posts and don't want to bore people but these are the meds I have been on for about 12 years 175mg daily Sinniquan (anti-depressant) 6 mg (2 mg 3 x a day) Rivitrol and quite frankly they saved me but now I would like to be drug free but if its not possible so be it, have to lighten up and not waste any more time that this powerful ****. Nobody wants it thats for sure but I truly believe either it is genetic and if you have to take meds to feel "normal" big deal! I am rambling here..... Thanks to the member who put all that info on the brain etc......I really look forward to that book. Speak to you soon, coco

trish/ coco: as far as alcohol goes even a small glass of wine used to effect me. Alcohol is effecting your GABA site in your brain. Depending on if you're on meds or not- the effect is different.That is either your anxiety from the alcohol will hit immediately or it will hit when the alcohol is wearing off. Alcohol is a depressant because it stimulates your gaba receptor site in your brain- gaba is calming because it turns other actions off- like walking and talking straight- the release of gaba in your brain makes the actions in your body 'depressed'. It also throws your insulin level for a loop. Before I have any wine or the like, I stock up on a lot of protein- like cottage cheese (plain), plain chicken breast or a protein shake. So many people that have anxiety are also hypoglycemic (in the book The Brain Chemistry Diet). The high protein keeps your insulin level stable so there's no rebound effect that causes dizziness and heart palpitations. I use this little trick when getting together with friends or going out to dinner. If you do start to experience dizziness/ light-headedness from a very small amount of alcohol, you can take magnesiun (300mg to 500mg)amd zinc (25mg to 50mg)- which help your brain to chill in a big way. Hope this helps.

CoCo, I can't drink small amounts of alcohol either, even a lower alcohol drink like a wine cooler, sets me up for a panic attack, I get dizzy too, and break out in sweats, then the panic sets in. I haven't drank in years. I have a workbood called Anxiety and Phobia Workbook by Edmund J. Bourne, perhaps this is the same one you have? Trish

coco it was great to hear back from you! I took me about 5 months to be completely panic free. It happened slowly at first. I would go a couple of hours without a panic attack, then a half day, then a whole day, then a couple days, then a week etc. I remember going about three weeks without one and thinking, "I'm feeling so great and proud of myself..." and then whammo! on our summer vacation I had one. This set me back- made my mind go for a loop- "Is it back? Oh no- I'm sure it's back.. I can't do this again".. fear, fear, fear, doubt, doubt, doubt. It was like a cycle for a while, but then something just clicked- it was my fear of my anxiety itself that brought on more fear and anxiety. I had to break down that final barrier before I was myself again. I had to learn to truly trust my body instead of fearing it. I hated having to go through it... but now I'm so glad I did. I know that going through the panic attacks and beating them was what motivated me to choose a career. I had already completed a university degree in psychology before I hit my lowest point with the depresssion and anxiety. I also completed post-graduate work in women's studies and neurology. It was exactly the day after my last exam that my anxiety and panic attacks hit really badly. That was in March three years ago. I would say that when I was about 6 months free of anxiety and panic I began to think about sharing my story with others. It grew from some speaking engagements and then my 'sharing' became a professional choice for a career. I have been working at my practise now for about 1.5 years. I have met some really wonderful people (mostly women). I hope that answers some of your questions. Oh ya! About the book "Depression is a Choice" I understand what you're saying about the title... I remember picking it up at Chapter's and saying to my mom, "Of all the nerve! Who does this woman think she is? A choice? What the heck is this quack writing about?" Right on the intro to the book she explains the title... and honestly... that book was my final stepping stone to completing my battle with the depression and anxiety cycle. Her approach sounded to me a little like cognitive therapy- sort of a mind over body/ matter approach. If you like your cognitive therapy, you may enjoy the book.

I have been reading other posts and it seems that there are alot of people drinking along with their meds......?? If I have 1/2 glass of wine my head spins, any comments on this, I really don't care if I drink or not but I find it a curious thing? thanks coco

Hi Lisa and others that answered, and Josie for that website, interesting but am now looking for alternative ways of dealing with this. Cognative Therapy is so, so helpful for me, this guy is really something but I still have to be a large part of changing things around, "no magic pill" but I have been on this medication and let me tell you at that time it was the only thing that got me back of my feet which is why I question heritary......It took 11 tries to get on the right anti-depressant, it was horrible but when we hit the jackpot is so took the edge off and also the 6 mg a day of Rivitrol which is an anti-convulsant. I don't feel sleepy during the day at all .........I still get my very high anxiety moments not so much panic unless severe turbulance on a plane............lisa I am interested that you have a clinic helping others.......how long after you got yourself on track before you opened a clinc and did you have to go back to school for any type of degrees?? I am going to look for those books u mentioned on Monday, especially the Brain Chemistry one, I do not believe that Depression is a choice as there seems to clear evidence that there are certain chemical unbalances but this is not to say that "diet" could not be of great interest or be real . Still going to get back to you with another Workbook that is excellent. I feel that I had anxiety in a very high level all through school and had my first panic attack when I had to visit my grandfather in a "locked ward" in a hospital (Aliz) that was about 12 years ago and on it went from there....... Please let me know about yourself and the clinic you have I am very interested as I am not far from you. thanks coco

CoCo, I do believe that it is hereditary. My mother becomes anxious in public, and my grandmother also had panic attacks. Although heredity does have something to do with this.... I strongly recommend you fight back against it! The two best books I read that helped me the most were "The Brain Chemistry Diet" (author ?) and "Depression is a Choice" (author: Curtiss.) After I struggled with this my whole life (I am now 32) I beat it! I forced it to surrender! I treat people everyday now in my own clinic for depression and anxiety. And the results in my community are astounding! I also suggest that you do some reading on orthomolecular medicine- if you're wishing to live drug-free. Good luck and I hope this info is of some help to you. Remember- knowledge is power!

my name is lisa. I am from Canada also (ontario). I had suffered with panic, anxiety and depression for as long as I can remember. It became so bad at the age of 29 that I started Paxil. A huge mistake for me! I had so many problems from that med- aggression, suicidal thoughts and I was even scared to be around my kids. My paranois was horrible. I just didn't trust myself... I'm not sure how else to explain that. It was like my braid was detached from my actions. I was walking death on that stuff. I weaned myself off all meds (against my doctor's advice). My husband and close friends helped me alot through it. I knew the drugs were killing me- or that part of me that made me who I was. I just couldn't stand how sad and numb the meds made me feel. The withdraw was a little tough. However, it only took me about 3 weeks and some specific internal cleansing products(naturopathic)It took me about three months and alot of work to learn how to stop my panic attacks- and then even my anxiety. I don't remember the last time i had a panic attack. At my worst, I went from one to the next every hour. Presently, I own and operate my own therapy clinic for those suffering from depression and anxiety/ panic. There are so many people that don't want to take their meds and I believe knowledge is power. I focused totally on my diet and of course, I was put on a specific high-dose vitamin/ mineral supplement program that did the trick. I highly recommend the book "The Brain Chemistry Diet"- it really saved my life. I also highly recommend the book "Depression is a Choice" author's name Curtiss. This site is really wonderful. Hang in there to anyone out there. I am living, breathing proof that it can be done (without those neurotoxic drugs!)