First Person: Meds Not the Only Solution to Anxiety Disorder Diagnosis

The fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) will be released in May. Yahoo is featuring first-person stories from Americans who are diagnosed with some of the most common mental health disorders in the United States. Here's one story.

FIRST PERSON | Generalized anxiety disorder wasn't the diagnosis I was expecting when I visited my doctor in January 2012. But after waking up at three in the morning with what I thought was a mild heart attack, I was both relieved and bewildered by what my doctor was telling me.

I'd been to the hospital twice and wore a heart monitor, saw a heart specialist and submitted to a stress test. All reports showed that my heart was in perfect condition, better than could be expected for someone who was at that time both out of shape and approaching 40. Yet despite the recurring chest pain, there were other signs that something was wrong. I developed eczema for the first time in my life. I'd begun forgetting things more than usual and even developed a noticeable stutter. I wasn't suffering from depression and life was more ordinary than usual, so I wasn't sure why this was happening.

I was prescribed medication a generic brand of Zoloft to lower the symptoms, and though they helped initially, I developed a number of nasty side effects, including extreme sleepiness. A follow-up visit with my doctor resulted in a higher dose, but I didn't find that helped either. I told my doctor I'd prefer to step down and drop the medication entirely. Instead of pills, I decided to change my lifestyle.

The first thing I cut out was caffeine. Today, I treat caffeine as an allergen and have given up coffee and soda. I began to make sure I always had seven to eight hours of sleep a night. This helped a great deal, since most of my chest problems tended to flare up around one in the morning.

I've also focused on a weight loss and fitness through running, visiting the gym, increased hiking outings, and regular Brazilian jiu-jitsu sessions. I've bounced a bit in my weight, but am currently a quarter of the way to my goal weight.

I used to enjoy living closer to Washington D.C., but I've since bought a car and moved further toward the country, in a less stressful area with easy access to parks.

These decisions have helped me entirely stop the eczema, memory problems and chest problems. Since the only remaining symptom seems to be the stutter, I'd say I've faced this challenge pretty well and made something better of my life in the process.

Shawn Humphrey is a former contributor to The Flint Journal and lives near Washington D.C. in Germantown, Maryland.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/first-person-meds-not-only-solution-anxiety-disorder-230900239.html

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