The Advice Column II

358

Advice Request
This person has began to worry excessively.

Answered Submission
Hello there!

Seeing that your situation has gotten worse instead of getting better, I think now would be the right time for you to get some proper treatment that would help you. From all the things that you have told us, I think that the possibility that you have an anxiety disorder is possible, but as someone that's not authorised to diagnose people, I can't really say directly that you have anxiety disorder. However, it is clear from your stories that the symptoms are there.

I am glad that, little by little, you have tried to seek help. However, when you told your friends about it, they seemed to shrug it off, making it sound like a small matter. There are a lot of possible reasons as to why they did that. It may be that they think that your problems are not really serious and that you are just playing around. Or it may be they don't want your situation to be as important as it actually is just to make themselves feel that everything is fine. But whatever it is, this seems to put you off from trying to tell your friends about anything anymore.

What I want you to do now is to not give up. If you could not find help through your friends, find help through someone else: for instance, your parents. You have mentioned that your parents had helped you when they found you crying. They care about you, and I think that they would gladly seek the proper help (which is meeting a psychiatrist) for you, if you told them about everything that you're currently experiencing.

As I read through your request, I see some similarities in our stories. You've obsessed over every little thing that has happened and made into something bigger. I've had those same kind of thoughts before when I was still in high school, and back then, I always cried before going to school because I was anxious about what was going to happen that day.

My parents noticed what was happening, but I refused to tell them anything at first. In the end, I told them everything through writing. It was a hard thing to do because I felt like I was baring my soul to them, but it did help me a lot. I was going to chicken out when I first went to show them, but I forced myself to give it to them. Doing something good is difficult and intimidating, but the effort is always worth it. Why am I telling you this? It's because you mention that you write, just like I do, and I found it easier to tell people things through writings rather than talking.

But if you feel like it is hard to tell your parents, I still want you to reach out to any trusted adults around you: your teachers, your school's counsellors—anyone who could help you get the help that you need. What you're experiencing right now is not a light matter.

And don't apologise for handing in such a long request. It is better to read a long and detailed one in order to understand what is going on. We need as much information as we can to help.

I really wish you the best of luck, and I hope this helps!

Lots of love,

The Advice Column Team