Hi gill99!
I am a 16 year old, so obviously I can't give you the same perspective on my panic as yours, but I can tell you how it affects my family. I've been on and off with GAD and frequent panic attacks since I was 9 or 10 but for the past few years it has been permanent. and severe.
My parents are never shy of telling me how much stress I cause them and I feel pressured most of the time to be a certain way. The slightest fluctuation in my mood and they are down on me like a ton of bricks, questioning why I am this way, it's as though I should be 100% happy and cheerful all the time. Well, to me that is not possible even without anxiety, and it causes me even more stress. Also, there is pressure on me regarding my eating patterns as a result of GAD as it left me only able to eat small amounts. Any difference in the amount I eat is analysed, which frustrates me more than I can say. Sometimes, I wish my friends and family would just leave me alone!!
But what I can tell you is that all of these frustrating ways they act are done out of sheer worry and love. There is a lack of understanding on both the anxiety sufferers and familys part (yes we are at fault too!) as we fail to see how it worries them though we tell them we are ok, and they don't see how much distress and pain we are in and how much we sometimes wish we could be left alone. If you want your husband to understand, I suggest talking to him and explaining the illness to him and how you feel. Your inner torment of being on the verge of panic, and to guide him in the type of support he gives you. Honesty and communication is the key! We panickers are so often afraid of the stigma we'll get, but by being open and honest about the illness we can gain support that can help us on our way to recovery. I don't care what anyone says - No one can do it alone. By your husband thinking you are going mad, there is a definite misinterpretation of panic. You are as sane as anyone else, you just have a highly sensitive nervous system and an overactive fight or slight response and it is nothing to be ashamed of. Don't ever feel you are letting anyone down.
If that fails, which there is a good chance it will as a non-panicker can never understand, buy your husband/family some books and ask them to read it or certain parts you pick out. I have found education about panic an integral part of my "recovery" so to speak, and often in anxiety/panic books there are sections for family and friends to read to help them understand your needs. We can be quite irrational in our needs sometimes, and this definitely will help outsiders understand. It will probably aid you in understanding yourself if you haven't sought this information already!
Good luck
And I hope you find the support you need!
by gill99 » Fri Mar 26, 2004 10:31 pm 
) person and I've got an insatiable thirst for learning and education, and I sought to teach myself as much as I could about anxiety, and I felt it was helpful and essential in my recovery. Thus I am not like your sterotypical teenager! Apart from anything else, since I've been dealing with it for 6-7 years even though I'm still very young and I have been through the motions and trials of having such a disorder, I crave to help other people with it. Even if it's just an attempt and doesn't do anything, at least my conscience can rest knowing I made an effort. I like to impart my knowledge on others in the hope that they can learn from my pain - someone should benefit, even though I'm thankful for how much I've learned!
