Partner in the US has extreme, unbearable anxiety. I'd like some advice.
Posted , 3 users are following.
Hi all, I'm new here.
In quite a bind and don't know where to turn. Hopefully someone here has some advice.
I'm in the UK. My girlfriend lives in the US. (We're still pretty new and haven't met in person yet.)
She has debilitating anxiety; like, barely-coping-right-now anxiety. It stops her from travelling outside her city except to go to work - only recently, she's been unable to do even that. She got trapped out on the roads during a snow storm years ago and the same thing happened last week.
She tried driving to work this morning with a friend for support, had a panic attack before she reached the highway and had to stop. She then tried driving to a hospital after that 'cause she's basically hit a breaking point, but couldn't bring herself to enter the hospital and was crying on the phone to me. So she drove around the city looking for a doctor, but none would take her.
It's getting really bad. Having attacks pretty much daily now, multiple times a day it seems. She tells me nothing works. Tried hypnosis, various grounding techniques and exposure therapy, including techniques provided to her by a therapist, but they only made things worse. She's bought a few CBD products. The thought of medicine or any foreign substance altering her mind or body upsets her though - she worries what they'll do to her, if the side effects will make her worse - so she's not given them a proper go, so to speak.
I don't know what to do. I don't know how to help. She can't carry on like this. Multiple times she's expressed borderline suicidal thoughts. I don't believe she's at that stage yet. I still sense in her a resolve to carry on even when she says she wants to give up. But if things don't improve - if she's trapped in her own city, unable to leave, unable to go to work, unable to lead a normal life - I worry her anxiety's going to push her over the edge. But I don't know how to help, or encourage her to get help.
All advice is appreciated.
Thanks in advance.
0 likes, 1 reply
jan34534 LongDisAnxiety
Edited
does she have any family or friends she can talk to? Support is very important. Just keep supporting her anyway you can. Tell her there is a lot of help out there. She needs to be in consistent ongoing therapy at this time. If she can’t leave home she can do it virtually at home and it works great.
here is a confidential national hotline for people who need to speak to somebody right away who are struggling with suicidal thoughts. You can share this with her.
800-273-8255 they may also have some great resources for her such as counseling in her area. Take care