Posting for traffic mostly, I hope that is ok.
Around the age of 18 onwards, maybe once a year my younger brother (now aged 27) would get anxious about something seemingly miniscule for about a week or so and then be generally ok. We (me and my other brother and mum) would always be there to calm him down or be available any time of day or night if wanted to speak it through.
His pattern of thought is as follows:
- Something happens to trigger it eg. thinking he's driven through a red light and not amber
- He will get fined or taken to court
- He will go to prison
- His reputation and career will be ruined and will struggle for money.
However, my brother has always been a good student, straight As, good degree from reputed university and now has a well paid City job where he seems to be doing well (promotions and bonuses etc) and isn't the shady type or someone who has ever gotten into any type of trouble. His friends are all similar (studious and in good professions). To his bosses or anyone who isn't immediate family, he seems like a successful, happy, sporty guy.
His triggers have included a typo in his coursework and he got so paranoid he spoke to his tutor after handing it in. Tutor of course said it was nothing but then he got worried his degree would be rescinded a year after graduation!
And to come to his most recent anxieties. Over the last few years, every now and again he gets worried someone is hacking him. If his phone so much as heats up, he thinks that is a sign that a hacker is using his phone remotely.. lately he has been nervous about delivery men, the front door being open longer than it should be. Today he went out and bought a new laptop and phone in case his current ones have been hacked. He says he feels scared all the time that something bad is going to happen. He doesn't know the reason. Today he said he felt like he was being watched. He cried because he was so scared. I felt completely useless as nothing we said to make him see a rational perspective was helping. It feels like more and more this isn't anxiety but maybe some kind of paranoia?
It's less anxiety and more fear it seems.
Not a big drinker and no drug use.
Does this sound like a pattern of behaviour or thinking familiar to anyone? Is there anything that helps ease the fear or anxiety?