What do I need to do?

[User1234567891011]

I need some help.

I have suffered with anxiety - mainly specific activity related e.g exams, dentist visits, revising. (started when I was about 15 with GCSEs.)

I am now at uni and still have this anxiety except it was raised to being in a lecture theatre. I was fine in my first year but in second year I struggled to sit in with all these people even though I knew them all. I am now medicated for anxiety so pushing past this.

I am now struggling with bouts of sadness - I don't know what else to call them. I am fine most of the time but now and then I'll spend 15/20 minutes crying for varying reasons and sometimes no reason at all when I am alone.

My doctor suggested anxiety medicine or anti-depressants and I took the anxiety one as I had had this previously. I just don't know if I am actually ''depressed'' or not. I feel I am okay and happy a lot of the time, its just now and then (maybe every couple of weeks or so) I feel this overwhelming sadness and cry. I am anxious and stressed more than I am sad, but my panic attacks obviously cause crying, but this is more from panic than sadness though.

Keep talking to your GP about how things are going, a lot of anti depressants help with anxiety too so its not either or. Sometimes it takes a few goes to get the right thing. Also make sure your personal tutor is aware you are struggling, so that you have support accademically. Speak to student services too, most unis offer councelling services to students too. I found this very useful when I was at uni.

Could it be hormone related? I felt this way for 2 years (particularly the crying at anything, everything being overwhelming) and never thought it could be PMT as it wasn't happening regularly every 4 weeks before my period. Nor did the GP who just treated it as a regular case of anxiety/depression and prescribed CBT and pills. However as I was on the mini (progesterone-only) pill, I wasn't having regular periods and looking back I now see that my hormones were completely messed up and I essentially had constant, crushing PMT. I switched pill and it's like a cloud has been lifted. If you are on the pill perhaps look into reviewing it with your GP.

I remember feeling like that at colledge. I used to divert myself by doing something I could do like the washing up or cleaning the house. A little progessice step allowed me the space to tackle my studies.

Does your university have any student counselling available? Medication is great but you also need to have some coping strategies (like the washing up one suggested above). Anxiety and depression are linked so it's not uncommon to have bouts of both. Keep talking too, social support is the best help you can get.