Question about anxiety and auto accident

[dajoki]

I have been disabled for some time now, but about eight months ago I was in an auto accident. Dr. said I had a concussion and whiplash. Anyway I have noticed an increase in my anxiety to a point of being unbearable since the accident. My Dr. won't be back for two weeks so I ended up in the ER with severe panic attack. I am scheduled to see him as soon as he is back. My question is could my worsening condition be from the accident? Can that kind of trauma cause these kind of panic attacks? Has anyone been in similar situation? Any info would be appreciated greatly. Thank you.

[theoldman]

1. My daughter-in-law was rear ended many years ago.

After the accident she became manic-depressive. This may be similar to what you are going through. Your doctor should be able to prescribe medication for you.

[Jackpine Radical]

2. Yes. I've treated a lot of people for the psychological effects

of accidents. For one thing, PTSD is an anxiety disorder. Odds are that you will benefit from either EMDR or alpha-theta neurotherapy, neither of which will require drugs. Your family doc, and psychiatrists, will tend to push you toward anxiolytic medication such as the benzodiazepines (e.g. Xanax, Valium), which can be habit-forming. See a good psychologist or psychotherapist trained in EMDR. Check out the EMDRIA.org website for details on the method, & get referrals if you can. EMDR is acomplex treatment methodology & requires a lot of training & skill, but it can be amazingly fast in the hands of a good practitioner.

Please feel free to backchannel me if you want.

[dajoki]

5. I am already...

on Xanax, but they don't help anymore. Please email me with more info about your suggestions.

[Kceres]

3. Yes. Especially with concussion.

I worked for a rehab. specialist, M.D. This would be a relatively common condition following an auto accident, especially with concussion. Is the accident being covered by insurance? If so, make sure the anxiety disorder (which could be caused by PTSD if there was no preexisting panic disorder) is included in the treatment and ultimately the impairment rating when you settle. Good luck.

[dajoki]

6. It was pre existing...

but under control. Now it's not.

[Danieljay]

4. could be several things...

a good follow up with a brain scan might be in order to make sure its not related to head trauma. That being said, might I suggest the possibility of some PTSD from the accident which could be associated with your panic attacks. I've had great success with EMDR or hypnosis/nlp with such traumatic events.

You can also check out www.neurorelief.com for information about neurotransmitter testing before your doctor prescribes meds (your MD is unlikely to test before habitually putting you on SSRI's). You do have a choice in your health care options!