Anxiety & depression go hand in hand. Depression can display pretty classic symptoms depending on whether it is melancholic or non-melancholic in type, but anxiety is a MINEFIELD! Anxiety can manifest itself in such a myriad of ways, too many to mention. For me its effects are found psychologically such as the depersonalisation noted previously, and physically. For me this includes stomach knots, and continually picking at the fragile skin on my lips or biting the inside of my mouth to the point where they bleed.
But the one that takes the cake is ‘aerophagia’ – which literally means ‘the eating of air’. This results in bloating and the subsequent embarrassment of belching. When this problem first raised its ugly head in mid 2007 I went off & got all the tests done – Helicobacter = NO; Gastroscopy = NO abnormalities detected; swallowing assessment = NO abnormalities detected, & so with my long history of depression it was put down to ‘anxiety’. At the height of its powers I had difficulty keeping food down (because the bloating makes you feel full & nauseated) and I couldn’t even speak a sentence without burping…. & so started my prescribed use of benzodiazepines along with the adjuvunct use of progressive muscle relaxation & breathing exercises. I am pleased to say that it hardly ever happens anymore & I rarely use the valium..... hallelujah!
But the one that takes the cake is ‘aerophagia’ – which literally means ‘the eating of air’. This results in bloating and the subsequent embarrassment of belching. When this problem first raised its ugly head in mid 2007 I went off & got all the tests done – Helicobacter = NO; Gastroscopy = NO abnormalities detected; swallowing assessment = NO abnormalities detected, & so with my long history of depression it was put down to ‘anxiety’. At the height of its powers I had difficulty keeping food down (because the bloating makes you feel full & nauseated) and I couldn’t even speak a sentence without burping…. & so started my prescribed use of benzodiazepines along with the adjuvunct use of progressive muscle relaxation & breathing exercises. I am pleased to say that it hardly ever happens anymore & I rarely use the valium..... hallelujah!
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