eva
MVP
Hi, forum people! I'm a new member. 
I guess I should give some info about myself because I'm fresh meat and all that: I am 21, turning 22 in a few months.
I have Generalized Anxiety Disorder which was diagnosed in the Summer of 2011, but in retrospect I believe that I may have started developing the condition around the time I was 15, but I did not realize the possibility of my feelings being actually clinical until I was 20 and taking a beginner's psychology class at school, so somewhat recently. When I was younger (child and teenager), my hormonal surges made me act very out of control and volatile, but I'm glad to have settled down and taken the time to improve. I took CBT treatment from January to May of this year, which was very helpful and educational. My regular medical doctor and I also recently agreed upon me trying medication to help with the physical, "brain chemistry" parts of my anxiety that I've been struggling to keep in check with just methods from CBT. I've been taking Cipralex, one pill a day, since September. I want to keep my use of medication to a minimum so that I'm not depending on it and forgetting what I learned from my face to face group sessions. My family is not always very comfortable to be around, but they usually do what they can to help. I also have a very supportive boyfriend who I've been seeing for almost 4 years. He's very caring, a good listener and we have a happy and comfortable relationship. Because we don't want my condition to become the 'centre of attention' in the relationship, he suggested to me that I try to find a 'safe space' or people to talk to whom have first hand experience with mental health issues. So when I found this forum and checked it out, I decided to try it.
Hopefully this forum will help me out, and hopefully I can help out some people on here too!
I guess I should give some info about myself because I'm fresh meat and all that: I am 21, turning 22 in a few months.
I have Generalized Anxiety Disorder which was diagnosed in the Summer of 2011, but in retrospect I believe that I may have started developing the condition around the time I was 15, but I did not realize the possibility of my feelings being actually clinical until I was 20 and taking a beginner's psychology class at school, so somewhat recently. When I was younger (child and teenager), my hormonal surges made me act very out of control and volatile, but I'm glad to have settled down and taken the time to improve. I took CBT treatment from January to May of this year, which was very helpful and educational. My regular medical doctor and I also recently agreed upon me trying medication to help with the physical, "brain chemistry" parts of my anxiety that I've been struggling to keep in check with just methods from CBT. I've been taking Cipralex, one pill a day, since September. I want to keep my use of medication to a minimum so that I'm not depending on it and forgetting what I learned from my face to face group sessions. My family is not always very comfortable to be around, but they usually do what they can to help. I also have a very supportive boyfriend who I've been seeing for almost 4 years. He's very caring, a good listener and we have a happy and comfortable relationship. Because we don't want my condition to become the 'centre of attention' in the relationship, he suggested to me that I try to find a 'safe space' or people to talk to whom have first hand experience with mental health issues. So when I found this forum and checked it out, I decided to try it.
Hopefully this forum will help me out, and hopefully I can help out some people on here too!
