Inquiry: Honest Opinions

[Zurom]

Hello everyone,

Just last week I was diagnosed with an anxiety disorder. I have Avatar to thank for helping me realize this surprisingly. It was the 1 1/2 weeks after seeing Avatar for the first time that triggered extreme anxiety that made me realize something is wrong. So I finally managed to get an appointment last week for a psychiatric assessment that confirmed that I have an anxiety disorder ever since I was a child, to now, which is only getting worse.

I have been prescribed anti-depressants and have been told they will help ease my anxiety and my over-worrying mind. I cannot begin to describe how grateful I am to hear such news.

Sorry for the slightly long-winded intro, but now onto the reason of this post.

I'm merely trying to get everyone's opinion on my current circumstances. Where the thought of becoming sick and/or bored or Avatar worries me to the point of having anxiety. When I watch the movie, my mind wanders and find it difficult to concentrate and begin getting anxious. So my question to you all who may be in a similar situation as myself is; with the newly prescribed medication, do you think that I will be able to enjoy Avatar like it was meant to be enjoyed - worry free?

I ask because I constantly see people who have seen the movie 10+ times and I have only seen it 5 only to prevent myself from resenting it.

[Stanley_9875]

Wow thats a tough situation you have and let me tell you something... you're not sick *hugs* I don't like it when people call someone else sick just because they have something different than everyone else. Hmmm I'm not sure how it will be different after Avatar. What I hope would happen is you still love Avatar the way you did, it just doesn't give you anxiety.

[Zurom]

Originally Posted by Stanley_9875

What I hope would happen is you still love Avatar the way you did, it just doesn't give you anxiety.

I couldn't agree more

I know I won't be able to experience Avatar like I once did when I saw it for the first time, which was beyond magical. However, like you said, embrace it without anxiety

[Stanley_9875]

Originally Posted by Zurom

I couldn't agree more

I know I won't be able to experience Avatar like I once did when I saw it for the first time, which was beyond magical. However, like you said, embrace it without anxiety

Like I just said in the PAD thread; my first viewing is king of all for numerous reasons... when will you begin taking that medication?

[Isard]

I just tell myself there's nothing I can do. And just stop caring. At all.

Ignorance can be bliss, when used correctly.

[tm20]

I still don't know exactly what anxiety is although i've read about it -_- stupid me. Anyway I can relate to the part about losing focus during the movie. This happenned to me one time I was watching it at the cinemas. I started thinking about other stuff and I wasn't happy. So the next day I went to see it again but before I didn't listen to any music, I didn't think of anything else and I just kept telling myself "I have never seen this movie before, I wonder what it's about" and although I knew I had, I just kept saying it. Throughout the film when ever something pretty appeared whether it was a creature or a plant or bioluminescence, I just told myself "Wow, thats really beautiful, I wish I was there right now" and continued to do so. I enjoyed the film alot (probably my 2nd or 3rd best viewing out of 9) and after leaving the cinema I thought "back to the ****ty real world" but I knew my love for Avatar was reboosted. Anyway, good luck in the future

[Dreamwalker]

Oh wow. I really feel for you. I think I can honestly say I know what you're going through.
I was told I had an anxiety disorder about 3 or 4 years ago. Let me tell you, things up until that point had been an absolute mess. I could barely do anything because every little thing would trigger a panic attack. I soon became afraid of pretty much everything. But, my sob story aside, once I was diagnosed and the psychiatrist prescribed me some medication, I felt like myself again. I mean, I didn't even notice anything until one day it hit me and I was like, "Hey, I haven't had a panic attack today. I can actually be normal again and talk to people and live life!" Since then, I've had to have a few med changes and such, which let me tell you, coming off meds is uhh...not fun, but I'd say, don't worry, let the medication do what it needs to do and you will feel better. I've definitely been through this, so if you need to talk to someone, I'd love to help
As far as the whole "movie getting old" thing, yeah I know what you mean. Just don't watch it for like...a week or so or however long you think you can go and then do what tm20 suggested and watch it as if you've never seen it. Never gets old to me

[Stanley_9875]

Originally Posted by Dreamwalker

Oh wow. I really feel for you. I think I can honestly say I know what you're going through.
I was told I had an anxiety disorder about 3 or 4 years ago. Let me tell you, things up until that point had been an absolute mess. I could barely do anything because every little thing would trigger a panic attack. I soon became afraid of pretty much everything. But, my sob story aside, once I was diagnosed and the psychiatrist prescribed me some medication, I felt like myself again. I mean, I didn't even notice anything until one day it hit me and I was like, "Hey, I haven't had a panic attack today. I can actually be normal again and talk to people and live life!" Since then, I've had to have a few med changes and such, which let me tell you, coming off meds is uhh...not fun, but I'd say, don't worry, let the medication do what it needs to do and you will feel better. I've definitely been through this, so if you need to talk to someone, I'd love to help
As far as the whole "movie getting old" thing, yeah I know what you mean. Just don't watch it for like...a week or so or however long you think you can go and then do what tm20 suggested and watch it as if you've never seen it. Never gets old to me

wow thats an amazing and uplifting story ma tsmuke!

[Zurom]

Originally Posted by Stanley_9875

Like I just said in the PAD thread; my first viewing is king of all for numerous reasons... when will you begin taking that medication?

I have to go to my family doctor to follow up with the psychiatric assessment. She'll prescribe the mediation when I go, which should be Monday. After which point, I've been told it takes up to 6 weeks for the medication to get into the body and take effect.

Originally Posted by tm20

I still don't know exactly what anxiety is although i've read about it -_- stupid me. Anyway I can relate to the part about losing focus during the movie. This happenned to me one time I was watching it at the cinemas. I started thinking about other stuff and I wasn't happy. So the next day I went to see it again but before I didn't listen to any music, I didn't think of anything else and I just kept telling myself "I have never seen this movie before, I wonder what it's about" and although I knew I had, I just kept saying it. Throughout the film when ever something pretty appeared whether it was a creature or a plant or bioluminescence, I just told myself "Wow, thats really beautiful, I wish I was there right now" and continued to do so. I enjoyed the film alot (probably my 2nd or 3rd best viewing out of 9) and after leaving the cinema I thought "back to the ****ty real world" but I knew my love for Avatar was reboosted. Anyway, good luck in the future

Yea good points, thanks . Also on a side note, I noticed listening to the sountrack kind of made watching the movie harder for me. Because I began to pay more attention to the music than the movie after listening to the soundtrack.

Originally Posted by Dreamwalker

Oh wow. I really feel for you. I think I can honestly say I know what you're going through.
I was told I had an anxiety disorder about 3 or 4 years ago. Let me tell you, things up until that point had been an absolute mess. I could barely do anything because every little thing would trigger a panic attack. I soon became afraid of pretty much everything. But, my sob story aside, once I was diagnosed and the psychiatrist prescribed me some medication, I felt like myself again. I mean, I didn't even notice anything until one day it hit me and I was like, "Hey, I haven't had a panic attack today. I can actually be normal again and talk to people and live life!" Since then, I've had to have a few med changes and such, which let me tell you, coming off meds is uhh...not fun, but I'd say, don't worry, let the medication do what it needs to do and you will feel better. I've definitely been through this, so if you need to talk to someone, I'd love to help
As far as the whole "movie getting old" thing, yeah I know what you mean. Just don't watch it for like...a week or so or however long you think you can go and then do what tm20 suggested and watch it as if you've never seen it. Never gets old to me

I'm so very glad to hear that this medication will help me. Being 23 and having dealt with this for as long as I could remember has definitely become extremely stressful on the body. Thank you so much for sharing your similar experiences

[Toshowlove]

Hey!

I know this will sound weird, but you're LUCKY. Many people have anxiety disorders and don't even know it, the fact that you seem to have caught it early in life means you'll be able to treat it quicker and help prevent other problems! [I come from a family quite rich in mental-illness, and can say that you are fortunate to not have something state-altering like schizophrenia or other more debilitating disorders]

THAT SAID! There is some crazy statistic (that if i looked in my psych books i could find, but they aren't with me atm) that says *i believe* 1/3 people will have an anxiety disorder for at least one period in your life. Don't feel ostracized or alone... and YOU ARE CERTAINLY NOT SICK! Embellish what you have and use it to strengthen you. That may sound silly, but harnessing our weaknesses fulfills us in ways we cannot even imagine.

You've come to the right place, if you ever want to talk. You need an ear, i'll be here!

As for the movie, dont let it stress you out either way. Perhaps give it some space so you can truly appreciate it once again. Don't let it consume you

[Sonoran Na'vi]

I hope you start feeling better soon; anxiety can be a difficult thing to deal with. If medication and cognitive therapy helps as planned, you should be able to enjoy Avatar with less anxiety.

Originally Posted by Toshowlove

[I come from a family quite rich in mental-illness, and can say that you are fortunate to not have something state-altering like schizophrenia or other more debilitating disorders]

Schizophrenia is one of the most debilitating illnesses one can have. I remember the hard time my father had with schizophrenia.

[Zurom]

Thanks for all your wonderful comments/insight/support. It's great to know there's a place you can do to discuss rather personal matters and not get laughed at

Originally Posted by Toshowlove

Hey!

I know this will sound weird, but you're LUCKY. Many people have anxiety disorders and don't even know it, the fact that you seem to have caught it early in life means you'll be able to treat it quicker and help prevent other problems! [I come from a family quite rich in mental-illness, and can say that you are fortunate to not have something state-altering like schizophrenia or other more debilitating disorders]

THAT SAID! There is some crazy statistic (that if i looked in my psych books i could find, but they aren't with me atm) that says *i believe* 1/3 people will have an anxiety disorder for at least one period in your life. Don't feel ostracized or alone... and YOU ARE CERTAINLY NOT SICK! Embellish what you have and use it to strengthen you. That may sound silly, but harnessing our weaknesses fulfills us in ways we cannot even imagine.

You've come to the right place, if you ever want to talk. You need an ear, i'll be here!

As for the movie, dont let it stress you out either way. Perhaps give it some space so you can truly appreciate it once again. Don't let it consume you

Too true Toshowlove. As I've mentioned in my original post, I've had this anxiety disorder since I was a kid, however I didn't even know I had it until after a saw Avatar. Not to mention, iit's only getting worse . After seeing Avatar for the first time, I suffered from the following list of symptoms for almost two weeks:

-Insonmia
-High Blood Pressure
-Fast Heart Rate
-Feeling "on edge" (ie. Restlessness)
-Excessive, ongoing worry and tension
-Irritability
-Sweating
-Difficulty Concentrating
-Nausea
-Lack of appetite
-Diarrhea

Mind you, I could have went longer than two weeks to be honest. The only thing that stopped this is that I went to my doctor and she prescribed a "temporary relief" medication. Basically I would use it only if I needed to.

However, I do have to admit that after coming out of my psychiatric assessment and having been told that I do in fact have an issue and there are ways of treating it, I was truly happy for the first time in years.

[Human No More]

That's bad... glad you're starting to feel better though

Myself, I don't really feel anxious about it, I guess because I think that as long as I keep Avatar in my mind, I won't lose it. It's a different feeling, but I guess I understand what you mean.
Now go watch Avatar, and enjoy it

[PunkMaister]

Originally Posted by Aihwa

I just tell myself there's nothing I can do. And just stop caring. At all.

Ignorance can be bliss, when used correctly.

Wow aren't we a ray of sunshine!

@ Zurom: If the movie helped you find something that could help you live better in the end the more power to you.

[Dreaming Of Pandora]

When I lose interest in Avatar I just take a break from it until I want to see it again.

I've seen it 50+ and I've gone by what I said above and it works fine for me.