Brief Answer: Be brave and brevity pays Detailed Answer: Dear Welcome to XXXXXXX We understand your concerns I went through your details. I suggest you not to worry much. you need to believe in yourself for the time being. You were under the guidance of a therapist for a while now. I should know whether he is a psychologist or psychotherapist. Because PTSD is supposed to be diagnosed with utmost care. There are several clinical / psychometric tests available to determine PTSD. In my experience PTSD is curable mostly without any psychotropic medication if you are able to manage your panic attacks, which is possible through simple psychotherapy techniques. PTSD is, as you already know, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. This is a disorder and not a disease. Disorder comes out of negative thinking about negative circumstances. In this case, if it is PTSD, you must have gone through a traumatic experience in your past which stressed you so much that you started experiencing disorders of mind. Let me know, what was that stressful experience, when it happened, how it affected you and what was your immediate response to that incident? Please be as detailed as possible. As I already told you, disorders are not diseases. They happen because of our environment, experience and thinking. For example, if some of our nearest relative dies, we get depressed for around a week or so. This depression is a disorder and mostly we ourself know how to overcome it. We just ignore the happened fact and go through our day to day life and duties because there is no other options. Nobody can just think of every negative happening in their life continuously and ruin their life. They do have grief, they do think about what happened, they do become sad and depressed often, but they overcome it with their duties, responsibilities etc. That is what you are supposed to do. Panic attacks are because you fear the anxiety arises out of the apprehension. You are apprehensive about your future. Anxious about something may happen or panic attack may come again. You definitely are having some pre-pattern which you want to avoid. Let me know those things also. The more you avoid your fear, the more you are troubled. Face it. In the case of appointment with the IOP, you should never avoid it. Face it. Let it pass. Nothing will happen. Decide that you are going and the panic will be over. Indecision causes more and more fear. You start fearing the fear and fear overcomes you. Please make sure that you go for the appointment. I assure you, nothing happens. More over, you passed through so many occasions of panic attacks, What happened? Nothing. You are in once piece till now. So what is there to fear and what is there to worry? Be brave and brevity pays. Hope this answers your query. Come back with all the details tomorrow and I shall give you some psychotherapeutic techniques which should clear your PTSD within 6 months if you practice them without fail. I am sure. Make sure, to decide, that you visit IOP on Wednesday. God bless you. Dr. K V Anand

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Brief Answer: Idle mind is devil's workshop Detailed Answer: Hi, Thanks for contacting me again. I see your problem. But why are you anxious about it? Such negative experiences happens with almost all. You should be aware that there is always a positive lesson involved in every negative experience. Means it is positive for you. You tried to avoid that person. So what? That incident frightens you. Who told you so? Any evidence? In childhood if teacher scolds you over and over again will you carry that thought through. Nobody does because we know what to ignore and how to. In your case also, you ignored that thought so well till recently. Then why should it come back? Because you wanted it back. You became obsessed a.d it started haunting you. Here lies your answer. Ignore it as you were doing a these years. Be busy a.d be busy. No thoughts can disturb you if you are busy. Then no anxiety or apprehension, then no panic attack. After some days you will have new habit of new way of thinking style. Trust me. BE BUSY. Rest should take care of itself. Still you should keep the appointment with IOP. They will not give you any medicines because your disorder is very mild. God bless you. Dr. K V Anand.

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Brief Answer: Believe in God and You. Detailed Answer: Dear, I am sorry if my answers were not clear. I shall try explain it again practically. But before I do that let me answer your primary question. Yes, I am very well aware of IOP. Here you will be interviewed by a board consisting of pyschiatrist, clinical psychologist and other community care provider. You are required to answer a screening questionnaire which will be followed up with psychometric test. IOP is intended to understand your diagnosis and your current state of mind. A treatment can be accordingly planned. Offcourse, your consent is most important before starting IOP; but I would strongly recommend that you do not miss this IOP. In my 20 years experience, I have lot of evidences that clearly says, minimized view of the problem (from the side of the sufferer, not the therapist) gives maximum result. you have a problem. Your therapist named it PTSD. You believed it and started living as if it is there. Fine. But why are you worrying about PTSD? That is the question. Worrying about PTSD is going to ruin your life. Let me be clear. A person with cancer, even after being aware that he is going to die, never quibbles and worries always and put himself in a depressed state. He lives on. He lives on with hope, even when he is almost sure that his days are counted. that is what is hope and that hope most probably defeats the cancer. That is what i mean by minimizing the problem and believing that it is possible to overcome the problem just with human might and not with some medication. I also said that you should keep your appointment with IOP. Once you are determined to visit the facility, your panic should go off. Also I am sure your appointment should go through very well. i shall give you some simple psychotherapy techniques: 1. Go and stand in front of a large mirror and say so many positive things about you addressing the image. For eg; You have the courage, you can overcome this very easily, you are handsome etc. Include any positive messages you can have in this. Do this thrice daily. 2. Positive imagery. Imagine those situations which creates panic in you. picture you in there and imagine that you are doing it very well, you are not getting panic, no heart beat rising, no sweating. You are handling situations well. Thrice daily. 3. Believe in god. Because he knows what we are. Nothing happens without his will. Leave everything to him. Past is past and past gave us so many positive lessons and therefore it is positive. Future is unpredictable. Live today. Live happily, that is the only thing we can do and live hopefully. Rest god will look after. 4. Indulge in exercises, meditation etc. Drink lots of water and fruit juices. Anxiety and panic attacks can be cured simply by three things. Lots of oxygen, lots of water and nutritious food. Take my word for it. Satisfaction comes through experience. To believe me, you should practice these. Practice these for a week or so strictly and you should see the difference. If no success found, then you can undermine me, scold me. I am ready to accept it then. Thank you for your kind follow up. Dr. K V Anand

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