I've posted before but really need some reassurance and help. Basically my HA has been in check until a little over a month ago. I started getting dizzy, and then my light headedness became almost constant. Not spinning, but on a boat feeling. I am now terrified that this will NEVER go away. I'm so scared I have this Mal de Debarquement or "MdDS" (or MDDS), and people who have this often have it FOREVER. I wish I was just terrified of a brain tumor again or MS. I'm seriously freaking out that I won't ever feel steady again. Please help! It's greatly impairing my life.
Extreme Anxiety about Lightheadedness
- Thread starter amanduh
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matisworried
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lightheadedness is one of the most common physical symptoms of anxiety. seeing as even you describe your anxiety as "extreme" it stands to reason that's the likely cause.
lets look at the odds, here:
the population of the US is roughly 349 million.
roughly 40 million people are currently suffering from anxiety. (11.46%)
this year 80,000 people will be diagnosed with a brain tumor (0.02%)
approximately 10,500 new cases of MS are reported every year (0.003%)
literally both the things you've worried about have a less than 0.1% chance of happening. 2.6 million people are killed in car accidents every year. if my math is correct, that means you are 27 times more likely to be killed in an accident than to get an MS or brain tumor diagnosis. i'm guessing you're not worrying about that, though. instead you're focusing your attention on something you have lottery-like odds of getting.
ask yourself how many times in the past you've been convinced you were dying or seriously ill. how many times were you right? none? so what are the odds that THIS TIME... you're finally right? i'd say probably as good as they were the last time you were sure you're dying.
if you're a "googler" please stop. researching your symptoms only fuels your anxiety. it'll never help more than it hurts.
lets look at the odds, here:
the population of the US is roughly 349 million.
roughly 40 million people are currently suffering from anxiety. (11.46%)
this year 80,000 people will be diagnosed with a brain tumor (0.02%)
approximately 10,500 new cases of MS are reported every year (0.003%)
literally both the things you've worried about have a less than 0.1% chance of happening. 2.6 million people are killed in car accidents every year. if my math is correct, that means you are 27 times more likely to be killed in an accident than to get an MS or brain tumor diagnosis. i'm guessing you're not worrying about that, though. instead you're focusing your attention on something you have lottery-like odds of getting.
ask yourself how many times in the past you've been convinced you were dying or seriously ill. how many times were you right? none? so what are the odds that THIS TIME... you're finally right? i'd say probably as good as they were the last time you were sure you're dying.
if you're a "googler" please stop. researching your symptoms only fuels your anxiety. it'll never help more than it hurts.
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matisworried
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ha! well, that's good! i misread your initial post but my response is more or less the same. this sounds like it could definitely be anxiety-based.
i've never heard of mdds but it appears to be very uncommon with less than 20,000 new cases being reported annually. this means your odds are only slightly higher than they are of having MS.
