Not sure what steps to take next
I have a parent and a parent’s sibling who suffered pretty severe agoraphobia in their lives (fortunately both cases were resolved within a few years), and a number of relatives with either bipolar, depression or severe anxiety (sadly, not all are diagnosed / had treatment - I ended up just finding about this later in life). I had never considered any mental illnesses showing up in my life until all the sudden, it was like a light switch was turned on, and I started to get agoraphobia-like symptoms at work, I became more paranoid, extremely anxious, panicked, and depressed. I have an extremely difficult time trusting people and sharing information that most people find normal. I cannot handle even confrontation, nor feel joy the way I used to.
Sometimes I feel manic, like I’ll want to talk a lot or share a lot with someone, then regret it later, for some reason especially after having slept.
It’s like I lost the fearlessness and spirit for life I used to have. It’s quite confusing. I am in my late 20s now, so I haven’t been a teen for a while. I don’t think it’s growing pains. I have tried medication for anxiety and depression very briefly before, but was too anxious and impatient even to take that. Going to work every day is becoming more and more difficult. I guess I’m wondering if it’s possible I may have something more severe than just depression and anxiety. Could I have a genetic predisposition to bipolar?
Posted Jul 4, 2025, 1:32 AM UTC