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Suffering From Severe Anxiety, Fear Of Being In A Closed Room, Seeing Crime Stories. Cure?
Hello Sir.....I am XXXXXXX.My grandpa aged 78 has extreme anxiety problems.He always gets scared when he is in a closed room or when he is lonely,he is even scared to see crime stories.recently he took a thyroid test which showed 0.02 but a few days back when he checked his level improved to 0.16 but still this extreme anxiety is prevailing.Can you give a solution to this problem?
Sat, 30 Mar 2013
Hello
Welcome to HCM
He is showing the features of anxiety disorder called Agoraphobia along with non specific anxiety. As he is 78 so he might showing symptoms due to Alzheimer's disease. But other features like memory impairment, cognitive decline etc are also observed. His thyroid levels may be a cause of anxiety but there are not in extreme ranges. As he is in distress I will advise you to take him to a good psychiatrist for expert opinion. Medicines like Propranolol, clonazepam can be given in low doses. Other medicines like Sertaline are also useful and have proven results in anxiety in elderly. And above all proper warm support and care is must for him.
thanks
Dr. Seikhoo Bishnoi
Welcome to HCM
He is showing the features of anxiety disorder called Agoraphobia along with non specific anxiety. As he is 78 so he might showing symptoms due to Alzheimer's disease. But other features like memory impairment, cognitive decline etc are also observed. His thyroid levels may be a cause of anxiety but there are not in extreme ranges. As he is in distress I will advise you to take him to a good psychiatrist for expert opinion. Medicines like Propranolol, clonazepam can be given in low doses. Other medicines like Sertaline are also useful and have proven results in anxiety in elderly. And above all proper warm support and care is must for him.
thanks
Dr. Seikhoo Bishnoi
I find this answer helpful
1 Doctor agrees with this answer
Hello......
Thanks for your query. I understand your concern for your grandfather. The symtoms you describe point towards agoraphobia or fear of closed spaces. The thyroid levels should not be a cause for worry. The therapy includes:
1. Anti-anxiety agents like SSRIs
2. Psychotherapy techniques like ERP/Exposure and response prevention
A combination therapy is always better than either of the above alone. Wish him good health and early recovery.
Regards
Dr Sundar
Psychiatrist
Thanks for your query. I understand your concern for your grandfather. The symtoms you describe point towards agoraphobia or fear of closed spaces. The thyroid levels should not be a cause for worry. The therapy includes:
1. Anti-anxiety agents like SSRIs
2. Psychotherapy techniques like ERP/Exposure and response prevention
A combination therapy is always better than either of the above alone. Wish him good health and early recovery.
Regards
Dr Sundar
Psychiatrist
I find this answer helpful
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