Childhood responsible for anxiety/depression???

GatorsRanxious2 · Post by **GatorsRanxious2** » Thu Mar 19, 2009 5:37 am

Lately, I have been dealing with my difficult childhood and have blamed it on my problems with anxiety/depression. I am curious how many people out there feel that a bad childhood is the cause or not?? How many people come from a loving, stable childhood and have anxiety/depression problems?

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Thu Mar 19, 2009 5:59 am

I for one, believe that my upraising contributed to anxiety/depression. Not that I had a horrible childhood, in fact, I have two parents that love their children and would do anything for us. HOWEVER, My mother has a mental illness, and my father had his bouts of depression...so... I believe my condition is a learned thing. They didn't have great "life coping skills" so, obviously that "condition" was handed down to myself and siblings. After all, children LEARN what they LIVE... I am a FIRM believer that IN MY CASE.. Depression/anxiety is a direct result of poor parenting skills. I don't blame my parents, as their parents were the same way... Either way, it is what it is and now I am finding myself breaking that vicious "generational cycle"... And it WILL be done

Giving all the glory to GOD!!!

Blessings,
Robin

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Thu Mar 19, 2009 7:17 am

Hi GatorsRanxious2, in my case my very difficult childhood with an abusive mother and passive uninvolved father were the reason I became anxious and insecure. I had my first panic attack by age 12. I carried this "habit" of anxiety/depression, negativity, and low self worth into adulthood long after leaving my parents behind. For me I know of no other life than anxiety disorder and social phobia. it had become who I was. But thanks to a great counsellor and this program I am learning to recognize my condition and learning how to extricate myself from this lifelong disability and choose a new way of responding to stress and everyday circumstances.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Thu Mar 19, 2009 10:49 am

I also think that my childhood has everything to do with my anxiety. I had a horrible childhood, abuse, incest and total neglect. I started having panic attacks at about age 8 and have had them ever since. I have wished so many times for a better childhood, I feel it would have made all the difference in me. Now I just learn to cope woth this the best that I can.

YetWillIPraiseHim · Post by **YetWillIPraiseHim** » Sat Mar 21, 2009 10:34 am

I have had anxiety since I was very little around 4 maybe? I didn't know I had anxiety until 9 yrs ago when my father passed away (I was 28 then) I came from a really loving family I was best friends w/both of my parents. The very first time I know I had an anxiety attack was when I was 4 yrs old I was in the hospital for phnemonia (spelling?) and I remember pulling the IV out of my arm insisting I was going home w/my mom (my poor mom spent 12 hours a day there w/me) I was in the hospital for a week. From then on I was paranoid about my parents dying I used to wake up at night and go in there room to be sure they were breathing, I used to throw up every day before school from 1st grade to 5th grade I didn't want to leave my parents, my mom told me she figured it out if I asked what they were doing for the day and if she said they were going out those were the days I got sick before school so she just started telling me they were staying home all day and I wouldn't get sick before school.

I have been able to control my depression and anxiety on my own until recently and this past year agoraphobia really kicked in I just ordered the program today and am looking forward to starting it. I'm so grateful this forum is on here it's finally so nice to see I'm not alone since none of my family or friends really understand this.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Mon Mar 23, 2009 8:03 am

I, too, know that my childhood is the main source of my anxiety. My father was barely around when I was a child because he was always "working," and then my parents separated and divorced when I was about six. Due to the divorce and fear of being neglected an abandoned again, I became overwhelmed with seperation anxiety. My older sister and I would spend some weekends with my father but I always ended up calling my mother to come get me because I could not be apart from her. I was never able to attend sleep over parties or sleep anywhere other than in my own house.

Since I was so young, we did not know that I was suffering from anxiety. I was seen by numerous doctors because everyone thought I had a stomach problem, but as I grew up my family and I realized that I was most certainly anxious and incapable of handling stressful situations/being apart from my mother for long periods of time.

Having a "part-time father" and then being completely abandoned by him as I got older definitely triggered my bouts of depression. We have to keep telling our inner child that he/she is ok. That she is safe. She was born out of love and was raised with love, even if it was for only one parent. I try to tell myself that it's my father who lost out on having an amazing person in his life - but that's easier to say than to believe.

In August when my acute crisis paralyzed me mentally, emotionally and phsyically (to the point where i lost 20 pounds in 1 month, could barely function to get thru the day) it was due to another situation of abandonment and betrayl from the man I was suppossed to get engaged to this summer. Everything that I felt from my childhood came rushing back to me and left me feeling hopeless, neglected, incapable of being loved.

I am not exactly sure how we overcome our difficult or unfortunate childhoods...but just recently I found a picture of me when I was a baby and I have a huge smile on my face. I look at it every night and every morning and tell that little girl that she is ok.

We will all be ok xoxo

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Mon Mar 23, 2009 3:48 pm

I agree with all the postings. I think childhood experience and upbringing have a lot to do with it. In my case, I was not abused, but both of my parents have what I would say is severe anxiety disorder. They certainly passed that on to me. In fact, I noticed when I'm around them less I recover faster. It's amazing how I've internalized their voices, their negative thinking. But it is possible to reverse that.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Tue Mar 24, 2009 5:45 am

I think this was certainly the case with me, I'm an only child, My mother died when I was 1 so lived with my father and gran, My gran was my mother figure until she died when I was 5, I don't know but I think all that has contributed to my anxiety

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Tue Mar 24, 2009 8:11 am

I grew up in a dysfunctional home and pretty sure that's where my problems started. Two things have really helped me. 1 moving away from my family and 2 reading the book by Sam Obitz on overcoming a dysfunctional past and doing the TEA form exercise and the counter exercise in it. I wear my counter all the time to remind myself of all the positives in my life and it helps me stay focused on the positives instead of the negatives like i always used to by habit.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Tue May 12, 2009 7:46 am

I too feel that childhood experiences play a part in depression. I was never aloud to show emotion, but encouraged to stuff it down. My father molested me at 13 and my mother turned on me. Causing me to stuff the whole thing deep inside. Now I live with the knowledge that neither of my sisters belive me. So I have no one to turn too. My parents are both dead and I would love to confront them