Am i just stressed out or anxiety disorder?

i have exams coming up and i dont rly worry about them on a conscious level but i think im really anxious about them or something. i feel dizzy and my head hurts/feels full every time im scared or anxious and even when im just shopping like i feel disoriented. whats wrong with me. do i have GAD or what? i want to take meds for it if it will make me feel better. please help if you have had similar experiences. im almost 16, have acid reflux, and im about to go on birth control for acne/ irregular, dont know if those things have anything to do with this but just wanted to tell ya.

to start, acid reflux is something that is on the border between a mental illness and medical illness. it is speculated to be caused by stress/anxiety and it wouldn't be surprising to find someone with acid reflux and GAD.

i'm currently working on my PhD in clinical psychology and i'm going to give you a list of symptoms that doctors and psychologists use to diagnose GAD in particular. see if they look like something you experience. if you do, then it might be time to seek out a therapist (to help you reduce the anxiety and stress in your life) and possibly a psychiatrist (to prescribe medication for the anxieties).

A. excessive anxiety and worry, occurring more days than not for at least 6 months, about a number of events or activities (work or school performance).

B. the person finds it difficult to control the worry.

C. anxiety & worry are associated w/ 3 or more of the following:
1. restlessness or feeling keyed up or on edge
2. being easily fatigued
3. difficulty concentrating or mind going blank
4. irritability
5. muscle tension
6. sleep disturbance (diff falling or staying asleep, or restless unsatisfying sleep).

D. the doctor must rule out other disorders that might be similar to GAD, such as depression, etc...this list is to long to post.

E. the anxiety causes clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning.

F. disturbance is not due to drugs or a medical condition.

best of luck getting your anxiety under control.

Hey, you look just like ME! :)

It sounds like you have anxiety. I had it when I was a teenager and in my 20's and didn't realize it. My head felt like that, too. You should see a psychologist/psychiatrist. They may or may not put you on meds. At least inquire about it. You'll be glad you did. There's no reason to suffer if you don't have to.

Best of luck to you.

Sounds to me like normal stress, but that you aren't dealing with it properly. Exercise or journal or something so that you are actually facing your worries and not burying them deeper. It doesn't sound at all like GAD so no need to worry.

"Anxiety disorder" and "stress" are just words that try to describe something. There isn't a clearly defined 'something' that IS "anxiety disorder" like there is a clearly defined something called chickenpox. So you can choose what you want to call it - whatever words you use won't change it and won't help you decide what to do next.

Medication seems to be given out quite indiscriminately. It might help, in the sense of stopping you feeling so anxious, but it'll stop you feeling much else, may have side-effects, and won't do anything to 'cure' you. I would be particularly wary as you are about to start another very powerful hormonal medication. What would be much more helpful is a 'talking therapy' i.e. counselling or psychotherapy.

But you really only need any sort of therapy (medical or psychological) if this is something that always happens when there's some difficult stuff going on. If this is the first time you've suffered like this, it is probably simply that you've let the stress of exams get on top of you and just need to get through these few weeks. However, you mention the acid reflux and my hunch is that is more long-standing (you don't say how long you've had it) which may suggest that anxiety has been a problem for you for a while. So a talking therapy would be really helpful long-term.