Hello,

A few months ago I smoked way too much weed and experienced extreme panic and paranoia. I felt okay for a week after and then the anxiety started. It would get to the same time of night it happened and my heart would start racing and I couldn’t concentrate. One day after a night of drinking and worrying about losing control again I experienced extreme anxiety, panic attacks, depersonalisation and intrusive thoughts for 4 weeks. it was incredibly hard to even get up and shower.

I haven’t experienced that level of anxiety since I began going to therapy. However I continue to worry about going crazy and losing control. I still experience intrusive thoughts which range from violent, to paranoid to downright ridiculous which cause me extreme distress. I still experience depersonalisation/derealisation (which makes me even more anxious/panicky). I also experience periods of irritability and have found my ability to concentrate has decreased dramatically which has been affecting my ability to complete uni work.  I haven’t felt good/normal for more than a few hours in four months. I either feel anxious, irritable, spaced out, sad or just generally ‘off’. I’m incredibly worried and anxious that this is the beginning of psychosis or something worse. 

From everyone’s experience of anxiety, is this normal? Do I have anything to be worried about?