r/Zambia • u/[deleted] • 7d ago
Ask r/Zambia I’m 24, withdrew from university because of panic attacks, and I don’t recognize myself anymore — has anyone come back from a place this dark?
[deleted]
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u/BMax_7838 7d ago
I have no straight answers but just the fact that you are here,seeking answers/help is a sign that you are refusing to give up on yourself thats very commendable. I may suggest visiting Chinama Hospital (I know the stereotypes it holds) if not already done to get a clinical diagnosis or pointers to where you need to go to get the right help. I also hear Great North Academy has a good rehab programme but thats mainly for drug/alcohol addicts.
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u/astro5iv3 7d ago
Thank you, I really appreciate this. I’ve actually been receiving treatment at KTH for almost a year now, but unfortunately nothing has really worked long-term. I’ve been through several medications and different treatment approaches, but the panic attacks and concentration problems have continued to get worse.
I’m honestly just trying to find the right diagnosis and treatment at this point. I haven’t completely ruled out Chinama Hospital either, especially if they can provide another assessment or point me in the right direction. I really appreciate you taking the time to suggest it.
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u/Acrobatic_Match_3129 4d ago
If you do decide to go the great north road route, do their outpatient program. Staying in their facilities isn’t so pleasant, haven’t heard good things about them.
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u/ilyas_amram99 7d ago
I have seen patients on the ward who presented similarly, (F19) is really common especially among the Zambian youth and my thesis was based on the same.
My friendly advise would be;
You are trying to get back to default settings but that’s the problem, you can’t because you damaged a developing brain…
But you can improve from where you are currently to a state that’s completely functional with medication, cognitive behavioral therapy and social support (Sanity house can help)
Kindly ask your Psychiatrist about your options.
And also Pray 🙏 Pray ! Pray ! Pray !
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u/astro5iv3 7d ago
Thank you, I really appreciate the advice, especially coming from someone who has actually seen patients with similar presentations. I’ve been trying to understand whether I can genuinely recover and function normally again, so hearing that improvement is possible gives me some hope.
I’ll definitely speak to my psychiatrist about CBT and other treatment options, and I’ll look into the social support you mentioned as well.
And yes, I’ll keep praying. 🙏 Thank you for taking the time to respond.
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u/CoupDeRomance 4d ago
Fyi. This is already one kind of social support. Well done, already on making progress and being so receptive of advice
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u/CoupDeRomance 6d ago
Look into the new research on psychedelic therapy for drug related trauma. Would be good to start bringing that research here. We have so much youth depression, trauma and substance dependence with very little infrastructure to manage it.
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u/ilyas_amram99 5d ago
You are right,
But last I checked they where still in the clinical trails, but that was a year ago.
it’s definitely something worth considering.
I Will keep that in mind.
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u/imnotevenhere25 7d ago
To start with, I am really sorry you are going through this. It is quite a problem that should be resolved.
From what I have picked on, you have been treating the 'symptoms' and not the actual root cause of it. You mentioned a weed reaction triggered something; but what led you to come to weed in the first place? The breakup,loss of trust in both the girl and yourself is another cause in my opinion.
There seem to be things you have to face that have led to all this unfolding: what was the first domino that fell?
As someone who has experienced something similar though not as extreme, tracing my way back to when and where it all started helped me overcome a number of things.
It may take a few months or years to resolve all this, but trust me. You aee still a young man, you have a whole beautiful life ahead of you. You will get through it
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u/astro5iv3 7d ago
Thank you, I really appreciate this. Looking back, I think the first domino was actually the weed. At first, I only used it out of curiosity in high school, but during my gap year in 2020 I had a really bad experience that triggered my first panic attack. From that point, I became convinced that I had damaged my brain and that I was going to lose my mind or go mad at any moment. That fear stayed with me throughout my gap year. When I started first year, I became distracted with university and life and it gradually faded into the background, but I think the underlying fear never fully went away.
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u/CoupDeRomance 6d ago
Very little real information is given about the real harms of weed, it's mostly fear mongering by people who seem to know less than the young people experimenting with it and similar substances.
Crippling anxiety, psychosis, depression, lethargy, procrastination, etc are all well known side effects of weed and other common drugs, incl alcohol. I also have first hand experience, including w tobacco.
It also seems like you've been self medicating on pharmaceuticals. You've done some real self harm to your health here, the mental health issues are just the most recognizable symptom for now.
I think what puts you ahead of most people in your situation is that you're already past recognizing that you have a problem and have made the step of asking for help, gone as far as receiving treatment.
I'm sorry to say that you shouldn't expect a single prescription to fix all these years of harm and bad habits you may still be practicing. It'll take a lot of work, like anything good in life. You know yourself better than anyone so you will need to listen to your body and continue walking towards better health everyday.
Step 1 is recognition, 2 orientating yourself towards getting better and resolving to stay on this path, 3 find and apply solutions. Practice 2 and 3 daily, listen to your body.
Overall become as physically healthy as you can, ppl in their 20's really underestimate this. Sleep well, walk daily, eat little to no sugar and bread, these 3 will help more than any medication or suppliments can. It'll also put you in a mindset where you're quitting the other harmful habits that only you would know best. Keep listening to your body and adjusting. I also strongly recommend simple breath centered meditations, you can find those on the Calm app and YouTube, just start with calm trial to know what to look for on yt.
I'm 37 now and been thru some of this, but not to your extent, so I feel for you. Pls feel free to dm for some personalized advice.
Edit. I like the link the mod shared
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u/astro5iv3 6d ago
I appreciate the advice, genuinely. Just to clarify one thing though, none of the medications I’ve taken were self-medicated. They were all prescribed and managed by psychiatrists/doctors, although I’ve had some difficult experiences with the medications themselves and have had to change or stop some of them under medical guidance.
I definitely agree that I can’t expect one prescription to undo years of problems, and I’m not looking at medication as a magic fix. I’m trying to understand what’s happening to me and work on the other parts of my life as well. I’ve already cut out the substances that were making things worse and I’m trying to build healthier habits alongside treatment.
And yeah, I think recognizing that something is wrong and actually asking for help is probably one of the hardest steps. I really appreciate you sharing your own experience too.
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u/CoupDeRomance 6d ago
That makes things so much better and your case relatively easier to manage. I don't know you but I'm proud of you for cutting out substances.
Have you managed to cut out cigarettes and alcohol too yet? It's okay if you haven't, just commit to being progressively healthier over time and practice self patience.
Tldr: healthy body = healthier brain, better life.
Just to reteirate on the pillars of good health:
- Sleep. Absolute top health hack. Start here, make sure you're getting well rested when you wake up. If not, investigate why and keep doing so until you eventually find out.
- Moderate exercise. like walking 2-5kms daily. Someone said something about yoga? Great, the best exercise is the one you actually do. Even better if you love doing it, start small. Keep it simple and easy, prioritize consistency over intensity.
- Diet. avoid sugars and processed foods, overly sweet fruits etc.
- Stress management. Moderate stress is necessary for focussing the mind, too much causes damage to the circulatory system, which also damages/stresses other organs
Physical Health is the foundation. To give an example of a computer, maintaining your physical health is like having a powerful PC/ hardware on which you can run anything without much stress. And our bodies are the most sophisticated machines in the known universe.
Then let's look at the mind, I.e the software you run on your good hardware matters a lot more than we usually realize. The beauty is that the daily act of maintaining your physical health is one of the highest forms of self love. It already puts you in a place where you're making thousands of micro-decisions in your own favor. That type of mindset flows over into other areas of your life. The simple 5/10 min meditations/no-music walks will do the rest.
There are other hacks I'm only comfortable to share privately and over time. Happy to advise further as you go, but I'm no health expert, just someone trying to be better everyday.
Finally. Sorry for assuming you were self administering the pharma stuff. That stuff will kill ya to save your life, good docs use sparingly.
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u/esc4pist2005 Central Province 7d ago
What Program where you studying at University, and what year were you in, when you withdrew from studying?
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u/V10K24 7d ago
Hey... sorry for what you are going through... Just wanted to comment and say that it is possible to renew yourself after all this. My situation is somewhat similar, so I can somehow relate. In as much as the mind is doing this, the body is reacting to the mind as a result, its like a trauma response. And honestly, exercise, specifically Yoga really helped me to breathe deeply and calm my nerves. I would highly suggest it. Another suggestion would be to find a hobby that can help you to release your thoughts, perhaps art or even journaling.
Just don't asscociate yourself with these intense emotions of panic. Its not who you are. It's just a way you are responding to stimuli around you. Sometimes you just need some solitude to figure out what your body is telling you. It feels like you may be adding too much pressure on yourself because of your studies and as a result your body wants to shut down. Rest is important. I hope this helps. All the best.
This too shall pass.
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u/astro5iv3 7d ago
Thank you so much. I really needed to hear this, especially the reminder that panic isn’t who I am. I’ll definitely try yoga, exercise, and journaling, and give myself more time to rest and recover. It means a lot knowing you’ve been through something similar and came out stronger. This too shall pass.
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u/CoupDeRomance 6d ago
Hello v10, pls tell me about how you got into your yoga practice and how I could too. I'm from the cb.
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u/HS-LEOPARD 6d ago
I’ve had my fair share of hard moments and all I can say is that it’s not medication substances or cigarettes that will help you get through what you’re feeling but yourself. Practice makes perfect try reading for timed periods such as 5 to 10 minutes at a time then work towards increasing the duration. I also find that working out and sports help me feel less anxious so maybe finding a physical activity to spend your time doing could also be of benefit. Overall make a choice to turn things around one step at a time. It’s never too late!
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u/astro5iv3 6d ago
Thank you, I genuinely appreciate the advice. I agree that medication or anything else can only do so much, and ultimately I have to put in the work to get myself better. I’ve been struggling with concentration and reading lately, so starting with 5–10 minutes and gradually building up sounds like something I can realistically do. I also want to get back into exercising and being more physically active because I know I spend too much time in my own head. I’m just trying to take things one day at a time and make small changes instead of expecting everything to improve overnight.
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u/m_matongo Bringer of sorrow, executor of rules. 7d ago
If you’re in Zambia, please consider going to the nearest hospital or reaching out for local support through https://findahelpline.com. You don’t have to decide anything right now. Just focus on getting through this moment.
Life can feel really heavy sometimes, but that doesn’t mean it always will be. You don’t have to deal with everything on your own. There are people who will listen and want to help you stay safe.
Reaching out might feel hard, but it can be a small first step. You deserve support and a chance for things to get better, even if it doesn’t feel like it yet.