Hi all,

i am new to all this but found this forum and thought it might be useful for me to share my experience with some people.
Nearly two weeks ago, one thursday, I woke up feeling completely different - I was full of anxiety and panic and had some physical symptoms such as a feeling of pressure in my head.
Over the past 10 days or so these feelings have not left me, and I feel like a different person. They get easier and worse over the course of the day but essentially are with me 24/7, and at times I feel I cannot cope with them.

I do not understand why this has happened to me now.
I was married last november and have a happy home life. I am in work and have good friends and have an active social life and lots of hobbies and interests.

I did have some trouble in my youth - my parents went through a messy divorce and my mother couldn't cope and had a few nervous breakdowns. She attempted suicide once and was on valium for years. She is ok now that she is remarried.

I have been to the docs but he just gave me diazepam - just to help me sleep as I have been able to get to sleep but have been waking up in the night and really early in the morning. I will not take drugs until I feel so bad I cannot get up in the morning, they have to be the last resort. He said he will not refer me to a psychologist as he will not make an assumption that I am "mentally ill" without trying a course of drugs for a while. But if I won't take the drugs then I am stuck aren't i...

What I cannot get out of my head is - ok I may be depressed and there may be historical reasons for it concerning my childhood. But can this just happen one morning? Can I go to bed feeling ok and wake up with this weight of anxiety and depression on me that will not go away? I now have this feeling on "unreality" that goes along with the depression - I have lost all interest in all of the things I really really used to enjoy. To be honest I am terrified and can't see a way out.

Does anyone else have similar experiences? I know that there is no cure for depression but that therapy and drugs can help. Is there a chance that this could be temporary? How come it just happened one day when I was perfectly ok the night before?

Thanks for reading and for any replies you may have.