This is Panic 20 - The Internet

So once again it's been a while between posts and once again it's due to a holiday (Cornwall again) and the wedding. Everything's coming along nicely and with less than 5 months to go, we're close to having it all sorted.

So the internet has changed the world. Well done there for stating the obvious Anthony but the internet has changed a lot in terms of the way I and others deal with my anxiety.

I know I'm not that old but when I started having anxiety problems at around 17, the internet wasn't as big a thing as it is now. I used the internet purely for research for my A-Levels and emails and even then mainly at school. We did have the net at home but it was the old school CompuServe internet that dialed up and took years to load up a page.

So time has moved on and the internet is now stupidly fast and there's all this information sitting at our fingertips.

Now I am involved in a lot of forums online but one day after a bad relapse I stumbled across No More Panic . No More Panic has a forum with specific sections on different anxiety conditions as well as a chat room and some ideas for how to cope from some books. At the time having other people to talk to, other people taking similar meds and feeling the way I did was the greatest of helps to me. You only need to go on No More Panic at times to see the great help on there people can be.

TIP itself was founded on a similar principle as many of you know. As much as this a forum for me to let off steam, it's meant to be of help too.

The thing with the internet of course is all the free information out there, how can we know what's real and what's not? Wikipedia as the prime example. It's a useful source of information but and particularly if you listen to Fighting Talk (search itunes for it, it's amazing) it's easy to deface anything and misrepresent anything.

For example, when I am having an attack at times, if something's drastically wrong, I've ended up on the NHS Direct site. Now it's a website that asks basic questions so you can figure out if you need to go to hospital or if you'll be ok at home. Now it asks some questions and if you're having a panic they can set your mind racing. Now mainly to start off with they ask you questions to make sure you're not suffering from meningitus which is pretty key. However if you're having a moment you think you have EVERYTHING.

The trick is once again walking that thin line between rationality and fear that is so hard to do when you are having an attack. You ultimately know that when you are having an attack that you are fine. The internet is a great source of information and knowledge but you can't judge the blog by its tags (to update a saying for the internet age). Trust your instincts about what you read, all will be well.