Medical Advice / Suggestions Needed

[SolidSnake84]

Hello friends,

My friendly warpathers were the first people I thought of before attempting to find / branch out to other message boards, groups, etc.. I am seeking some information on what may or may not be wrong with me, before going to the doctor, so I can be as educated as possible.

To make a long story short, I have been dealing with what I feel is crippling anxiety/depression/something. It has been with me for the past 6 months, it has been severe the past 2 months. It affects me most seriously in the early morning hours before going to work. I am usually up out of bed by 4:30 - 5:00 AM, completely wide awake due to nervousness. It is very bad in the early hours of my job, but it usually dissipates by 10:00 AM and I actually feel good the rest of the day, but around bedtime, I get nervous again because I am thinking about going back to work the next day. On a "bad day", it never leaves all day, I do not eat anything, and when I come home I am so exhausted from being nervous all day that I sleep in a recliner, not really sleep, just kind of lay there dazed.

Saturdays are the only "free" day where I feel completely normal. Sundays aren't bad, but around 6PM, when the day is winding down, the process starts again. For those who don't know me I am 28 years old, in a happy marriage, in good health, and in good physical shape. Many days I have a normal routine in the evenings, working out, playing xbox, etc., and feel fine...right up until bedtime. I worry about what this is doing to my health long-term. My wife is concerned for me too. She knows how bad it is for me and tries to be as encouraging as she can. What I don't want is for this to ruin my marriage.

In closing, I believe the "incident" that caused this, was when I lost my job suddenly and without any warning in July 2011. I was working for a company that was going out of business, and during the final months/weeks, I had the exact same symptoms. When I got a new job, I was symptom free for nearly two years and believed it was just because of the uncertainty, but now it is back. I have nightmares regularly about being back at my old job, sometimes I dream about my current job. My close friend has suggested I may have Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

Can anyone point me in the right direction to getting (mentally) healthy and taking control of my life again, and not letting whatever this is rule me? Thank you guys you are all my friends and most of you are like family, the way we have talked, argued, etc.. over the years