Whoever wrote this post, I applaud these sentiments and thank you for posting it, it has helped me to think a few things through too. This is a very meaningful message.
I agree with Nancy, don't cancel your appointment. Give it a whirl and try a few sessions to see if this is something that makes you feel better and more able to cope.
Check out last month's issue of Health magazine, they had a very useful expose of how to choose an analyst, what to expect, what to ask, what to be wary of, how to evaluate the process to see if it is working for you, etc. I found it to be very useful and anxiety-removing information. CHeck and see if your library has it if the stores are out, althouh my stores still have it on display, so I hope yours does too.
Medication may or may not work for you, you will have to trust your gut instinct on this one. I would never tell anyone not to take it just because. Until you have experienced chronic anxiety and/or depression, you do not have any ground upon which to base an argument telling someone else not to take antidepressants. You have not stepped in their shoes, you do not know their demons and their abilities, or lack of, to cope. You do not know how terribly painful their current existence is. Sometimes we need a crutch to help us get through, anti depressants can be one of those crutches and they work for millions of people, some of whom have posted here on this thread.
Every single person is different in what solutions and therapies will work for them. It is your responsibility to talk to health professionals, that includes PCP and a psychiatrist, so that they can evaluate what your needs are right now. You do not have to put your future in their hands, but you can be guided by their reccomendations, and discuss this with significant people in your life whom you trust, and follow your instincts. By all means try support groups, spirituality-based therapies, a local pastor, a friendly mother figure near you.
Personally, I would like to be able to take antidepressants because I feel the need for a crutch of some kind, but I have tried 5 different types and my PCP and I have now concluded that my body chemistry is too sensitive to the SSRI's and they all make me ill and non-functional. There are others i can try of older families of medicines, but I have a gut instinct right now telling me not to go this road. So antidepressants do work, but not for everybody. So I am having to develop a crutch of my own through reaching out to other people, distributed at different positions in my social life and personal life, to ask for help an support. So far, the support has been very forthcoming. All I had to do was reach out and ask, why was I afraid to do this?
My only reccomendation to you is to take courage and put out feelers in many different directions. Seek help from differnet avenues to find what will make you a calmer person and more able to cope with life's curve balls.
I think, however, that self-knowledge is a key aspect to getting on the road to wellness. I have discussed this with Nancy on occasions, she posted here, and I think it helps both of us. Here is where a therapist can be of use to you. They are not there to lie you on a couch and ask you repeatedly "and how did that make you feel?!?!?!?!?!?!", but they can be objective listeners to whatever you feel the need to talk about. They will hear your stories differently from how you hear them, and they may be able to point out truths to you that were staring you in the face but you couldn't see the wood for the trees and the worrying. I did have this experience with a therapist I saw for a few weeks. That did help. Sometimes we just need someone to show us what is blindingly obvious. And sometimes we also need a third party to just listen, and therby validate our fears. They will make you feel normal, that it's OK to feel all these emotions, that you can heal, can be functional, can foresee a future not overburdened with anxiety.
WHen you are with a therapist, do not let yourself be intimidated by the experience itself. Go in there and be totally you, just as if it were you and the girls getting ready to chat on a Monday night over a few beers. Be truthful, it helps no-one if you withhold stuff. And if something they say or do bothers you, say so. I do, and it helps get things straight between us. Remember, you are not surrendering power over your destiny to anyone, just seeking tentatively to see who might be able to help you.
ANd please, come back and tell us how you get on and what you are feeling about your different therapy trials. We'd love to hear from you. Best of luck,
Clare
I have a strong family history of anxiety, mother, father, sister, brother myself and 2 out of my 3 children have anxiety. I didn't realize how severe it was until I experienced a panic attack. Right out of the blue I got so scared and started to shake talking with someone for no reason. I could not figure out what was wrong with me. I was diagnosed with social anxiety as the cause of the panic attacks. I take Zoloft which calms me down considerably. Also, if I do not take my meds, my muscles tense up until they hurt. I have never been to a psychologist, psychiatrist. Good Luck! 
