HUGE anxiety when driving...?help!?

Question

i have my permit and i need to get my lisence but i get HUGE anxiety whenever a car comes around. ive only practiced driving in nearly empty parking lots and in neighborhoods where there are barely any cars around but when a car does come around (the 1-3 nearly below the speed limit cars) i freak out. i get really sweaty, my heart beats so hard i cant hear myself think, and i get extremely scared.
this happened when my boyfriend was trying to teach me to drive too and i had to pull over because my eyes were welling up because i was so scared.
this happens EVERYTIME a car comes around no matter the speed its going, if its going my way, the oppisite of me, WHERever. if i can see it moving, i get really scared.

how am i supposed to get over this..? i need to learn to drive soon.. but i feel like this will never go away

people keep telling me to just keep driving and ill get used to it but everytime i go back out there it makes me want to not drive even more...

Answer 1

No, you're having panic attacks. This is a legitimate mental disorder where certain triggers make the heart beat fast, tears start, throat feel like closing, and such fierce fright that many end in screams.

A psychiatrist can help you with this. So could a therapist. I would recommend both so you can get this under your belt as quickly as possible. They'll get you back on track.

Here's some more information: www.nami.org.