Renee Christie has quit her studies, gained weight and has been unable to work since 2012 due to severe anxiety - but has been denied specialist help.

Christie was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder shortly after the February 2011 earthquake. Since then, panic attacks paralyse her with crippling pain several times a day. Knowing they can strike at any time causes her severe anxiety. She has quit her studies, gained weight and is unable to work or do anything she enjoys.

Christie has tried everything within her reach – medication, counselling and breathing techniques. She is desperate for specialist help from Christchurch's anxiety clinic but her referral there was rejected last year.

JOHN KIRK-ANDERSON/STUFF Renee Christie has had severe anxiety and PTSD since the 2011 quakes and is unable to work, study or go out anywhere by herself because of it. Her husband, Reece Christie, is supporting her.

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The rejection came as a shock for Christie and her husband, whose travel plans and dreams to start a family are on hold because of the panic attacks. The young couple live with family; her husband's supermarket worker income is not enough for them to afford a place of their own.

"I feel hopeless. I've tried everything else, where do I turn now," Christie said.

JOHN KIRK-ANDERSON/STUFF Renee and Reece Christie are desperate for specialist help for Renee's severe anxiety.

Massey University clinical psychology senior lecturer Dr John Fitzgerald said anxiety presented in different ways.

For some patients, talking to their GP or a counsellor was enough. Others needed specialist help.

"Six years is a long time. I would expect that most people would receive specialist intervention after that length of time."

JOHN KIRK-ANDERSON/STUFF Reece and Renee Christie have put plans to travel and start a family on hold because of Renee's paralysing anxiety.

When the earthquake hit, Christie was in the kitchen with her family. The pantry fell over with plates and cups crashing on the ground, but Christie was not particularly shocked.

A month later, she started feeling unstable while doing the dishes. The panic attacks started.

"When it starts I get really tense and like a ball of pain builds in my stomach . . . it feels like I'm unstable, like I'm going to fell down."

She blocks her ears so hard it hurts and grinds her fingers and toes so much she gets blisters. The attack stops when Christie gets a fright, which is triggered by the slightest noise.

"When I get that fright, it's like a knife down my body from head to toe . . . every inch of my body is in pain and I'm momentarily relieved."

Christie's GP prescribed her anti-depressants, which made her "zombie out and forget what I had for dinner the night before". He then referred her to counselling where she learned breathing and mindfulness techniques. Those did not help either, she said.

In 2012, she was referred to Christchurch's Anxiety Disorders Service but moved to Hawke's Bay just before her appointment in a bid to escape aftershocks and be closer to family. When she moved back to Christchurch last year, her GP referred her to the service again.

The referral was rejected this time because her condition did not appear to be related to a primary anxiety disorder, her GP told her.



Christie said she sometimes felt so low she would do anything to stop the pain even though she did not want to die.

A Canterbury District Health Board (CDHB) spokeswoman said the board did not comment on individual cases, despite the privacy waiver provided.

The referral criteria for the anxiety clinic were clearly outlined for GPs.

It recommended a "stepped care approach with referrals made if significant symptoms remain after community counselling and support options and medications have been considered".

GPs could get written and phone advice from the clinic and were advised to "ensure patient is motivated to attend".

The CDHB's Anxiety Disorders Service had 153 people under its care, with wait times between six and eight weeks due to staff vacancies.