"i have severe anxiety including social anxiety that confines me to my apartment 95% of the time. i also suffer from trichotillomania where my anxiety is so bad i pull my hair out. have had this for 20 years and all the shrinks could not help me. i am 32 years old and just recently have been put on xanax 0.5mg 3 times daily as needed. well the first week i slept and slept, which is good because i wasn&#039;t sleeping before. i also have bipolar disorder and severe depression. pristiq helps a little but i am allergic to everything else. xanax slows down my racing thoughts so i can think clearer and make decisions easier and is helping with the hair pulling but am still desperately searching for help with that and have not found it."