The Very Beginning

As I have done research on the topic that I want to portray, I've realized that my project is going to be dark. I don't intend on glossing over the reality that comes with mental illness. But, my goal with the intro is also to connect the viewers to the character, get to know her, see the struggle that she is going through, and sympathize for her.
One change that I have already made is that the main character will suffer from an anxiety disorder as well as depression. In many cases, depression and anxiety disorders are intertwined as one can be the cause for the other. When a person is diagnosed with an anxiety disorder, the amount of stress they go through with that illness can lead them to long periods of intense sadness and pessimistic views of the future. This in turn can happen vice versa.
For the film, the audience will witness one aspect that comes with depression and anxiety disorders: panic attacks. A panic attack is defined as "sudden feeling of acute a disabling anxiety." It us much more than this though. When a person suffers from a panic attack, they feel as if their whole world is collapsing around them. Because of these emotions, this person may feel as if they are going crazy and possibly that they are dying. It is a completely terrifying experience that can come on without warning.
Symptoms include

•  increase in heart rate
•  faintness/dizziness
• chest pains
• feeling sweaty or chilly
• trembling  
• numbness or tingling
• Nausea 

Panic Attacks

Panic Attack Symptoms. (n.d.). Retrieved March 17, 2017, from http://www.webmd.com/anxiety-panic/guide/panic-attack-symptoms

Symptoms. (n.d.). Retrieved March 17, 2017, from https://www.adaa.org/understanding-anxiety/panic-disorder-agoraphobia/symptoms

Tracy, N. (n.d.). The Line between Anxiety and Depression. Retrieved March 17, 2017, from http://healthyplace.com/anxiety-panic/articles/line-between-anxiety-and-depression/