Anxiety, Panic, Fear & Worry

Things you should know about Anxiety, Panic, Fear & Worry

• Everyone feels anxious from time to time, but people who experience extreme fear and worry that does not subside may be suffering from an anxiety disorder.
• Anxiety disorders are the most common mental disorders in Australia. Nearly one in 7 people will experience some type of anxiety disorder in any one year – around one in 6 women and one in 10 men. One in four people will experience an anxiety disorder at some stage of their lives
• Anxiety can be debilitating, preventing you from functioning at your full capacity. The frequency and intensity of anxiety can be overwhelming and interfere with daily functioning.
• There are several types of anxiety disorders, each with its own characteristics. Common anxiety disorders include Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD); Panic Disorder, Social Anxiety (or Social Phobia), Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), and Specific Phobias.
• There are effective treatments for anxiety disorders. Fortunately, the majority of people with an anxiety disorder improve considerably by getting effective psychological treatment. Medication will not cure anxiety disorders, but it can keep them under control while the person receives counselling.

If anxiety is causing you distress or getting in the way of achieving your goals you should get help. Call us on Brisbane (07) 3352 3577 or fill out our online booking & enquiry form and we’ll contact you.

Is Anxiety, Panic, Fear or Worry Stopping you from Living The Life You Want?

An anxiety disorder can be debilitating with a significant and detrimental impact on all areas of your life.  It can prevent you from functioning at your full capacity, stop you from achieving your goals, make you avoid doing things that you would normally enjoy or benefit from, and mean that you can’t develop and maintain personal relationships.

If you show some of the following signs and symptoms, and they just don’t go away, you may be suffering from an anxiety disorder.

• High levels of anxiety
• High levels of fear and apprehension
• Worrying about things more days than not
• Difficulty stoping thoughts related to worrying
• Feeling restless or on edge even when nothing is going on around you to cause these feelings
• Irrational fears that you can’t shake
• Difficulty falling asleep due to too many thoughts in your head
• A sense of impending doom with danger and catastrophe around every corner
• Periods when you have symptoms such as heart palpitations, sweaty palms, or shallow breathing
• Sudden, unexpected panic attacks
• Avoidance of everyday situations or activities because they make you anxious
• Unhealthy coping mechanisms
• Friends or family members tell you that you are too high strung, worry too much about little things, or need to ‘chill.

These symptoms may be related to one or more of the following anxiety disorders.

Generalised Anxiety Disorder - continuous and extreme anxiety and worry about particular areas of life that are repetitive, ongoing, and in most cases, out of proportion to the actual situation. Common worries include relationships, work, health and finances.

 Social Anxiety / Social Phobia – an intense fear and avoidance of social situations like parties, meetings, speaking in public, going shopping

 Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) – Having frequent unwanted thoughts, distressing images or impulses. Feeling compelled to perform certain behaviours e.g. to keep checking things, washing hands, showering

Panic Disorder – Where a person experiences sudden feeling of intense fear with shortness of breath, dizziness, fast heartbeat, nausea or choking. They may also worry about going crazy, losing control or dying. There does not always need to be a specific trigger to set off the panic attack and an attack can occur, anywhere, at any time.

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) – an anxiety disorder triggered by a major traumatic event outside the normal range of human experience which results in intense fear, terror and feelings of helplessness.  Events commonly resulting in PTSD include natural disasters, violent crimes, physical, sexual or emotional assault and abuse, and motor vehicle accidents.

Agoraphobia – anxiety about having a panic attack somewhere you believe is difficult (or embarrassing) from which to escape. Agoraphobia usually leads to avoidance of certain places and situations. Common situations feared in Agoraphobia include shopping centres, airports, railway stations, churches, and theatres.

Specific phobias – intense and ongoing fear of one particular object or situation. Common Specific Phobia’s are: animal phobias (fear and avoidance of snakes, mice, rats, dogs, spiders and other creatures); fear of heights; fear of being in lifts / elevators; fear of flying; Doctor or Dentist Phobia; Blood Injury Phobia; and fear of contracting or succumbing to a specific illness,

Am I suffering from an anxiety disorder or is what I’m feeling normal?

Anxiety isn’t necessarily a problem – everyone experiences anxiety now and again. It is a normal response to a stressful event or perceived threat. However, if your anxiety is persistent, powerful (your emotional reaction is out of proportion to the worry or the anticipated threat) and it interferes with your daily life you should seek a professional diagnosis and treatment.

Why is it important to seek treatment for Anxiety Disorders

If left untreated, anxiety disorders can have severe consequences. For example, some people who suffer from recurring panic attacks avoid any situation that they fear may trigger an attack. Such avoidance behaviour may create problems by conflicting with job requirements, family obligations or other basic activities of daily living.

If you think you may have an anxiety disorder get a professional diagnosis and treatment now. Most anxiety disorders are treatable. As with many illnesses, the earlier that treatment begins, the more effective it is and the greater the likelihood that recurrence can be prevented.

Psychological Counselling for Anxiety

We have helped hundreds of people just like you manage and overcome their anxiety.

Psychological treatments may not only help you to recover, but can also prevent a recurrence of anxiety. For many people, counselling is the most effective way of treating anxiety disorders.

Most people notice improvement in symptoms and functioning within a few treatment sessions. Within several months the large majority of people are able to eliminate their anxiety symptoms or reduce them to the extent that they can return to normal functioning.

If you’re suffering from anxiety we can help you make real changes and start living the life you want free from fear, anxiety and panic.

• Step back into life – get practical solutions to your problems
• Worry less
• Halt your fear-based thinking
• Understand the thoughts that trigger your behaviour
• Stop resorting to negative coping mechanisms such as smoking, alcohol, coffee, and recreational drugs and
• Stop worrying about tomorrow and start living today

If you need help call us on Brisbane (07) 3352 3577 or fill out our online booking & enquiry form and we’ll contact you.

We are here to help you. Make a call to live the life you want.

Sources:

American Psychiatric Association (2000) Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders DSM-IV-TR Fourth Edition American Psychiatric Association, Washington DC

Hyman SE, Rudorfer MV. (2000) Anxiety disorders. in: Dale DC, Federman DD, eds. Scientific American Medicine. Volume 3. New York: Healtheon/WebMD Corp., Sect. 13, Subsect. VIII.

National Institute of Mental Health (2009) Anxiety Disorders US Department of Health & Human Services Bethesda (MD) Available from: http://www.nimh.nih.gov/

Common names, abbreviations and related terms for anxiety include anxiety disorder, Generalised Anxiety Disorder, GAD, Social Anxiety Disorder, SAD, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, OCD, Panic Disorder, Acute Stress Disorder, ASD, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder , PTSD, Agoraphobia, Specific Phobia, worry, stress, panic attack

Please Note – Ahead Psychology does not provide emergency crisis counselling. If you or someone you know needs crisis counselling, call Lifeline’s 24 hour telephone crisis support service 13 11 14

 If you are facing a medical emergency from self-harm call an ambulance (000) or go to the emergency department of your local hospital.