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- Mood - anxiety, irritability, feeling keyed up
- Thinking – worrying, difficulty concentrating, mind going blank, overinterpretation of threat, view of self as vulnerable, low self-efficacy
- Motivation – avoidance of situations, increased dependency, wish to escape
- Behaviour – restlessness, jumpiness, excessive alertness.
Biological symptoms of anxiety include:
Autonomic arousal – for example;
- Sweating, shaking, dizziness, palpitations, nausea and a dry mouth.
It is important to remember, however, that symptoms are manageable and controllable and that you are not alone, you are not losing control, you are not having a heart attack and you will not die from it.
Statements such as “pull
your socks up“ may serve to motivate but rarely
work by themselves. Rather a combination of interventions
assists in the management of anxiety and anxiety related
disorders.
Anxiety disorders include:
- Panic Disorder with/without Agoraphobia
- Agoraphobia without panic disorder
- Specific phobia
- Social phobia
- Generalised anxiety disorder
- Obsessive compulsive disorder
- PTSD (Post-traumatic stress disorder)
- Acute stress disorder
- Anxiety disorder due to a generalised medical condition
- Substance-induced anxiety disorder
- Anxiety disorder not otherwise specified
- Others, eg adjustment disorder with anxiety
Being anxious to some degree can be regarded as part of a normal coping response to everyday problems. However, when this is excessive and inappropriate to a situation it is regarded as a handicap and is recognised as a clinical problem.
Definitions of anxiety as a clinical phenomenon vary. Some definitions emphasise physiological symptoms, others psychological, on the whole, there is little agreement as to whether both are required to be present or to what degree these symptoms should be represented in order to make a diagnosis of an anxiety state.
The boundaries between syndromes of anxiety and of depression are often blurred. Anxiety is a common feature in depressive disorders and patient suffering from anxiety may also experience symptoms of depression. It is therefore important to recognise these features and to establish what is the primary and secondary diagnosis or whether both syndromes are present to the same degree of importance.
Panic attacks
Approximately 5 per cent of the population will experience panic attacks at some time in their lives.
The DSM-IV criteria for panic attack states:
A discrete period of intense fear or discomfort, in which four (or more) of the following symptoms developed abruptly and reached a peak within 10 minutes:
1. Palpitations, pounding heart, or accelerated heart rate
2. Sweating
3. Trembling or shaking
4. Sensations of shortness of breath or smothering
5. Feeling of choking
6. Chest pain or discomfort
7. Nausea or abdominal distress
8. Feeling dizzy, unsteady, lightheaded, or faint
9. Derealisation (feelings of unreality) or depersonalisation (being detached from oneself)
10. Fear of losing control or going crazy
11. Fear of dying
- paresthesias (numbness or tingling sensations)
- chills or hot flushes
Seemingly coming from nowhere, the dread of having an attack itself, transforms the ordinary world of every day life into a nightmare of anxiety and suffering.
Bev Aisbett has survived Panic Syndrome and reinforces the three basic messages:
You can beat this,
You are not alone,
You will recover.
(From Living with it, a survivor’s guide to Panic Attacks)
We have carefully researched additional information, including Government Health Web sites and specific self help and support groups. You will find those links to other Web sites on our Useful Links page.
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