Anxiety

Although anxiety is a normal human emotion when confronted with difficult or threatening situations, when taken to excess, the experience of anxiety can become a highly disabling and deeply unpleasant illness.

There are a range of features which people with anxiety may have, such as:

• an inability to switch off and always feeling 'on edge'
• feelings of continual worry
• increased irritability
• features of social avoidance
• disrupted sleep patterns
• disturbed memory and concentration
• strong, rapid heartbeats - 'palpitations'
• pain, tension or tightness in muscles
• difficulty taking a deep breath or swallowing
• digestive problems or diarrhoea

Anxiety may be a reaction to external life events, but very often it arises with no precipitants, and can be what is known as 'free floating' - this is often diagnosed as a General Anxiety Disorder. Anxiety may also be prevalent in certain situations, such as during social contact, or in places from which rapid escape would be difficult, such as a train or crowded supermarket. Lastly, anxiety can also arise in sudden, overwhelming bursts, when it is known as panic. These episodes can be so overwhelming and severe that sufferers can feel they are about to die.

The treatment for anxiety often consists of both medication, either short or long-term, and specific psychological interventions to better understand the causes of the anxiety, and to devise new ways of thinking, which will minimise the chance of the illness continuing.

Contact us to find out more about how we can help