– Anxiety –

It’s a normal part of life. It’s common to feel some amount of anxiety when faced with mounting schoolwork or problems at the workplace. Concerns about the safety and well-being of friends and family also provide countless anxious moments in our daily lives.

About Anxiety

In the short-term, anxiety can prove beneficial by releasing adrenaline and endorphins that help us focus our minds and achieve goals. However, anxiety over an extended period of time is an indication of a possible anxiety disorder. These can be debilitating and seriously affect your overall mental health.

These disorders involve more than temporary worry or fear. For those who suffer from anxiety, the anxiety does not go away once an exam is completed or a loved one returns safely home; instead, the anxiety tends to increase over time. These ongoing feelings of tension and anxiousness interfere with daily activities such as job performance, school, work, sleep, sexual performance and relationships.

People commonly suffer from various anxiety disorders including:

Generalized anxiety disorder
Panic disorder
Social anxiety disorders

Garry Waterman is a licensed social worker who can help address the root causes of your anxiety and devise an effective treatment plan to help improve your mental health.

Signs and Symptoms

Generalized Anxiety Disorder

Those who suffer from generalized anxiety disorder experience persistent anxiety or worry for months and exhibit a host of anxiety-related symptoms:

Restlessness or feeling on edge
Difficulty concentrating
Difficulty controlling worrying
Excessive irritability
Muscle tension
Being easily fatigued
Sleep problems

Panic Disorder

Those who suffer from panic disorder have recurrent, unexpected panic attacks. These are sudden periods of intense fear that can include:

Increased heart rate or palpitations
Trembling or shaking
Sweating
Shortness of breath or choking
Feeling of impending doom

Symptoms of panic disorder include:

Sudden and repeated attacks of intense fear
Feelings of being out of control
Worrying about the next attack
Fear of places where past panic attacks occurred

Social Anxiety Disorder

Those who suffer from social anxiety disorder have a notable fear of social or performance situations. When in these situations, they tend to feel:

Judged
Embarrassed
Rejected
Fearful of offending others

Symptoms of this disorder include:

Avoiding social gatherings
Always feeling judged by others
Having difficulty conversing in social situations
Feeling highly self-conscious in front of other people
Worrying excessively about upcoming social events
Feeling ill when other people are around

Other anxieties include and not limited to:

Fear of the dark
Fear of heights
Fear of flying
Fear of animals
Fear of germs
Fear of water
and more

Treatments and Therapies

Anxiety disorders are most commonly treated with psychotherapy, medication or both.

Psychotherapy

Psychotherapy is a way of talking people through their problems. Psychotherapy is directed at a person’s specific anxieties and tailored to individual needs. This is most commonly done through cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), prolonged exposure therapy or directed practice of mindfulness/meditation.

Cognitive behavioral therapy focuses on ways to neutralize unhelpful thoughts and underlying anxiety disorders.

T.E.A.M. Therapy (Testing. Empathy. Paradoxical Agenda Setting. Methods.) builds on CBT by offering additional psychotherapy techniques. T.E.A.M. empowers the patient to set the agenda at therapy sessions and work as a partner with an empathetic therapist to achieve goals.

Prolonged exposure therapy focuses on confronting the underlying fears causing an anxiety disorder in order to help individuals take part in activities they have been avoiding.

Mindfulness/meditation focuses on training individuals to be aware (mindful) of direct experiences in order to assess situations in the moment and contemplate the implications of situations before taking action.

Medication

Medication is not a cure for anxiety disorders but it can relieve symptoms. Medication is sometimes prescribed by a qualified medical professional or psychologist during the initial treatment of an anxiety disorder.

Antidepressants, anti-anxiety drugs and beta-blockers are the most common classes of medications used to combat anxieties. Any prescribed medication should be taken only as directed.