Anxiety

Anxiety disorders encompass a range of mental health conditions characterised by excessive fear or possibly panic, excessive worry, and related behaviours such as avoidance, checking, and reassurance seeking behaviours. They include Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD), Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD), Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), Specific Phobias, and Panic Disorder. Some of the symptoms of these forms of anxiety are listed below, based on the Diagnostic & Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition, Text Revision, by the American Psychiatric Association (DSM-5- TR). 
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Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) includes the following: 

• Excessive anxiety and worry (apprehensive expectation) about a number of events or activities.
• Difficulty controlling the worry.
• The anxiety and worry are associated with some of the following:
  • Restlessness or feeling keyed up or on edge.
  • Being easily fatigued.
  • Difficulty concentrating or mind going blank.
  • Irritability.
  • Muscle tension.
  • Sleep disturbance (difficulty falling or staying asleep, or restless, unsatisfying sleep).

The anxiety, worry, or physical symptoms cause significant distress or interfere in life including family life, work life or social life. 

Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD) includes the following:

• Marked fear or anxiety about one or more social situations in which you may be exposed to possible scrutiny by others.
• Fears that you will act in a way, or show anxiety symptoms, that will be negatively evaluated.
• Social situations almost always provoke fear or anxiety.
• Social situations are avoided or endured with intense fear or anxiety.
• The fear or anxiety is out of proportion to the actual threat posed by the social situation.
• The fear, anxiety, or avoidance is persistent.
• The fear, anxiety, or avoidance causes significant distress or interferes in life including family life, work life or social life. 

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) includes the following:

• Presence of obsessions, compulsions, or both:
  • Obsessions: Recurrent and persistent thoughts, urges, or images that are experienced as intrusive (as if not coming from oneself) and unwanted. The person attempts to ignore, suppress or neutralise the thoughts, urges or images, using other thoughts or actions (such as a compulsion).
  • Compulsions: Repetitive behaviours or mental acts that an individual feels driven to perform in response to an obsession or according to rules that must be applied rigidly.
• The obsessions or compulsions are time-consuming or cause significant distress or interference in life.

Specific Phobias include the following:

• Marked fear or anxiety about a specific object or situation (e.g., flying, heights, animals, receiving an injection, seeing blood).
• The phobic object or situation almost always provokes immediate fear or anxiety.
• The phobic object or situation is actively avoided or endured with intense fear or anxiety.
• The fear or anxiety is out of proportion to the actual danger posed by the specific object or situation.
• The fear, anxiety, or avoidance is persistent, typically lasting for 6 months or more.
• The fear, anxiety, or avoidance causes significant distress or interferes in functioning in some areas of life. 

Panic Disorder includes the following:

• Recurrent unexpected panic attacks. A panic attack is an abrupt surge of intense fear or intense discomfort that reaches a peak within minutes, and during which time four (or more) of the following symptoms occur:
  • Palpitations, pounding heart, or accelerated heart rate.
  • Sweating.
  • Trembling or shaking.
  • Sensations of shortness of breath or smothering.
  • Feelings of choking.
  • Chest pain or discomfort.
  • Nausea or abdominal distress.
  • Feeling dizzy, unsteady, light-headed, or faint.
  • Chills or heat sensations.
  • Paresthesias (numbness or tingling sensations).
  • Derealization (feelings of unreality) or depersonalization (being detached from oneself).
  • Fear of losing control or "going crazy."
  • Fear of dying.
• At least one of the panic attacks has been followed by 1 month (or more) of one or both of the following:
  • Persistent concern or worry about additional panic attacks or their consequences.
  • A significant maladaptive change in behaviour related to the attacks (e.g., behaviours designed to avoid having panic attacks, such as avoidance of exercise or unfamiliar situations).

Effective management of anxiety disorders often requires a comprehensive approach that may combine psychotherapy with a psychologist, medication prescribed by a GP or Psychiatrist, and lifestyle modifications tailored to the individual’s specific needs and symptoms.

If you would like to book with Katy for assistance with anxiety, please use the tab below. 

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