Understanding Anxiety Disorders
The most commonly diagnosed anxiety disorders are: generalised anxiety disorder (GAD), panic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), phobias and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). You may not have, or want, a diagnosis of a particular disorder, but it may be useful to learn about these different diagnoses when you are thinking about your own experiences of anxiety and considering your options for support.
If you are experiencing anxiety you will probably be familiar with some of the more common symptoms of feeling nervous, shaking, tummy problems, over-thinking, stress, feeling too hot or too cold, and more.
In a Nutshell
What Is Anxiety and What Are The Symptoms?
Anxiety feels different for everyone. You may experience some of the symptoms above or other effects in daily life.
Generalised Anxiety disorder
You may have been feeling anxious for a long time and often feel fearful, but are not anxious about anything specific that is happening in your life,
Panic Disorder
You may have intense episodes of fear or discomfort that peak within minutes often accompanied by a racing heart, shortness of breath, dizziness, or sweating.
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
Anxiety can lead to obsessions, unwanted thoughts, images, urges or doubts that appear in your mind along with compulsions that you feel you have to do.
Phobias
A phobia is an intense fear of something, even if that thing is very unlikely to be dangerous. If you have a phobia, your anxiety may be triggered by specific situations or objects.
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
If you develop strong feelings of anxiety after experiencing or witnessing something you found very traumatic, you may have PTSD, which can cause flashbacks or nightmares.
Specific Anxiety
Anxiety can be very specific: fear of giving a work presentation, social situations, open spaces. closed spaces, driving, fear of being judged negatively etc.
Treatment Options
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy is the first-line treatment for anxiety because it’s evidence-based and it works. It is based on the idea that your thoughts, feelings, and behaviours are all interconnected. When you change your thoughts and unhelpful beliefs around yourself or the situation, you can alter your feelings and behaviours.
It’s a relatively short-term, goal-oriented therapy which typically takes 12-20 sessions to complete. During therapy, we will work together to identify your unhelpful beliefs and develop new more helpful ones. You will also learn how to challenge the unhelpful ones and replace them with more reasonable ones.
You CAN Learn to Manage Your Symptoms
With proper understanding, and treatment, you can learn to manage your symptoms and lead a fulfilling life. Seeking professional help, building a support network, and practicing self-care are all essential first steps towards recovery. By fostering empathy and awareness, you can create a more supportive environment for yourself to help you thrive and move towards living the life you know you can.
Remember, moving forward is possible, you don’t have to face these challenges alone.
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