Anxiety & Phobias
Introduction
Anxiety is a normal human feeling. We all experience it when faced with situations we find threatening or difficult.
People often call this feeling stress but the word 'stress' can be used to mean two different things - on the one hand, the things that make us anxious and on the other, our reaction to them. This makes it a confusing word and so it will not be used in this leaflet.
When our anxiety is a result of a continuing problem, such as money difficulties, we call it worry, if it is a sudden response to an immediate threat, like looking over a cliff or being confronted with an angry dog, we call it fear.
Normally, both fear and anxiety can he helpful, helping us to avoid dangerous situations, making us alert and giving us the motivation to deal with problems. However, if the feelings become too strong or go for too long, they can stop us from doing the things we want to and can make our lives miserable.
A phobia is a fear of particular situations or things that are not dangerous and which most people do not find troublesome.
Symptoms
Anxiety
| In the mind: | Feeling worried all the time Feeling tired Unable to concentrate Feeling irritable Sleeping badly | In the body: | Irregular heartbeats (palpitations) Sweating Muscle tension and pains Breathing heavily Dizziness Faintness Indigestion Diarrhoea |
These symptoms are easily mistaken by anxious people for evidence of serious physical illness - their worry about this can make the symptoms even worse. Sudden unexpected surges of anxiety are called panic, and usually lead to the person having to quickly get out of whatever situation they happen to be in. Anxiety and panic are often accompanied by feelings of depression, when we feel glum, lose our appetite and see the future as bleak and hopeless.
Source: The Royal College of Psychiatrists http://www.rcpsych.ac.uk
To read more about anxiety, including how to recognise signs and where to find support, visit Anxiety and Phobias
Source: The Royal College of Psychiatrists http://www.rcpsych.ac.uk
To read more about anxiety, including how to recognise signs and where to find support, visit Anxiety and Phobias
georgie
5 Comments
I went through years of fatigue, pain and depression that follows that pain. Only within the last year have I really come to understand what is wrong with me and how to treat it properly. Before all this though, I would have never thought that anxiety/stress could do such a number on a person! I also never felt more alone in my life then I did during that time, major Kudos to yah for the article... someone might leap the same mile stone I had to, in a lot less time :)
Dreamz- You mentioned how to treat anxiety properly... if there is anyone out there suffering, what steps would you recommend to them. Where should they start?
Also you can contact your local mental health service (depending on your country)
who will usually have a fair amount of information on who you can talk to etc.
Its sometimes hard work to recover from a serious anxiety disorder but you can with time and some help. Promise ;>
Hey you know AdGuy always gets the last word! ;)