Anxiety & Panic Attacks
Panic Attacks
A panic attack can best be described as an episode of intense fear and stress arising from a situation or interaction with another person. These attacks can be very scary, one may feel that they can’t breathe, feel dizzy or faint and are often very embarrassing for the sufferer.
Other symptoms of panic attacks may include:
• Increased heart rate
• Uncontrollable trembling, numbness or tingles in limbs
• Feeling nauseous or sick in the stomach
• Short and shallow breaths, often rapid
• Inability to maintain a steady body temperature (hot or cold sweats)
• Breathing difficulties or tightness in the throat
• Pressure on the chest
• Sweating
• A feeling of detachment from the situation
• Change in vision – blurred, sharper, or brighter visual field
• Feelings of losing control or ‘going crazy’
• Feeling dizzy or faint
• Feeling trapped or being unable to escape
Sometimes these attacks are a one off incident, however they can reoccur, often triggered by similar situations or the fear of not being able to cope if it happens again. Psychological treatment can help an individual to better deal with any situations where a panic attack might normally occur and as such build a greater level of self confidence.
Social Anxiety
While everyone may experience a degree of nervousness or fear of how others may perceive them, social anxiety manifests itself in a much more pronounced manner. Social anxiety can be described as an overwhelming sense of worry (emotional discomfort, fear, or apprehension) about social situations, interactions with others, or being evaluated /scrutinized by others. Anxiety itself can give the feeling of emotional discomfort such as embarrassment, fear, anxious anticipation or physical distress situation.
Common situations where the onset of social anxiety can arise is either before or during forming new relationships, public addresses, attending important meetings, going to parties and other large gatherings.
It is not uncommon to want to avoid these situations, however often the outcome of avoiding the fear reinforces the fear itself and as such exacerbates the anxiety. Sometimes people can get stuck in a cycle of avoidance whereby they immediately feel relief when they remove themselves from the fearful situation. However this feeling of relief and safety only lasts for a short period before the anxiety returns and the cycle again repeats.
Obsessions and Compulsions
We all have niggling after thoughts questioning our actions, ‘did I turn off the iron?’ or ‘have I locked the car?’, however for some, these thoughts can begin to dominate their lives. When a person experiences feelings of uneasiness, apprehension, fear, or worry and a simple action is able to take this away, its likely the person will repeat the behaviour. As such it is not uncommon for someone to get into a pattern of repeating a behaviour in an effort to avoid a feeling of anxiety or apprehension.
A person with obsessive compulsive traits may perform tasks, or compulsions (behaviours), to seek relief from obsession-related (thoughts) anxiety. Obsessions and compulsions can match up in many ways such as:
Obsession Compulsion
“there are germs on almost everything” hand washing repeatedly
“have I locked the front door?” checking locks repeatedly
“this is valuable and could come in handy one day” hoarding
Obsessions and compulsions can be destructive and debilitating when they become time-consuming, cause distress, or cause difficulty in social, work, or school functioning. A person experiencing distress from obsessional thoughts (and having to carry out compulsive behaviours) is usually aware of the unhelpful thought pattern and behaviour as well as the interference it is having on their life and despite this, finds it difficult to stop the behaviour.
Some common areas where uncomfortable obsessions and compulsions may arise include:
• Cleanliness
• Re-checking the completion of actions
• Ordering and arranging
• Hoarding and collecting
• Repetitive actions or mental rituals
• Counting
Continued distress from obsessions and/or compulsions can also lead to feeling hopeless and helpless. As such it is not uncommon to also find depression among those who experience obsessive compulsive disorder.
Specific Fears and Phobias
It’s normal to be a little frightened or apprehensive of things that are unfamiliar to you, however for some these fears consume the individual, leaving them in a debilitating condition. This fear is often triggered by the sight or thought of:
• heights, flying, elevators, darkness
• spiders, snakes, dogs
• blood, injections, dentist
The anxiety that is caused as a result of the given fear can be consuming and as such hinder a person from leading the life they wish. A specific fear or phobia can escalate and worsen over time however many fears can also diminish or disappear with age.
With support from a psychologist you can better understand your fear, giving you confidence and personal strength for the next time you face your fear.
Worry or Generalised Anxiety
In everyday life, actions and events, past, present or in the future, cause us to worry. Generalised anxiety occurs when this worry becomes overwhelming or disproportionate to the situation and occurs for great lengths of time. For some, worry can consume extended periods of the day and will often relate to family issues, finances, work, relationships difficulties, health issues and/or concerns around others wellbeing. Such worry can lead to restlessness as well as fatigue, irritability, aches and pains, sleep disruptions and difficulty concentrating.
At times, generalised anxiety can also lead to worrying about…, well, worrying. Such people regularly also report feeling stressed and uptight most of the time.
Symptoms of generalised anxiety include:
• restlessness
• feeling ‘keyed up’ or on edge
• being easily fatigued
• difficulty concentrating or mind going blank
• irritability
• muscle tension
• sleep difficulties