Anxiety

Anxiety is a feeling of nervousness, apprehension, fear, or
worry. There are many types of anxiety disorders and people will
often have symptoms of more than one.

DESCRIPTION

Most people feel anxious from time-to-time. Anxiety is a
normal response to stressful situations. In some cases it can
improve performance. For some people, however, Anxiety becomes
severe or prolonged and interferes with everyday life. This is
called an Anxiety disorder. Anxiety disorders are the most common
mental disorders. Nearly one in 10 people will experience some type
of anxiety disorder in any one year. Common Anxiety disorders
are:

 

Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD)

GAD can cause a person to be in a constant state of high
Anxiety. The Anxiety is not triggered by anything specific. Those
with this condition feel on edge all the time for no particular
reason. GAD is often accompanied by depression. GAD is sometimes
called ‘free-floating’ anxiety condition.

 

When a person has a phobia, they feel very fearful about
particular objects or situations. People often have more than one
phobia. Phobias are not uncommon, are twice as likely to occur in
women than men and can start at any age.

Common phobias include:

• social phobia – fear of social situations such as parties and
  meetings
• agoraphobia – fear of open spaces such as parks and big
  shopping centres
• claustrophobia – fear of small spaces such as lifts, aeroplanes
  and crowded rooms
• zoophobia – fear of animals
• acrophobia – fear of heights
• mysophobia – fear of dirt and germs in places such as toilets
  and kitchens.

 

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

In these cases, unwanted/intrusive thoughts and fears (often
called obsessions) cause anxiety. A person may feel the need to
carry out certain rituals in order to feel less anxious and these
are known as compulsions.

 

A person with OCD will feel less anxious once the compulsion
is carried out. It is possible to experience obsessive thoughts
only and not have the desire to carry out a compulsion. Examples of
compulsions are excessive cleaning, counting, checking, measuring,
and repeating tasks or actions. Trichotillomania (compulsive
hair-pulling) may also be classified as an OCD. Examples of
obsessions are worrying excessively about death or germs, having
undesirable sexual thoughts or fearing causing harm to
others.

 

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

PTSD involves bursts of anxiety that happen after a person
experiences a major emotional shock following a stressful event.
PTSD can be brought on by being involved in or witnessing
distressing situations such as: a major accident, natural disaster,
violence and sexual, physical, emotional or verbal abuse, trauma
associated with having a chronic illness (e.g. being isolated in
hospital for long periods, experiencing unpleasant medical
procedures) etc.

 

The symptoms of PTSD include:

• flashbacks e.g. upsetting intrusive thoughts about a
  distressing event
• nightmares
• difficulty sleeping
• loss of interest in activities the person used to find
  enjoyable
• feeling on edge/irritable
• being very alert and easily startled
• difficulty concentrating
• finding it hard to remember parts of the traumatic event.

 

This Anxiety disorder causes a person to live in “fear of
fear”. This causes panic attacks – a sudden sense of anxiety that
occurs without warning and with no apparent trigger. The symptoms
of the Anxiety can be very severe and may feel like a wave of
panic. Panic attacks usually last five to 10 minutes but they can
last longer.

 

Panic attacks produce very real physical symptoms from a rapid
increase in heartbeat to a churning stomach sensation. These
physical symptoms are naturally unpleasant and the accompanying
psychological thoughts of terror can make a panic attack a very
scary experience.

 

Anxiety can cause a range of physical and psychological
symptoms. Physical symptoms include; abdominal discomfort,
diarrhoea, dry mouth, rapid heartbeat or palpitations, tightness or
pain in chest, shortness of breath, dizziness, frequent urination,
difficulty swallowing and shaking.

 

Psychological symptoms can include; insomnia, feeling worried
or uneasy all the time, feeling tired, being irritable or quick to
anger, an inability to concentrate, a fear that you are going
“mad”, feeling unreal and not in control of your actions
(depersonalisation), or detached from your surroundings
(derealisation).

 

Severe Anxiety disorders can cause considerable suffering.
Consult your Doctor, who may refer you to a specialist such as a
Psychiatrist, Psychologist, Social Worker, Behavioural Therapist or
Counsellor. Some approaches to relieving Anxiety include:

• Counselling. Counselling and behaviour therapy can help people
  understand the reasons behind the Anxiety and develop techniques to
  manage it.
• Medication. Medications should not be considered a cure on
  their own, but are used to relieve anxiety so that the person can
  concentrate on counselling and behaviour therapy.

DIET HINTS

• Decrease caffeine intake. Have no more than 3-4 caffeinated
  drinks per day. Try water, fruit juice and herbal or decaffeinated
  tea and coffee instead.
• Limit alcohol intake to no more than 1-2 standard drinks per
  day. 
• Eat plenty of foods high in B vitamins. These include, eggs,
  brewers’ yeast, leafy greens, nuts, seeds and wheat germ.
• See the Healthy Eating Diet for more information.

VITAMINS/MINERALS/HERBS

These supplements may only be beneficial if the dietary intake
is inadequate. Consult your Doctor before commencing supplements,
as many have adverse interactions with other medications.

• Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) may be beneficial in treating stress
  and anxiety.
• St. John’s Wort may be of benefit in treating Anxiety
  associated with mild to moderate depression. If you are taking any
  medication for depression or anxiety, consult your Pharmacist
  before taking St. John’s Wort.
• Valerian is a strong nerve relaxer and can be especially
  helpful for insomnia caused by anxiety.
• Chamomile may be beneficial in as it is a good nerve
  relaxer.

AROMATHERAPY

Certain essential oils are suggested for the relief of
Anxiety. The most specific oils are shown in capitals. These
include

Basil, BERGAMOT, BLUE CHAMOMILE, CEDARWOOD, CHAMOMILE, CLARY
SAGE, FRANKINCENSE, Geranium, LAVENDER, MELISSA, NEROLI, Orange,
Rose, Rosewood, and YLANG YLANG.

ORGANISATIONS & SUPPORT GROUPS

See the Australian National Association for Mental Health
topic on the Healthpoint.

PHARMACIST’S ADVICE

Ask your Pharmacist for advice.

1. Your Pharmacist can help if you have queries about any
   medication you are taking.
2. Addiction to smoking is related to an increase in anxiety
   levels in a significant number of people. Ask your Pharmacist for
   advice about quitting smoking.
3. Stress management programs may help. Ask your Pharmacist for a
   recommendation.
4. Caffeine may interact with some anti-depressant or anti-anxiety
   medications. Check with your Pharmacist.
5. Follow the Diet Hints and consider some nutritional supplements
   if the diet is inadequate.