• —  Anxiety is a normal and adaptive responsive to stress and danger and motivates us to solve everyday problems.
• It can vary from mild uneasiness to a terrifying panic attack.
• —  When does it become a disorder?
• —  It is more severe
• —  It is long lasting (duration, frequency & period of time)
• —  It interferes with the person’s work or relationship’s

FACT:

1 in 6 adults in Great Britain will suffer from a General Anxiety Disorder, not all will seek professional help.  Many people with anxiety disorder do not realise that it can be treated.

(Office of National Statistics, 2000)

TYPES OF ANXIETY DISORDERS

• Overwhelming anxiety & worry when there are no signs of trouble
• Physical & Psychological symptoms (6 months)

• Panic attack – a sudden & rapid onset of intense fear or terror
• Inappropriate

• Particular event, stimulus, situation causing fear resulting in avoidance

• Develops after a distressing or catastrophic event (witness/victim)
• ASD- symptoms fade and the person can resume normal activities within a month (some may develop PTSD)
• 1 in 10 men and 1 in 5 women who experience traumatic event will develop PTSD (NICE, 2004)

• Obsessional (recurrent) thoughts and compulsive (repetitive) behaviours accompany the feelings of anxiety
• Usually begins in adolescence

 

CAUSAL FACTORS

• Heritability [30-40% family & twin studies] (Semple et. al, 2005)
• Sensitive emotional nature
• Gender
• Stress
• Childhood adversity
• Medical conditions
• Side effects of prescription & non-prescription drugs

GENERAL SIGNS & SYMPTOMS OF ANXIETY

EFFECTIVE TREATMENTS

(NICE GUIDELINES FOR ANXIETY, 2004)