Everyone of us has certainly experienced anxiety in their lives. It is the feeling we get when we experience some threat [1] and to some extent it is natural. It can be described as “a mood where the feeling of a great threat or frightening change coming from an unknown and unreal source is prevailing” [1 p.76].
Anxiety consists of 4 components: cognitive, somatic, emotional and behavioural [2].
We say that a person suffers from anxiety disorders when anxiety interferes with their everyday functioning [2]. Although there are different types of anxiety disorders, brief descriptions of two of them, i.e. anxiety disorder with panic attacks (panic disorder) and generalised anxiety disorder, will be presented in this article.
The essential feature are recurrent attacks of severe anxiety (panic), which are not restricted to any particular situation or set of circumstances and are therefore unpredictable [3]. The most common symptoms include increased heart rate or chest pain, dizziness, shortness of breath [3] and anxiety. These attacks typically last about several minutes, sometimes longer [3].
For a diagnosis of anxiety disorder with panic attacks (panic disorder), first of all phobias must be excluded and “there must have been several severe
panic attacks with autonomous symptoms in a month:
It should be emphasised that in order to be given a diagnosis, you have to visit your GP, psychologist or psychiatrist who will take history and start treatment if necessary.
Pharmacotherapy and psychotherapy are effective in treating panic disorder. As far as drugs are concerned, medications to be used include antidepressants and anxiolytics [2]. As far as psychology is concerned, cognitive behavioural therapy is used, during which the patient learns what anxiety is and how to control it.
If you experience the symptoms listed above, you have to visit a specialist. While waiting for the visit, you can start practising slow breathing and gaining control over your breath when you feel that a panic attack is coming. You should also try to think about something positive or just talk to someone close to you or use other relaxation techniques.
People who suffer from this disorder experience the so-called free-floating anxiety which is not restricted to any particular environment or stressful event. Main symptoms include nervousness, dizziness, sweating, tension, helplessness, expecting something bad, etc. Sufferers are also often concerned about their health or health of their loved ones [3].
For a diagnosis of generalised anxiety disorder, the sufferer must have the symptoms “on most days, for at least several weeks at a time (and usually for several months)” [3, p. 124].
These symptoms usually include the following:
As in the case of the panic disorder discussed above, to be given a diagnosis, you have to visit your GP, psychologist or psychiatrist who will take history and start treatment if necessary.
The treatment of this disorder involves the use of anxiolytics and cognitive behavioural therapy [2].
If you experience the symptoms listed above, as in the case of the panic disorder, you have to visit a specialist. While waiting for the visit, you can also take some actions. Physical activity, breathing exercises or other relaxation methods, such as autogenic training [1] or meditation, are recommended.
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