Anxiety

• Anxiety


  A natural response to feeling afraid or threatened. It becomes a problem if we start worrying excessively about relatively harmless situations.
• When anxiety feels intense or overwhelming, it starts to interfere with our daily life
• When you are anxious you feel fearful and tense. You may also have one or more unpleasant mental or physical symptoms.
• Aetiology of anxiety


  • Some people may be more prone to anxiety because of their genetics and there may be a chemical imbalance in the brain which makes them feel much more anxious
  • Difficult past experiences in childhood, adolescence or adulthood are a common trigger
  • Current stressful life events/trauma can also trigger anxiety
  • Anxiety can sometimes be a medication side effect, or due to using recreational drugs or alcohol
  • Anxiety may also be a symptom of other illness, particularly hyperthyroidism
• Physical symptoms of anxiety

  • The sensation of having a 'thumping heart' (palpitations)
  • A feeling of sickness (nausea)
  • Shaking (tremor)
  • Sweating
  • Dry mouth
  • Chest pain
  • Headaches
  • Fast breathing
  • Dizziness
• The physical symptoms are partly caused by the brain which sends lots of messages down nerves to various parts of the body when you are anxious. When you are anxious you release stress hormones, such as adrenaline (epinephrine), into the bloodstream. These act on the heart, muscles and other parts of the body to cause symptoms.
• Mental symptoms of anxiety

  • Feeling tired
  • Feeling restless or irritable
  • Unable to concentrate or make decisions
  • Difficulty sleeping
  • Worrying about the past or thinking something bad will happen
• Behavioural symptoms of anxiety

  • Feeling a need to be alone and avoiding friends and social situations
  • Selective mutism (when a child is unable to speak in certain situations)
  • Compulsions to get rid of negative, anxiety producing thoughts
  • Agoraphobia (fear of leaving your home because of anxiety about what might happen)
• Unhealthy coping tools, such as alcohol misuse or substance abuse, may initially dull the symptoms of anxiety but make the anxiety worse.
• Risk factors for anxiety

  • Females are more often affected than males
  • Family history of anxiety, depression, or other psychiatric disorders
  • Childhood abuse or neglect, or parental mental health problems
  • Being a victim of bullying as a child
  • Sudden bereavement
  • Being separated, widowed, divorced
  • Being unemployed
  • Substance dependence or exposure to organic solvents
  • Chronic health conditions, e.g. heart disease, cancer, respiratory disease, diabetes, or arthritis
• Management of anxiety


  • Understanding the cause of symptoms and talking things over with a friend, family member or health professional
  • Counselling, particularly for generalised anxiety disorder
  • Anxiety management courses, including learning relaxation, problem-solving, and coping strategies
  • Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
  • Self-help resources like information, advice, support groups, relaxation techniques
  • Antidepressant medicines like SSRIs (escitalopram, sertraline)
  • Benzodiazepines (diazepam) for short-term severe anxiety
  • Buspirone for generalised anxiety disorder
  • Beta-blocker medicines to ease physical symptoms