Embedded Files
Nothing but worries
Nothing but worries
Anxiety can feel like all you have is worries, worries and more worries. It can feel like the worry and stress is extreme and has taken over your life and ability to think and function. And because it has overtaken your life you can't think about anything else including your partner, your work or your life in general. I speak from personal experience. The good news is that treatments and help are available.
People often use the term anxiety quite loosely and are generally referring to general stress or levels of stress. However in psychiatry we are referring to more than simple stress or worries. In this article, by anxiety we are referring to Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD). Other anxiety conditions include obsessive compulsive disorder, phobias and panic disorder .
These conditions affect are very common and affect 1 in 4 people and are the most common in Australia. They cause significant impairment in quality of life and function.
See the videos from Beyond Blue at the bottom of the page for a good description of anxiety and it's symptoms.
Symptoms
Symptoms
Anxiety symptoms can include:
Excessive anxiety and worry about a number of topics.
Worry/anxiety that is challenging to control.
Edginess or feeling restless.
Feeling tired easily. Fatigues more than usual
Difficulty contrating or feeling the mind goes blank.
Irritability
Increased muscle aches or soreness.
Difficulty sleeping.
Causes
Causes
There are various potential causes including genetics, stress, personality traitsand trauma. For a more comprehensive list of causes please visit the following website:
https://www.blackdoginstitute.org.au/resources-support/anxiety/causes/
Treatments
Treatments
Start by seeing your general practitioner or psychiatrist for an assessment for anxiety and to discuss treatment options. Your GP and/or psychiatrist can also help develop a tailor made treatment plan. Some treatments that are available include:
Medical Treatments
Medication
The most common class of medications used for anxiety are antidepressants, particularly selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). See Antidepressants section for details.
Benzodiazepines may also be used. However their usefulness is limited due to the potential for addiction and dependence and benefits do not last long. See Benzodiazepines section for further details.
Psychological Treatments
Psychological treatments can be the most important part of treating anxiety, particularly for mild to moderate anxiety. There are many different psychological treatments that are available including, but not limited, to the following:
Cognitive behavioral therapy
Exposure therapy
See the Psychological Treatments section for more details about the above psychological treatments.
In addition to the above psychological treatments there are a number of online mental health treatment programs which can be useful and convenient for patients to use. These include:
Adults
https://thiswayup.org.au/ (small fee required for some courses)
https://www.mindspot.org.au/ (free)
https://moodgym.com.au/ (free)
Other Treatments
There are a number of other treatments that may be useful for those suffering from anxiety. These include:
Mindfulness- See Mindfulness section
Sleep hygiene- See Sleep Hygiene section
Healthy diet and exercise
It is important to maintain a healthy diet to help maintain energy levels whilst unwell.
It is ideal to maintain your exercise levels from before you were unwell. Exercise has been frequently shown to help and improve patient's mental health.
Support services by telephone
The following support services may be beneficial for patients particularly if you are in crisis.
Suicide Helplines (See Contact Numbers section)
SANE Helpline-1800 187 263
Carer support services
It is not uncommon for a patient's loved ones to need support as well as the patient. This can allow them to relieve their stress and better support their loved one.
For carer support services see the Carer Support section.
Additionally it may be beneficial for carers to seek their own professional mental health supports to provide face to face support on an ongoing basis. In which case I would suggest going to your general practitioner for a referral to a psychologist and/or counsellor.
Further Information
Further Information
Read further about anxiety at:
Beyond Blue provides an overview summarising many treatments for depression and the evidence behind them. Please visit the link below to view this document.
Page updated
Google Sites
Report abuse