Anxiety Disorder Programme — What Do We Need To See More Of?

Any anxiety disorder programme could be useful to those dealing with anxiety, those who have family members or friends who struggle with anxiety, and those in a therapeutic, medical or psychiatric profession.

How anxiety affects people differently

Anxiety affects people in many different ways. It’s important that anxiety disorder programmes show the various ways that anxiety can affect somebody. This would help to educate others, and may also help people to identify what symptoms they have are caused by anxiety. Some may develop avoidance behaviours, others may bottle up their anxiety and experience panic attacks. Some may struggle with both of these things. Some may have physical symptoms of anxiety that seem to come out of nowhere, and not know the cause at all.

Symptoms of Anxiety

Symptoms of anxiety can be physical as well as psychological. Physical symptoms of anxiety include trembling, sweating, stomach problems, palpitations, increased heart rate, breathlessness, tightness in the chest area, tension headaches, dizziness, fatigue and more. Psychological symptoms are racing thoughts, not being able to stop worrying, feelings of dread, restlessness, difficulty concentrating, and irritability. It’s important to note that it’s normal for people to experience at least some anxiety at stressful points in their life. However, it can creep into everyday situations a bit more than is considered normal, and become disruptive.

Medication — is it good or bad?

Medication is not always the first response to anxiety problems, though it can be helpful. There are lots of different kinds of medications that can help with anxiety. It all depends on the severity of the anxiety. Sometimes, anti-depressants are prescribed to help. Usually, SSRIs will be prescribed. SSRIs are serotonin sensitive re-uptake inhibitors. They are supposed to help increase serotonin levels, which in turn should balance out mood. However, everybody responds to medication differently, and there are side effects to be mindful of. Sometimes, people with severe anxiety are given benzodiazepines especially for use during points that they’re extremely anxious. There is a stigma around using medication for mental health problems, with many who believe it makes you worse or who believe that you should seek ‘natural’ remedies. While regular exercise, a healthy diet and fresh air are all good for mental health, for some it is just not enough.

Therapy for Anxiety

Talking therapies are recommended for anxiety, and I think it’s important that anxiety disorder programmes include a section on talking therapies. Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) can be particularly helpful with anxiety, as over time the aim is to change the reactions we have to negative or triggering thoughts. This is extremely useful with those who have developed avoidance behaviours or have a tendency to overthink. A good example of a negative thought with linked avoidance behaviour would be somebody being worried about embarrassing themselves on a social occasion. Their response to the negative thought would be to avoid social gathering all together. CBT would help them to rationalise thoughts of this nature in the future.

Overall, it would be good to see a lot more anxiety disorder programmes to explore the various ways in which anxiety can manifest from person to person.