What is anxiety?
Anxiety and phobias affect about one in every ten people at some
point in their lives. Anxiety is the normal human feeling of fear
that we all experience when faced with threatening or difficult
situations. It can help us to avoid dangerous situations, making us
alert and giving us the motivation to deal with problems. But, if
these feelings of anxiety are too strong, it can stop us from doing
the things we want to.
What is panic?
A sudden unexpected surge of anxiety which makes you want to leave
the worrying situation.
What is a phobia?
A phobia is a fear of particular situations or
things that are not dangerous, and which most people do not find
troublesome.
What causes anxiety, panic and
phobias?
- Genes: Some of us seem to be born more anxious
than others - research suggests that these problems can be
inherited through our genes. However, even someone who is not
naturally anxious can get anxious under enough pressure.
- Circumstances: Sometimes it is obvious
what is making you anxious. When the problem disappears, so does
the anxiety. However, some circumstances are so threatening - like
car crashes, train crashes or fires - that the anxiety goes on long
after the event. You can feel nervous and anxious for months or
years after the event, even if you were physically unharmed. This
is called post-traumatic stress
disorder.
- Drugs: Street drugs like amphetamines, LSD or
ecstasy can all make you anxious – for some people, the caffeine in
coffee is enough.
- Life experience: Bad experiences in the past,
big changes in life in the present - pregnancy, changing job,
becoming unemployed or moving house.
What does anxiety feel
like?
- Mind: feeling worried all the time, tiredness,
being irritable, sleeping badly and not being able to
concentrate.
- Body: racing heartbeat, sweating, muscle
tension and pains, shaking, breathing heavily, dizziness,
faintness, indigestion and diarrhoea.
If you are anxious already, you may worry that
these symptoms are signs of serious illness - and this can make the
symptoms even worse.
What does panic feel
like?
A sudden and overwhelming sense of fear and
loss of control. You breathe quickly, feel your heart pounding,
sweat, and may feel that you are going to die. You get out of the
situation as quickly as you can.
What does a phobia feel
like?
You get strong feelings of anxiety in the particular situations
that frighten you. So if you have a phobia of dogs, you feel
anxious when there are dogs around, but feel OK at other times. You
tend to avoid the situations that make you anxious - but this makes
the phobia worse as time goes on. It can also mean that your life
becomes increasingly dominated by the precautions you have to take
to avoid such situations. You will usually realise that there is no
real danger and may even feel silly about your phobia, but still
can't control it.
... and you may also feel
depressed
Anxiety and panic are often accompanied by
feelings of depression, when you feel glum, lose your appetite and
see the future as bleak and hopeless.
What help is available?
Self-help
You can learn relaxation techniques through
groups or professionals or teach yourself with books, CDs and DVDs
(see our main leaflet). Regular practice
will help you to do these easily so that they you can use them in a
crisis. Self-help books and DVDs based on cognitive therapy can
also help.
Talking it through – you may not want
to talk to family members about your phobia or feelings of anxiety
– but it can help. Try a friend or relative whom you trust and you
respect, and who is a good listener. They may have had the same
problem themselves, or know someone else who has.
Self-help groups – talking with
people with similar problems can be easier because they understand
what you are going through. They may be able to suggest ways of
coping. These groups may focus on anxieties and phobias, or on
other problems, for example, women's groups, bereaved parents
groups, survivors of abuse groups.
Psychotherapy - this is a
more intensive talking treatment which can help you to understand
and control your anxieties. The treatment can take place in groups
or individually and is usually weekly for several weeks or months.
It is generally a form of cognitive
behavioural therapy.
Medication
Tranquillizers: These are the
valium-type medicines, the benzodiazepines (like most sleeping
tablets). They are very effective, but are quite addictive, even
after using for four weeks . They should be taken for periods of 2
weeks or less.
Antidepressants: work well in
anxiety. However they usually take two to four weeks to work and
some can cause nausea, drowsiness, dizziness, dry mouth and
constipation. See our main leaflet on antidepressants for more information.
Beta blockers: (usually used to treat
high blood pressure) can be used in low doses to control the
physical shaking of anxiety.
For more in-depth information see our main leaflet.
Update November 2008. This is an abridged version of our main
leaflet.
This leaflet is made available through the
generosity of the Charitable Monies Allocation Committee of the
mental health charity St Andrew's, Northampton
© November 2008 Royal College of Psychiatrists http://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/. You can
link to, download, print, photocopy and distribute this leaflet
free of charge. But you must not change it or repost it on a
website.
Charity Registration number (England and Wales) 228636
and in Scotland SC038369.
Please note that we are unable to offer advice on individual cases. Please see our FAQ for advice on getting help.
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