 Anxiety, Don't Panic - There is Help Have you ever felt short of breath or lightheaded? Could you feel your heart racing faster? Do you break out into a cold sweat? Do these feelings come on without warning or over minor issues? You may be suffering from an anxiety disorder, a frequently experienced problem today. Cause of anxiety disorders vary as greatly as the anxiety disorders themselves. Most research suggests that there are three primary sources of anxiety: physical causes, psychological issues and cognitive components. If you have ever suffered an anxiety attack, you know that it involves the entire body. Some of the symptoms of anxiety are trembling, increased heart rate, light-headedness, dizziness, sweating, shortness of breath, and cold feet and hands. Actual physical causes of anxiety and panic usually come from earlier experiences of injury or fear of bodily harm. People may be uneasy about heights, being in water, or traveling by airplane. Psychologically, we all deal with stressors that bring about anxiety on a regular basis. Stressors are events that occur involving our everyday life experiences. There are good events which bring about stress such as planning a wedding, and there are negative events which bring about stress such as grieving the loss of a spouse or partner. Cognitively, there is a part of our mind that allows us to believe a situation is endangering to us. We feel a threat to our "selves" which may or may not be actual. Anxiety comes from our notion that an event is going to place us in danger or somehow take away our freedom or our sense of control. Anxiety disorders come in many "shapes and sizes." To follow is a brief explanation of each. NORMAL ANXIETY (also referred to as situational anxiety). We all suffer from this type of anxiety at various times and to varying degrees. There is usually a concrete event that brings about this anxiety. Anxiety over taking a test, for example, is a natural reaction. Likewise, anxiety about a new job might also be a natural and appropriate response to an unfamiliar situation. The feelings might be coming from a previous experience which was unpleasant or had a negative outcome. GENERALIZED ANXIETY occurs when persons experience unrealistic anxiety about a number of events in their lives, over an extended period of six months or more. The person finds it difficult to control worry, is restless, doesn't concentrate well, and has difficulty in falling or staying asleep. PANIC ATTACKS are short intense attacks of panic which come "out of the blue." Individuals feel intense fear or terror and worry that they are "going crazy" or are "losing it." During the episode, symptoms such as shortness of breath, a pounding heart, chest pain and choking sensations are common. Many panic sufferers end up in an emergency room in the mistaken belief they are having a heart attack. Just the fear of having a second panic attack may trigger recurrences. The condition is then called a panic disorder. PHOBIC DISORDERS include agoraphobia and social phobia. Some will experience panic attacks with agoraphobia, which is a fear of leaving the house or going out in public. Social phobias go hand in hand with agoraphobia. The person fears loss of control which might cause harm or embarrassment to themselves or others. Examples of mild forms of social phobia are fear of public speaking or fear of eating in public. OBSESSIVE-COMPULSIVE DISORDER is described by repetitive behaviors which are unreasonable to the average person. When the compulsion is severe, it may be so time consuming that it interferes with a person's daily life routines. One common example is excessive hand washing due to an extreme fear of contamination by germs and dirt. SPECIFIC PHOBIA may be excessive fear of a specific external object or situation. You might, for example, fear snakes and spiders, elevators, expressways, and the like. Specific phobias like these might complicate your life if you live or work in tall buildings or live in the country and commute daily. POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER (PTSD) is the reexperiencing of an extremely traumatic event wherein the person witnessed or was confronted with death, serious injury or threatened injury to the self or others. The person's response was intense fear, horror and helplessness. The trauma is persistently relived in memory, dreams and flashback episodes. Sufferers may have outbursts of anger, difficulty with sleep, and be extremely wary. They may become loners who fear the future and avoid attachment to others. Symptoms may seriously impair work and family life. SUBSTANCE INDUCED ANXIETY DISORDER is the direct effect of abusing a drug including alcohol, prescription drugs, or illegal substances. HELP IS AVAILABLE The best treatment for anxiety and phobias is one that is tailored to your needs. To get that help, several steps are advised. First, get a thorough physical examination. This will rule out possible medical conditions which cause similar symptoms such as asthma, diabetes and hyperthyroidism. See your workplace Employee Assistance Program (EAP) counselor. He or she will talk to you about your symptoms and discuss the kind of treatment which might work best for you. Your EAP counselor can help you select someone who has an understanding of anxiety disorders. It is important that you feel comfortable with the therapist you choose. The use of certain medications, on a time-limited basis, to treat an anxiety disorder may be part of your therapy program. Seek advise before taking medications. Some anti-anxiety medications such as Valium can be habit-forming. Since stress is a major contributor to anxiety and related disorders, you should assess your stress management skills. If you do not have good stress management skills, chances are increased that you will have trouble with anxiety disorders. You know that normal life events can be stressful. If you and/or those close to you are experiencing a number of life changes in a short period of time, seek help in managing the resulting stress. Anxiety and stress share many of the same causes and symptoms. Eat and drink sensibly, get sufficient rest, find ways to relax and clear your mind of worries. Exercise releases tension and builds endurance. Find a good listener, such as a friend, a family member, or a member of your church who may serve that role. At work, call upon the services of your Employee Assistance counselor. Talking out a problem can be great relief to you and can reduce stress and anxiety to an acceptable level. An important point in the treatment of chemical dependency is that a recovering addict will often suffer from anxiety during withdrawal, or even months later. Treatment for drug or alcohol abuse becomes more difficult because the recovering person should not use medications normally prescribed for relief from anxiety. The best intervention for those who are recovering is the use of behavioral or cognitive therapy as part of their treatment. Active involvement with AA or Narcotics Anonymous support groups offer the recovering person the help and understanding of others who have successfully remained abstinent and sober. RESOURCES There are a host of audio tapes available through Psychology Today magazine. You can write them for further information at: Psychology Today Tapes, P.O. Box Pratt Station, Brooklyn NY 11205. Self Help support groups can be a positive experience. In the DC area, check in the "Health Section" of The Washington Post every Tuesday, or check with your EAP counselor. The department of Health & Human Services has a program called "The NIMH Panic Education Program" which was formed in order to ensure that people were being properly diagnosed and treated. For an information packet call 1-800-64-PANIC (72642). The toll-free line operates 24 hours a day, Monday through Friday. Also, try the following organizations: Anxiety
Disorders Association of America National Institute
of Mental Health Education Program American Psychiatric
Association Ross Center
for Anxiety & Related Disorders, Inc. RECOMMENDED READING LIST Triumph Over Fear, by Jerilyn Ross, M.A., Bantam Books, 1994. Anxiety, Phobias and Panic: Taking Charge and Conquering Fear,by Reneau Z. Peurifoy, M.A., MFCC, Library of Congress, 1988. The Anxiety Disease, by David V. Sheehan, M.D., Bantam Books, 1983. Mastering Anxiety: The Nature and Treatment of Anxious Conditions, by Rondal Kleinknecht, Ph.D., Plenum Press, 1991. The Anxiety Disorder Association of America has a pamphlet called A Consumer's Guide to Medication for Panic Disorder that addresses each of the medications used to treat anxiety disorders and how they are to be used. Written by Brenda Campbell and Helene King, Ph.D., CEAP Edited by Nancie Bowes Kenney, MSW, CEAP and Mary McClain Georgevich CopeLine is published by COPE, Inc. This material may be reproduced without permission provided that it is not modified or altered in any way and acknowledgment is made to COPE, Inc. © Copyright 1998-2002 COPE, Incorporated. |