This week is Mental Health Awareness Week. The Mental Health Foundation are focusing on anxiety and the things that can help.
What is Anxiety?
Anxiety is a human trait that everyone experiences, this can help us to be aware of and respond to threats and danger. But when anxiety becomes problematic or even disabling this is when it’s considered an anxiety disorder.
Generalised Anxiety Disorder:
Chronic and excessive worry or anxiety about various aspects of life, such as relationships, health and work. Symptoms may include restlessness, fatigue, difficulty concentrating and sleep disturbances.
Panic Disorder:
Recurrent and unexpected panic attacks, which are sudden episodes of intense fear and physical symptoms such as rapid heartbeat, trembling, sweating and shortness of breath. Someone with a panic disorder has feelings of anxiety, stress and panic regularly and at any time, often for no apparent reason.
Social Anxiety:
An overwhelming and persistent fear for social situations or performance areas which might be scrutinised by others. Symptoms include sweating, trembling, blushing and difficulty speaking.
Specific phobias:
An intense fear of an object, situation or activity that poses little or no danger. Common ones include spiders, flying, heights.
Health Anxiety:
Known as hypochondria, this is fear and preoccupation with having serious medical illness despite having little or no actual symptoms or evidence of illness.
When to see your GP?
When you feel like you’re worrying too much and it’s interfering with your work, relationships or other parts of your life.
Your fear, worry or anxiety is upsetting to you and difficult to control.
You feel depressed, have trouble with alcohol or drug use, or have other mental health concerns along with anxiety.
You think your anxiety could be linked to a physical health problem.
You have suicidal thoughts or behaviors — if this is the case, seek emergency treatment immediately.