Anxiety is best described as a feeling of worry and unease that can lead to physiological changes, like increased heart rate and high blood pressure. Anxiety can be mild or severe. We have all at some point in our lives experienced anxiety and it isn’t necessarily always a bad thing. For instance, it is normal to have anxious feelings just before an exam or a job interview. It is our body’s way of dealing with a stressful situation. When anxiety becomes a bad thing is when it is severe and it begins to affect our daily life and those around us.
Signs and symptoms of severe anxiety:
● Uncontrollable feelings of worry
● Inability to focus
● Inability to fall/stay asleep
● Cold sweating
● Increased heart rate
● Headaches
● High blood pressure
While there are different types of anxiety, for the purposes of this article we will explore the following:
● General Anxiety Disorder (GAD) – This is the chronic and long lasting worry about life events and situations. Persons with GAD may not always know the cause of their anxiety.
● Panic Disorder – This is the sudden and uncontrollable feelings of extreme worry and panic and is characterised by nausea, shaking, dizziness and the inability to breathe. This usually happens to persons who have experienced a traumatic event and the attack typically happens when they are reminded of that event.
● Social Anxiety – This occurs when the person has fear of criticism and judgment and suffers feelings of anxiety as a result. A common example of social anxiety “stage fright.”
What causes anxiety?
As is the case with any disorder, anxiety has biological, psychological or social causes.
Treatment and care
If you believe that you might be suffering from some form of anxiety, try not to self-diagnose and instead seek professional help. Depending on the severity of the anxiety, treatment can come in the form of medication and/or psychotherapy.
Alicia Roopnaraine is a Psychologist at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation’s Psychiatric Department. You can send questions or comments to her at aliciaroopnaraine@gmail.com
