Anxiety Disorders
Whilst small amounts of stress and worry are unavoidable, high levels of anxiety can make day-to-day life a constant struggle.
What are Anxiety Disorders?
Feelings of anxiety are a normal response to situations in which we feel threatened or vulnerable in some way. However when anxiety is overwhelming, uncontrollable, or unpredictable, serious problems can arise.
Anxiety disorders refer to a group of psychological conditions which are characterised by high levels of anxiety. These include:
- Generalised anxiety – Experiencing uncontrollable and excessive worry, usually in response a wide range of situations or events.
- Panic disorder - Frightening and intense episodes of panic, often combined with distressing physical sensations (e.g. breathlessness).
- Social anxiety – Anxiety and worry in response to social situations, such as when meeting new people or speaking in public.
Treatment for Anxiety Disorders
My intention is to reduce problematic anxiety as quickly and as efficiently as possible. I also aim to ensure you feel confident in managing anxiety in the future so that these problems do not return.
According to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is the treatment of choice for many anxiety disorders. CBT is tailored to your individual needs and usually involves a mix of practical skills training, addressing the patterns of thinking which drive anxiety, and building firm confidence in anxiety provoking situations. Time is also dedicated to relapse prevention and ensuring you maintain progress in the longer-term.
In instances where CBT does not provide complete relief from anxiety, it can be helpful to address the origins of anxiety difficulties and the more fundamental beliefs and relationship patterns which underlie them. If this is the case, Cognitive Analytic Therapy may also be helpful.
Recommended Reading
- Break Free of OCD, by Fiona Challacombe and colleagues.
- Overcoming Panic and Agoraphobia, by Derrick Silove.
- Overcoming Social Anxiety and Shyness, by Gillian Butler.
- The Worry Cure, by Robert Leahy.
- Mastering Your Worries, by the Centre for Clinical Interventions (free self-help guide).