Anxiety can also be a symptom of another condition, such as panic disorder when you have panic attacks or post-traumatic stress disorder , which is caused by frightening or distressing events. A little anxiety is fine, but long-term anxiety may cause more serious health problems, such as high blood pressure hypertension.
You may also be more likely to develop infections. There are effective treatments available for anxiety and panic disorders, so do talk to your GP if you think you may benefit from them. You could also access the mental health self-help guides on NHS inform. Use the Anxiety self-help guide. Save time, book online. Close X. Back to Living Better Living Better newsletter.
Zip Code. Signs you have too much anxiety. What is anxiety? Signs of an anxiety disorder Symptoms of an anxiety disorder include: Avoiding people or circumstances that cause anxiety Change in eating habits eating more or less than usual Chronic pain Difficulty concentrating Fatigue Feelings of fear, nervousness, panic, restlessness or tension Headaches Gastrointestinal issues Hyperventilation Inability to control worry Increased heart rate Poor quality of life Shaking Sweating Trouble sleeping What causes anxiety?
Anxiety can be caused by: Certain health issues, such as asthma, chronic pain, diabetes, drug withdrawal, heart disease, hyperthyroidism or irritable bowel syndrome Chronic stress Drug or alcohol abuse Family history of anxiety disorders Medication side effects Other mental health issues, like depression Personality traits Trauma or abuse When to see a doctor for anxiety You should see your primary care provider if you: Are abusing alcohol or drugs Have anxiety that is difficult to control Have symptoms of depression Have suicidal thoughts if so, seek emergency medical care right away May have a physical health condition related to the anxiety Your doctor may refer you to a psychologist counselor or psychiatrist medical doctor for evaluation and treatment.
Share this story. Overview - Generalised anxiety disorder in adults. During times like these, feeling anxious can be perfectly normal. Anxiety is the main symptom of several conditions, including: panic disorder phobias , such as agoraphobia or claustrophobia post-traumatic stress disorder PTSD social anxiety disorder social phobia The information in this section is about a specific condition called generalised anxiety disorder GAD. Information: Coronavirus advice Get advice about coronavirus and looking after your mental wellbeing: Every Mind Matters: how to look after your mental wellbeing while staying at home Mind: Coronavirus and your wellbeing.
Video: anxiety In this video, a psychiatrist discusses the symptoms and treatments of anxiety. Media last reviewed: 4 October Media review due: 4 October Agoraphobia Agoraphobia is a fear of being in situations where escape might be difficult. Or situations where help wouldn't be available if things go wrong. This could be the following:. You might find that these situations make you feel distressed, panicked and anxious.
You may avoid some situations altogether. This can affect day-to-day life. Agoraphobia can make it difficult to make an appointment with your GP to talk about your symptoms.
You might not feel able to leave your house or go to the GP surgery. You can arrange a telephone appointment if you have symptoms of agoraphobia.
A GP will decide on the best treatment options for you depending on what you tell them. You might believe that something bad will happen if you do not do these things. You may realise that your thinking and behaviour is not logical but still find it very difficult to stop. They should discuss treatment options with you. Or you could try to self-refer to an NHS talking treatment service. Skin picking is medically known as dermatillomania. It is an impulse control disorder.
You will regularly pick at your skin. Often you will pick healthy skin. This can cause damage to your skin, including bleeding, bruising and sometimes permanent marks.
You will usually pick the skin on your face but might also pick other areas of the body. You will find it difficult to stop yourself doing it.
No one knows the cause for skin-picking. It is thought that it could be a type of addiction. Or it relieves tension and stress.
It is common to have OCD and dermatillomania at the same time. Your GP may arrange for you to see a specialist mental health doctor like a psychiatrist for diagnosis. Hair pulling is medically known as trichotillomania. You feel the urge to pull out your hair if you have this condition. This can be from your scalp or other places such as your arms, eyelashes, legs or pubic area.
You will find it difficult to stop yourself doing this. You might experience a build-up of tension which you can relieve by pulling out the strand of hair. It can be difficult to stop, which can lead to hair loss. This in turn can make you feel guilty, embarrassed and affect how you feel about yourself or how your friends and family see you.
You may have health anxiety if you spend a lot of time worrying about if you are ill. Or worrying about getting ill. You may:. Symptoms like headaches or a racing heartbeat can be caused by anxiety. But if you have health anxiety you may mistake these for signs of illness. You will have upsetting thoughts about the way you look if you have BDD. This is not the same as being vain about your appearance. Or you may believe that people are focused on an area of your body such as scar or birthmark.
It can be very distressing and lead to depression. You may have PTSD if your anxiety symptoms developed after a stressful or distressing event. Or if you have experienced trauma over a long period of time. But it is thought that the following factors can cause anxiety.
Some people seem to be born more anxious than others. You may get anxiety through your genes. Life experience. This could be bad experiences such as being abused or losing a loved one. It could also include big changes in life such as moving home, losing your job or pregnancy.
Caffeine in coffee and alcohol can make you feel anxious. Illegal drugs, also known as street drugs can also have an effect. Sometimes you know what is causing your anxiety. When the problem goes, so does your anxiety. You should make an appointment to talk with your GP if you are worried about your symptoms. Or they are causing problems in your day to day life. IAPT services mainly provide support for low to moderate anxiety and depression.
To find your local the IAPT service you can search online here: www. NICE produce guidelines for how health professionals should treat certain conditions. NICE only provide guidelines for:. The NHS does not have to follow these recommendations.
But they should have a good reason for not following them. We have described some of the treatments for anxiety disorders below. The treatments you will be offered depend upon the type of anxiety disorder you are experiencing.
Monitoring your symptoms Some anxiety disorders, such as generalised anxiety disorder GAD may get better by itself with no treatment at all.
Or after education and advice from your doctor. Your doctor will monitor your symptoms to see if they improve. And they will talk to you about medications that you can get without a prescription. These are sometimes called over-the-counter medications. Individual non-facilitated self help This involves working from a book or a computer program.
You will be supported by a trained professional. Individual guided self-help You should:. Psychoeducational groups Psychoeducation means that you will learn about your symptoms and how to manage them.
If these treatments do not work you should be offered cognitive behavioural therapy CBT , applied relaxation or medication. It can help you to find ways to overcome your anxiety by challenging negative thoughts and beliefs. Depending upon the type of anxiety disorder you have you may be offered individual or group sessions. If you have social anxiety disorder you should not be offered group CBT sessions. Applied Relaxation Applied relaxation means that you will focus on relaxing your muscles in a certain way.
And at a certain time. For example, learning how you can relax your muscles so that you are able to fall asleep easier. Depending on the anxiety that you have, you will usually get 12—15 weekly sessions each lasting 1 hour. You will get less if you recover sooner and more if you need it.
Short term psychodynamic therapy This type of therapy focuses on the different forces in your life that are causing you problems. The aim is to look at, understand and work through these difficulties, which may have begun in childhood. Your therapist will also help you to improve your social skills. This type of therapy is specifically used for people with social anxiety disorder.
You will usually have up to 25 or 30 sessions which last 50 minutes. The therapy will usually take place over a 6 to 8 month period. Your therapist will encourage you to experience your obsessive thoughts and help you to manage them in a different way. They will build up the difficulty of each task. You will make eye movements while thinking about the traumatic event.
EMDR helps make your brain deal with painful memories in a different way. So, these can become less painful for you. Pregabalin Pregabalin is a type of medication known as an anticonvulsant. Anticonvulsants are usually used to treat epilepsy. But pregabalin has been found to help people living with anxiety disorders.
Benzodiazepines Doctors should only prescribe benzodiazepines if your anxiety is extreme or if you are in crisis. This is because they are addictive, and they may become less effective over time.
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