Why I have Chosen This?
I have chosen my theme to be Anxiety. I have chosen this subject because it's something that I have personally been through and I think I could find it easy to research and talk about. The only thing I'm struggling with thinking about for this is I don't know what I could take photograph's of. I know that there are different ways that others experience it and cope with it and would be interesting to find out about the other ways. I think it would be interesting to see others experiences with it. I have overcome my anxiety that I was experiencing in years 9-10 of secondary school and I think that this would be a personal subject to talk about.
Fact's
Symptoms of anxiety include:
- feelings of dread, panic or ‘impending doom’,
- feeling on edge or irritable,
- heightened alertness,
- difficulties sleeping,
- changes in appetite,
- difficulties concentrating,
- depersonalisation, and
- wanting to escape from the situation you are in.
You might also experience physical symptoms, which can include:
- sweating,
- heavy and fast breathing,
- hot flushes or blushing,
- dry mouth,
- shaking,
- hair loss,
- fast heartbeat,
- dizziness and fainting, and
- Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), stomach aches and sickness.
Meaning: a feeling of worry, nervousness, or unease about something with an uncertain outcome.
What is the 'fight or flight' response?
Like all other animals, human beings have evolved ways to help us protect ourselves from dangerous, life-threatening situations. When you feel under threat your body releases hormones, such as adrenalin and cortisol, which help physically prepare you to either fight the danger or run away from it. These hormones can:
- make you feel more alert, so you can act faster
- make your heart beat faster to carry blood quickly to where it’s needed most
Then when you feel the danger has passed, your body releases other hormones to help your muscles relax, which may cause you to shake.
This is commonly called the ‘fight or flight’ response – it’s something that happens automatically in our bodies, and we have no control over it. In modern society we don’t usually face situations where we need to physically fight or flee from danger, but our biological response to feeling threatened is still the same.
Types Of Anxiety disorders
The most commonly diagnosed anxiety disorders are:
Generalised anxiety disorder (GAD)
If you have felt anxious for a long time and often feel fearful, but are not anxious about anything specific that is happening in your life, you might be diagnosed with generalised anxiety disorder (GAD).
Panic disorder
If you experience panic attacks that seem completely unpredictable and you can’t identify what triggers them, you might be given a diagnosis of panic disorder.
Experiencing panic disorder can mean that you feel constantly afraid of having another panic attack, to the point that this fear itself can trigger your panic attacks.
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a diagnosis you might be given if your anxiety leads you to experience:
- obsessions – unwelcome thoughts, images, urges or doubts that repeatedly appear in your mind
- compulsions – repetitive activities that you feel you have to do
Phobias
A phobia is an intense fear of something, even when that thing is very unlikely to be dangerous to you. If you have a phobia, your anxiety may be triggered by very specific situations or objects.
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
If you develop strong feelings of anxiety after experiencing or witnessing something you found very traumatic, you might be given a diagnosis of PTSD. PTSD can cause flashbacks or nightmares which can feel like you’re re-living all the fear and anxiety you experienced during the actual event.
How can Do people help themselves cope?
If you experience anxiety or panic attacks there are many things you can do to help yourself cope. This page covers:
What medication is available?
As part of your treatment, your doctor might offer to prescribe you some medication. There are 4 types of medication which can be helpful in managing anxiety:
Antidepressants
- Antidepressants might help you feel calmer and more able to benefit from a more long-term treatment such as a talking treatment.
- However, they can sometimes cause unwanted side effects, such as increasing your anxiety or causing problems with sleeping.
Beta-blockers
- Beta-blockers, such as propranolol, can treat some of the physical symptoms of anxiety, including a rapid heartbeat, palpitations and a tremor (shaking).
- They can be helpful when you have to face a particular phobia, such as going on an aeroplane.
- However, they are not psychiatric medication, so they won’t reduce any of your psychological symptoms.
Tranquillisers
- Your doctor might prescribe you tranquillisers (benzodiazepines) if your anxiety is very severe or disabling.
- Tranquillisers can't tackle the cause of your problems, but they can bring some relief until you have another form of treatment in place.
- Tranquillisers should only be a temporary measure, because it’s possible that you could become addicted to these drugs and have difficulty coming off them.
Pregabalin (an anticonvulsant drug)
Helpline 0844 967 4848
Youth Helpline 01753 840393
Mentor Service (one to one) with a trained mentor who helps people with their anxiety problems, teaches Anxiety Management and Cognitive Behaviour Therapy
Recovery Groups for members with a trained group leader who teaches Anxiety Management and Cognitive Behaviour Therapy.
Our help line is answered by trained volunteers to give out information, show empathy and support for all anxiety sufferers. The service charge for this line is 5p which will be added to your phone company's access charge to get your price per minute.
Link to website: http://www.nopanic.org.uk/
