Anxiety & Panic

Anxiety:

is a normal reaction to stress. It helps you to deal with tense situations and keep focused on an important task. In general, it helps one to cope. However when anxiety becomes an excessive, for example, irrational dread of everyday situations. Then it has become a disabling anxiety disorder.

Anxiety can be accompanied by physical effects such as heart palpitations, nausea, chest pain, shortness of breath, stomach aches, or headaches. This is a natural reaction to a threat, perceived or otherwise, as the body prepares it self to deal with that threat. Blood pressure and heart rate are increased, sweating is increased, blood flow to muscle groups increases and immune and digestive system functions are inhibited (the fight or flight response). External signs of anxiety may include pale skin, sweating, trembling and many others. Someone suffering from anxiety might also experience a sense of dread or panic. Being in a perpetual state of anxiety has serious health considerations as your immune and digestive systems are inhibited.

Panic attacks:

are sudden surges of overwhelming fear that comes without warning and without any obvious reason. It is far more intense than having anxiety or the feeling of being stressed.

If you have full-blown, repeated panic attacks and become very disabled by your condition. You must seek treatment before you start to avoid places or situations where panic attacks have occurred. For example, if a panic attack happened in shopping precinct, then your panic disorder may cause you to develop a fear of being in a precinct that could affect the choice of a job or enjoy entertainment

Panic attacks are seldom dangerous, they can be terrifying, largely because you feel out of control. Panic disorder is frightening because of the panic attacks associated with it, and also because it often leads to other complications such as phobias, depression, substance abuse, medical complications, even suicide.

Excessive anxiety is often associated with other mental health problems, such as depression. Anxiety is only considered to be a mental health problem when it is prolonged, severe and is interfering with everyday activities.

Symptoms of anxiety:

When you are anxious, you may also experience a range of physical symptoms. These happen because of the bodies' so-called "fight or flight" response, which is caused by the release of the stress hormone adrenaline.

The symptoms of anxiety can include: abdominal discomfort, diarrhoea, dry mouth, rapid heartbeat or palpitations, tightness or pain in chest, shortness of breath, dizziness, frequent urination, difficulty swallowing, shaking.

Psychological symptoms can include:

Insomnia, feeling worried or uneasy all the time, feeling tired, being irritable or quick to anger, an inability to concentrate, a fear that you are going "mad" , feeling unreal and not in control of your actions (depersonalisation), or detached from your surroundings.

Causes of anxiety disorders and possible treatment:

Anxiety may be a symptom of other mental health problems, such as depression or alcohol dependence. It can also be caused by substances such as ecstasy or caffeine, or by withdrawal from long-term drugs like tranquillisers.

Sometimes anxiety can be associated with a physical illness, such as thyroid disorder. For this reason it's advisable to see your GP in order to rule out a physical cause. However if it is found that you do not have any physical disabilities and If your GP diagnosis suggests antidepressants drugs and if you feel uncomfortable with that and do not want to rely solely on antidepressants. Consider Neurofeedback Therapy as a drug free non invasive therapy that trains your brain to work more effectively that absolves, de habilitating, low mood, negative, depressive and anxious thoughts.

What is Neurofeedback Therapy?

Neurofeedback Therapy is the use of computerised equipment to record a person’s brainwaves. These are converted by the computer so that when desired or “good” brainwaves are produced a graphic display on the computer screen changes e.g. it could be a thermometer rising or a dolphin swimming.

Neurofeedback is sometimes called an “exercise for the brain.” It helps the individual to learn to regulate his/her brainwaves.

The scientific literature has examples of many problems that can be helped with neurofeedback. These include: Anxiety, panic, depression, brain injury as neurofeedback helps to grow new neural networks, and much more.

Anxiety and Panic

Contact Brainhealth for more information and a free consultation to see if Neurofeedback Therapy training is for you!