Anxiety
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What is anxiety?
Anxiety is something that everybody suffers from to some degree. It's that feeling of discontent or fear tfhat a person may feel beore an interview or sitting an exam. Mild anxiety can be helpful as it can help you concentrate but more severe anxiety can be crippling.
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What are the symptoms of anxiety?
Anxiety has some distinctive symptoms which can include:
- Difficulty focusing.
- Feeling irritable and restless.
- Feeling Nauseous.
- Heart palpitations.
- Sweating, trembling or shaking.
- Difficulty sleeping.
- Feeling a sense of immediate danger.
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What are the treatments for anxiety?
Some of the treatments for anxiety are listed but your first call should always be to a GP.
Treatments for anxiety include:
- Antidepressants.
- Benzodiazepines (short-term).
- CBT (Cognative Behavioural Technique).
- Avoid alcohol.
- Avoid caffeine.
- Applied relaxation.
- Healthy diet.
- Exercise.
- Reduce stress.
- Sleep.
- Psychotherapy.
- Support groups.
Links for NHS treatment
If you live in England and are aged 18 or over, you can access NHS talking therapies services for anxiety and depression.
A GP can refer you, or you can refer yourself directly without a referral.
NHS talking therapies services offer:
- talking therapies, such as cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), counselling, other therapies, and guided self-help
- help for common mental health problems, like anxiety and depression
The problems that talking therapies services can treat include:
- depression
- generalized anxiety
- social anxiety
- panic and agoraphobia
- other phobias
- obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
- post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
- irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)
- body dysmorphic disorder
You need to be registered with a GP to get talking therapies on the NHS.
To self-refer for Talking Therapies click here.
