Anxiety
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Important contact details
Mental health crisis support :
- Get advice by calling 111 and selecting the mental health option or using 111 online.
- Ask your GP for an urgent appointment, a GP can advise you about helpful treatments and also help you access mental health services.
Access listening services:
- Call 116 123 for Samaritans or email jo@samaritans.org
- Text ‘SHOUT’ to 85258 to contact Shout Crisis Text Line or text YM to 85258 if you are under 19
- You can also contact Childline on 0800 1111 if you are under 19
Symptoms
Anxiety can cause many different symptoms which can affect how you feel, mentally, physically and how you behave. Anxiety is how your body naturally responds to stress or danger and is usually temporary, but for some people, these feelings of anxiousness, worry and fear don’t shift. Their feelings of anxiety can be more constant and can often have an impact on their everyday lives. This is called an anxiety disorder.
Physical
- Sweating
- Breathlessness
- Feeling hot
- Shaking
- Chest pains
- A faster, irregular or more noticeable heartbeat
- Feeling dizzy and lightheaded
- Having a headache
- Having a reduced appetite or a loss of appetite
Mental
- Feeling tense or nervous
- Not being able to relax
- Feeling tearful
- Struggling with sleep
- Having obsessive thoughts
- Having trouble concentrating
- Fearing the worst happening to you
- Having intrusive traumatic memories
- Worrying about the future or the past
We’ve covered other physical symptoms of anxiety in our article which explains how anxiety could be affecting you physically, as well as expert tips, techniques and self-care strategies which could help.
There are some changes in behaviour that are also common in people with an anxiety disorder. These include:
- Not being able to enjoy your free time
- Struggling to look after yourself
- Having difficulties when trying to form or maintain relationships
- Worrying about trying new things
- Avoiding places or situations that trigger your anxiety
- Compulsive behaviour like constantly checking things
Experiencing sudden, intense anxiety and fear could be a panic attack. Symptoms of a panic attack include:
- Having a racing heartbeat
- Feeling faint, lightheaded or dizzy
- Feeling like you’re losing control
- Trembling, shaking or sweating
- Feeling short of breath or breathing very quickly
- Having a tingling in your lips or fingers
- Feeling sick
A panic attack usually lasts between five and 30 minutes. They can be scary, but they aren’t dangerous and shouldn’t cause any harm. If you do find yourself experiencing any of the above symptoms, it's important to speak to your GP who may carry out a physical examination and advise blood tests to rule out other conditions first.
If you do find yourself experiencing any of the above symptoms, it's important to speak to your GP who may carry out a physical examination and advise blood tests to rule out other conditions first.
What causes anxiety?
We don’t fully understand why some people develop an anxiety disorder and others don’t, but there are some things that increase your risk of having an anxiety disorder.
These include:
- Having a close relative (like a parent) who has an anxiety disorder
- Going through a stressful or traumatic event like domestic violence or bullying
- Having problems with drugs or alcohol
- Having depression
- Having problems with your physical health like chronic pain
- Childhood trauma
- Social isolation
- Negative life events
- Stress relating to work or education
- Being born female
- Being single
- Being between 16 and 24 years old
Other mental health conditions can also cause anxiety. For example, people who develop depression usually have a low mood and they may struggle to enjoy things in life.
What are the different types of anxiety disorders?
Anxiety can be experienced in different ways. If your experiences meet specific criteria, you might be diagnosed with a specific anxiety disorder by your doctor.
Body dysmorphic disorder
BDD means you might have obsessions and compulsions which relate to your physical appearance.
Perinatal anxiety or perinatal OCD
This is when you develop problems with anxiety during pregnancy or in the first year after you’ve given birth.
Phobias
If you have a phobia, it means you have an extreme fear or you have anxiety which is triggered by a certain situation like going outside, or a certain object like spiders.
Panic disorder
Panic disorder means you might have regular or frequent panic attacks and these have no clear cause or trigger. If you have a panic disorder, you might constantly feel worried or afraid of having another panic attack. This fear itself might even be able to trigger a panic attack.
Health anxiety
Health anxiety means that you might have compulsions and obsessions which are related to illness. This can include researching and looking up symptoms to check and see if you have them. Health anxiety is linked to OCD.
Obsessive-compulsive disorder
Having OCD means that you might have repetitive thoughts, urges or behaviours.
Post-traumatic stress disorder
If you’re diagnosed with PTSD, you might have developed anxiety symptoms after going through an event you found traumatic. PTSD can include having flashbacks or nightmares which can feel like you’re re-living all the anxiety you felt at the time of the traumatic event.
Generalised anxiety disorder
GAD means having regular or uncontrollable worries about different things happening in your everyday life. This can be a broad diagnosis as there are lots of symptoms of anxiety. The symptoms you have with GAD might be different from someone else who’s been diagnosed with GAD.
Social anxiety disorder
Social anxiety disorder means that your anxiety is triggered by social situations like:
- Parties
- Workplaces
- Everyday situations where you might have to talk to another person
Social anxiety disorder can also be called social phobia.
You might not have been diagnosed with a particular anxiety disorder, but it’s useful to learn about the different diagnoses. However, if you are concerned about your mental health or the mental health of a loved one, it is important to speak to a GP.
How is anxiety disorder treated?
There are different treatments that have been found to help anxiety disorders. These include self-help resources, talking therapies and medication.
Self-help resources
Your GP might first offer you a self-help resource. These are available quite quickly and there’s a good chance they could help you with your symptoms without needing to try other options.
Self-help could be through:
- Workbooks – your GP might recommend books that you can work through. Some of these books are available from local libraries
- Online cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) programmes
Your GP might offer you self-help resources, such as workbooks or online cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) programs, which can quickly help alleviate your symptoms without the need for other options.
Talking therapies
If you’ve tried self-help resources and they aren’t helping you or your GP doesn’t think they’ll help, you might be offered a
talking treatment.
Talking therapies are psychological treatments that involve working with a trained therapist. It could be one-to-one, in groups,
online, over the phone or in person. Different talking therapies suit different people and for some people and some conditions,
one type of talking therapy might be better than the other.
There are two types of talking therapy which are recommended for anxiety:
- Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT)– this focuses on how you think, your beliefs and attitudes – and how they affect how you feel and behave. CBT can also teach you how to cope with different problems
- Applied relaxation therapy – this can involve learning how to relax your muscles when you’re experiencing symptoms of anxiety
A GP can refer you for talking therapy, or you can refer yourself directly to an NHS talking therapy service. Alternatively, you can consider trying the Boots Online Doctor Depression and Anxiety Treatment service2. The therapist partners can provide psychological therapies and if suitable for you, medicines may be provided to help you feel better and help stay well. This service is only suitable for treating mild to moderate depression or anxiety. If you need help for other mental health disorders, it’s important to speak to your GP.
If self-help resources are not effective, you may be offered talking therapy like CBT or relaxation therapy, which can be accessed through your GP or online for mild to moderate depression or anxiety.
Medication
If you’re still struggling with anxiety, your doctor might offer to prescribe medication which can help to manage symptoms. Some people find it helpful to try talking therapies and medication together.
You might be offered:
- Antidepressants – these have to be prescribed by a doctor, usually for moderate or severe anxiety. Most people with moderate or severe anxiety can benefit from antidepressants, but not everyone does
- Beta-blockers – these are sometimes used to treat the physical symptoms of anxiety like heart palpitations and an increased heartbeat. These aren’t psychiatric drugs so the psychological symptoms of anxiety won’t be reduced. They may be helpful in situations that trigger your symptoms
If you're struggling with anxiety, your doctor might suggest antidepressants for moderate or severe anxiety, and beta-blockers for physical symptoms like heart palpitations.
Accessing treatment
To access treatment for anxiety, you should speak to your GP. They’ll do an assessment and ask you questions about how often you
feel worried or anxious. They’ll explain treatment options and you can decide together what treatment might be the most suitable
for you.
NHS waiting lists for some treatments like talking therapies can be very long, but you can also access
treatment for anxiety through
Boots Online Doctor Depression and Anxiety Treatment service2. You can have a consultation with medical professionals and plan tailored treatment and support to help you feel
like yourself again.
It can be hard to get treatment if speaking to your doctor or making an appointment is something that causes anxiety for you, for
example you might find it difficult to talk on the phone or leave the house for appointments.
If this does affect you, you could try:
- Asking your doctor if they do home visits or phone assessments
- Bring someone to an appointment with you for support
- Refer yourself for talking therapies
- Access online services
During treatment, your doctor should check in with how you’re doing and see how well the treatment is working for you. If the
treatment you’re on isn’t currently working, you can ask your doctor to suggest an alternative.
If you aren’t feeling better after treatment, you might be referred to a community mental health team. This is made up of a
different healthcare professionals like psychologists and psychiatrists. They can help with creating a personalised treatment plan
for you.
This could be recommended if:
- Your symptoms are making it harder for you to carry out your everyday activities
- You have a serious physical problem or another mental health problem
- You’re having thoughts of self-harm or suicide
It’s important to keep remembering that recovering from anxiety isn’t always straightforward and it can take some time. With
treatment, many people can control their symptoms, but some treatments may need to be continued and there may be periods when your
symptoms get worse.
If you’re experiencing a mental health crisis or are at risk of harming yourself or others, please
call NHS 111 , speak to the Samaritans on 116 123, text Shout on 85258, or speak to your GP.
It’s important to speak to your GP if:
- You’re struggling to cope with anxiety
- Things you’re trying aren’t helping
- You’d prefer to get a referral from a GP
You need to ask for an urgent GP appointment or call NHS 111 now if you need help but it isn’t an emergency.
Make sure to call 999 or go to A&E now if:
- You or someone you know needs immediate help
- You’ve seriously harmed yourself for example by taking a drug overdose
- You’d prefer to get a referral from a GP
Mental health emergencies are as serious as medical emergencies.
To access treatment for anxiety, you should speak to your GP. They’ll do an assessment and explain treatment options, you can decide together what treatment might be the most suitable for you.
Living with anxiety
There are things you can do to help ease anxiety symptoms and relax your mind. These include:
- Doing exercise like running, swimming, walking & yoga
- Try peer support where people use their experiences to help each other
- Try slowly spending more time in challenging situations instead of avoiding them
- Avoid drinks with caffeine as it can disrupt sleep & increase heart rate
- Avoid consuming alcohol, using recreational drugs, smoking & participating in gambling
- Eating a healthy balanced diet
- Talking to friends, family, or a health professional
- Using breathing exercises to help you stay calm
- Setting yourself small targets that you can easily achieve
- Focus on what you can control to feel better, instead of things that you can't change
With you for finding balance
Frequently asked questions
Crippling anxiety isn’t a clinical term, but it’s a common expression used to describe severe anxiety symptoms or an anxiety disorder. Having crippling anxiety means you have a severe form of anxiety that’s so overwhelming that it can affect your ability to function in everyday life.
If your anxiety is affecting your everyday life, make sure to speak to your GP.
The 333 rule is a common technique that some people use to cope with anxiety. It’s to help you ground yourself and feel calm when you might feel anxious or overwhelmed.
It involves looking around wherever you are and:
- Naming three things you see
- Identifying three sounds you hear
- Moving or touching three things like your limbs or any external objects
It’s important to know that there isn’t any concrete evidence to say how effective the 333 rule is, but many people find it helpful when managing their symptoms. The 333 rule isn’t a substitute for treatment, so if you’re struggling, it’s important to speak to your GP.
*In order to use Flow you must be over 18 years of age and diagnosed with depression, which is usually done by your GP or a psychiatrist. You must speak to your GP before using Flow and always before making changes to your current treatment for depression.
2Access to prescription-only treatment is subject to an online consultation with a clinician to assess suitability. Subject to availability. Charges apply.
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