Managing Anxiety and Panic

Anxiety is an extremely common problem that affects both children and adults. Anxiety causes a lot of unhappiness and can affect your relationships and ability to work.
 
Types of anxiety include: 
 
Acute stress disorder – becoming very anxious within one month of experiencing something extremely stressful
 
Generalized Anxiety Disorder – feeling anxious and nervous all the time, for no particular reason
 
Panic Disorder – feeling extremely anxious for a short period of time, often for no apparent reason
 
Phobia – an irrational fear of something, like storms, animals, closed-in spaces, crowds, traveling, or heights
 
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder – having thoughts, impulses or images that go over and over again in your mind that are distressing; or, doing something repeatedly (such as excessive hand washing)
 
PTSD: post-traumatic stress disorder –anxiety following a traumatic event that threatened you either directly or indirectly
 
Cognitive behavior therapy has a proven track record in treating all of these anxiety conditions.
 
Treatment approaches include Relaxation Training using Breathing Techniques, Guided Imagery and Hypnosis; Desensitization; EMDR; and exposure. Many times simply talking through a problem at a deeper level is a significant help.