Common signs and symptoms of anxiety
1. | Feeling - very worried or afraid most of the time, tense and on edge, nervous or scared, panicky, irritable, agitated, worried you're going crazy, detached from your body, feeling like you may vomit |
2. | Thinking - ‘everything’s going to go wrong’, ‘I might die’ |
3. | Experiencing - sleep problems, pounding heart, sweating, “pins and needles”, stomach aches, lightheadedness, problems concentrating, excessive thirst |
Generalised Anxiety Disorder
Generalised anxiety disorder (GAD) occurs when we feel intense worry most of the time for a period of more than 6 months.
Signs and symptoms:
1. Experiencing on most days for a period of more than 6 months - severe worry that hinders functioning
2. If the worry makes you feel more than 3 of the following - restlessness, feeling on edge, getting tired easily, problems concentrating, sleep problems, irritability, tense muscles
Social Phobia
Occurs when we’re extremely fearful and anxious about situations where we are exposed to unfamiliar people or think we’re being judged by others.
Signs and symptoms:
1. Over the past 6 months on one or more social situations, you felt - intense fear of being judged by others, fear of being judged negatively leading to rejection or offending people
2. Physical symptoms
3. Different situations can trigger symptoms
Panic Disorder
A panic disorder happens when we have recurring panic attacks. These are unexpected feelings of overwhelming and intense fear and distress. A panic attack can happen when we're in calm or anxious state.
Signs and symptoms:
1. Heart palpitations
2. Trembling, shaking or sweating
3. Chest pain
4. Difficulty breathing
5. Fear of dying
6. Nausea, dizziness
7. Feeling like you're detached from yourself
8. Numbness or tingling
Specific phobias
Specific phobias occur when we feel strong fear or anxiety towards a specific object or situation. When we have a specific phobia, we react very strongly and avoid the situation. Even thinking about the phobia can cause extreme anxious reactions. Some common phobias involve extreme fear of needles, blood, germs, insects or spiders, lifts or closed spaces.
Signs and symptoms: One of the most disabling symptoms of a phobia is a panic attack.