Recognizing anxiety & panic disorders
Anxiety is often experienced when you are faced with something that could be dangerous, difficult, embarrassing or stressful or any change from your “normal” pattern of living. These anxious moments might reflect feeling upset, tense, increased pulse rate or butterflies or you could feel sweaty or shaky. Without these body/mind changes it would be difficult to obtain the high intensity effort and focused activity that many stressful events demand.

However, for people with anxiety these feelings are constantly present and can cause considerable distress and make even simple decisions impossible. Symptoms can get in the way of daily activities and can affect a range of areas in an individual’s life.

Generalized anxiety disorder
An excessive and persistent worry regarding a range of issues that my include financial, work or personal relationships.

 
Panic disorder
An extreme sense of fear/panic that might be connected to a meaningless situation. Panic disorders may cause a range of physical symptoms including faintness, blushing, rapid heart rate, hyperventilation, sweating, abdominal and chest pain accompanied by a sense that something terrible is about to happen.

This is associated with feelings of intense anxiety when a person perceives that they are unable to get away from certain places or crowds, small spaces or public transport.