Download Read Transcript - Ramsay Health Care

Answers to Commonly Asked Questions on Anxiety
Disorders
Find answers to your mental health questions from Ramsay Health Care specialists
Understanding Anxiety
What are the causes of Anxiety disorders?
A: There are multiple causes for Anxiety, there’s not one cause for any physiological disorder as we say,
genetics play an important part in Anxiety, there’s been six genes that have been identified for Anxiety,
other factors like personality prototypes, some people are more prone to Anxiety than others, so personality
types such as being shy, avoidant, obsessional, perfectionism, they are one of the personality prototypes
that will increase the risk of Anxiety. Environmental factors like stress and trauma play a very important
part into the lead up to Anxiety. There are certain medical conditions like para disorders they play an
important part in Anxiety, and of course recreational drugs also contribute to Anxiety, so you can say, it’s
quite an assorted basket, and multifactorial.
When should a person identify with Anxiety and seek help?
A: Anxiety has different ways and forms to start, as we know there is acute Anxiety, that’s usually an
important time to get help. Acute Anxiety mainly presents as panic symptoms with quite severe physical
symptoms where you have a feeling of impending to and that usually leads to get help, either to see a
General Practitioner or go down to emergency with the fear of either having a heart attack or something
sinister happening. Generally there can be triggers or it can be without triggers, and following an acute
Anxiety there are chronic symptoms, mainly fear and avoidance which are quite depilating more than the
acute Anxiety. So when a person is diagnosed with Anxiety we recommend that they see their General
Practitioner as a first point of entry to get ongoing further help.
What are the many stages of Anxiety and how does one feel during each?
A: So we talked about the acute Anxiety, which is termed as a panic attack or panic disorder, where you
have physical symptoms such as sweating, increased heart rate, pupations, pins and needles, feeling of
dizziness, and heart attack or something sinister happening. After an acute Anxiety attack which can last for
about an half hour, two hours, or longer you can have chronic symptoms of Anxiety which are usually fear
and avoidance a lot of thought processes like ruminations and sleep problems and motivation, then it can
be the mild, moderate or severe Anxiety, depending on the symptoms and also the triggers that cause that.
Page 1
If a person is diagnosed with Anxiety, what should they do?
A: They need to see their General Practitioner, their first point of contact where the General Practitioner
usually does is go through a list of symptoms, identify any medical causes by doing some blood tests. If
there are no other medical causes then commence treatment, and the usual treatments are refer to a
Physiologist, if it’s a mild Anxiety, or sometimes augmenting it with medication, such as antidepressants. If
the Anxiety is quite moderate, severe, complex refer to a Psychiatrist is made and in severe cases admission
to a hospital is considered for safety and medication monitoring, so these are usually the ports of getting
treatment for Anxiety disorders
Does Anxiety disorder differ from social Anxiety?
A: Social Anxiety is a sub type of Anxiety where you have Anxiety in mainly social situations, so it is based
on the fear of being criticised or judged socially and certainly in this day and age, with smartphones and
other gadgets it’s a very common problem and perhaps in the next few decades an increasing problem that
we will have to deal with. It’s certainly associated with a lot of electronics, and adolescents where they’re
isolating more and more in their room, decreasing their social skills. It is going to be a big burden on society
with the young generation with developing their social skills over time.
Why does Anxiety cause physical symptoms?
A: Anxiety has quite a significant physical component. It is based on when we are exposed to threat or
serious trauma, and then our bodies generate a ‘flight for fight’ response. This is a natural survival kit we
have and when we are in the ‘flight for fight’ mode our body releases stress hormones called Cortisone
which in turn causes physical symptoms. These physical symptoms can vary depending on how intense the
symptoms are, these include sweating, palpitations, dry mouth, dizziness, and butterflies in your stomach,
and these are commonly quite debilitating for someone, so this is why the physical symptoms of Anxiety are
more pronounced as compared to other mood disorders.
When is the best time to address Anxiety disorder?
A: The best time to address Anxiety disorder is in the acute phase or really early on in your Anxiety road. It
is very important that if the Anxiety is not treated early on, it leads to chronic impairment, so it’s best as
soon as an Anxiety attack happens or the symptoms of Anxiety, its best to see a doctor or your General
Practitioner and get help early on, because it has the best response rate and relapse prevention.
Is Anxiety disorder reversible?
A: Anxiety disorders are reversible, provided the right treatment and a comprehensive plan is provided and
outcomes are generally very good. It is one of the disorders which appear to have good response to
treatment and further recovery is possible.
Page 2
Is Anxiety disorder harmful?
A: Anxiety is not harmful to all of us, we all experience Anxiety at some point of time. Anxiety disorders are
different to Anxiety. Anxiety is a protective factor because it helps us to motivate us to move further and
challenge our survival skills. It only becomes debilitating when it becomes a disorder when it’s associated
with fear and avoidance.
Can Anxiety disorder be partly due to genetics?
A: Anxiety does have a significant genetic component, recently there have been six genes identified for the
Anxiety disorders. Anxiety does run in families and it is passed on to the offspring if parents have a history
of Anxiety disorder, so there is a genetic basis to Anxiety disorders and it does not mean if you have the
gene you will have Anxiety, but it increases you vulnerability and predisposition to Anxiety in the future.
Page 3