Anxiety Disorders

Common Characteristics

Anxiety Disorders categorise a large number of disorders where the primary feature is abnormal or inappropriate anxiety.  Everybody has experienced anxiety.  Think about the last time a loud noise frightened you and remember the feelings inside your body.  Chances are you experienced an increased heart rate, tensed muscles, and perhaps an acute sense of focus as you tried to determine the source of the noise.  These are all symptoms of anxiety.  They are also part of a normal process in our bodies called the 'flight or flight' phenomenon.  This means that your body is preparing itself to either fight or protect itself or to flee a dangerous situation.

These symptoms become a problem when they occur without any recognisable stimulus or when the stimulus does not warrant such a reaction.  In other words, inappropriate anxiety is when a person's heart races, breathing increases, and muscles tense without any reason for them to do so.  Once a medical cause is ruled out, an anxiety disorder may be the culprit.

Disorders in this Category

  Acute Stress Disorder

  Agoraphobia (with or without a history of Panic Disorder)

  Generalised Anxiety Disorder [GAD]

  Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder [OCD]

  Panic Disorder (with or without Agoraphobia)

  Phobias (including Social Phobia)

  Posttraumatic Stress Disorder [PTSD]

more information on anxiety

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Depression

Brief Description

There are 2 main forms of depression. One form is the one that we are born with, it's hereditary. Generally with this form (endogenous depression) there is history of depression in the family. This does not necessarily mean a person with a family history of depression will definitely have it in their own life. They may be fine. We generally say this person has a 'predisposition' to depression, which means if something stressful occurs, such as the death of a loved one or a a tragic accident, this type of person might have a higher chance of experiencing depression following the stressful event than someone who does not have a history of depression.

The other main form of depression is 'episodic depression'. This occurs when a stressful event occurs. It might be the loss of a job that is unexpected. The person may find they are then unemployed for some time and with this comes a loss of self-esteem. If the person feels hopeless and less worthy, it may lead to episodic depression.

To treat depression there are many different approaches. Having good family and social supports is a definite advantage. People that can keep you motivated. Being able to talk about your experience is extremely valuable. However, in our society people can feel 'weak' or vulnerable if they reach out for support from others.

Unfortunately this can make people 'stuck'. The depression is not treated and becomes more entrenched. Depression can become a part of a person's personality. In a person where this is the case, they still go to work and experience family life - generally they go in life as they always have but things have changed. They may not have the same 'zest' for life or they may become more socially isolated (letting go of friendships or stop participating in social activities). They may start to drink more alcohol or become more volatile (angry). It can be difficult for this type of person to get help, but it certainly could be beneficial for them to do so. However they need to be willing and prepared to seek assistance.

Getting help is not just about getting medication (anti-depressants). It is becoming more recognised that counselling can actually change the brain structure. The brain can develop new wiring, bypassing the old depressing programming. Not only this, counselling with a professional will help you learn valuable tools to cope better and empower yourself.

'Feel good' hormones such as Seretonin can be depleted if a person's depression is ongoing. The levels appear to drop below a level that can naturally replenish itself. This can lead to the depressed person having great difficulty in getting out of their depression, despite them wanting to and trying to get help such as counselling. In these cases a visit to your general practitioner would be beneficial to assess if medication may be suitable for you. Some people may prefer 'natural' remedies such as Hypericum Perforatum (St John's Wort). Whatever advice you seek, ensure the person you visit for assistance is well qualified, such as a naturopath or other professional with a recognised qualification.

Assessing or testing for depression generally includes completing a questionnaire. It can be easy to confuse 'feeling down' with depression. Everyone feels down at some stage. Depression will generally be longer lasting with definite symptoms. If you feel you may be depressed, feel free to take the following test. Just remember do not rely on this test alone. A good assessment for depression will be more thorough so it will be beneficial to see a professional who has experience in depression and other mental health issues. By taking the test (Beck's Depression Inventory) it may highlight that you need to seek professional advice. Click here.

more information on depression

Do your own research on a mental health topic of your choice using the refined Google search below. It only includes selected Mental Health web sites.

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Relationships

Below are articles related to relationships.

*Prevention and early intervention in strengthening families and relationships: Challenges and implications

This is a good article in terms of research that has been conducted highlighting what makes a relationship work.

*Relationships Test

This is something I put together based on my experience counselling couples. Common problems often arise with relationship problems and this test hopefully will help you finetune what exactly the problem is in your relationship.

*Common Issues that show up in relationships

*Relationship Workshop in Margaret River

*How Do You Konw If You Are In An Abusive Relationship?

*Relationship Warning Signs

*Healthy Relationship Checklist

*http://www.dvirc.org.au/whenlove/index.htm

This is a great web site for those in a relationship where the view has become 'murky'. You might be asking questions like 'Is this normal?', 'Am I normal?', 'What is normal?' etc

*Another Relationship Checklist

This site explores your idea of fun, maintaining individuality, what you spend your time doing, how much you engage, how responsible you are for your actions, speaking your truth, developing trust, being vulnerable, honouring each other and enjoying sex

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