Anxiety Disorders

Everyone feels anxious at times, before an exam, when a child attends his first day of school, or before a work review. Anxiety flags potentially difficult situations, allowing us to prepare in advance. It is a very necessary emotion, creating caution and ensuring decisions are made deliberately and with heightened awareness.

Anxiety disorders are where anxiety is taken to the extreme. An anxiety disorder may make us feel anxious most of the time, without any apparent reason. The anxious feelings may be so uncomfortable that sufferers cease some everyday activities in order to avoid the anxiety. Clients may just have occasional bouts of intense anxiety that totally immobilize them. Depression often accompanies anxiety disorders and, when it does, needs to be treated.

Cognitive behavioural therapy is very effective for treating anxiety disorders. It teaches clients to respond differently to the situations and bodily sensations that trigger panic attacks and other anxiety symptoms. They learn to understand how their thinking patterns contribute to the symptoms and how to change their thoughts so that symptoms are less likely to occur. This awareness of thinking patterns is combined with exposure and other behavioural techniques which help clients to confront fearful situations.