Anxiety is characterised by feelings of apprehension and worry, spontaneous panic attacks (see below), irritability, poor quality sleep and poor concentration. Anxiety disorders are common, chronic, the cause of considerable distress and disability, and are often unrecognised and untreated.

A feature for some people are ’unexpected’ Panic Attacks¹.

A Panic Attack will typically include a discrete period of intense fear or discomfort in which four (or more) of the following symptoms develop abruptly and reach a peak in 10 minutes:

• Palpitations, pounding heart or accelerated heart rate.
• Sweating, trembling or shaking.
• Sensations of shortness of breath or smothering.
• Sensation of choking.
• Chest pain or discomfort.
• Nausea or abdominal distress.
• Feeling dizzy, unsteady, light headed or faint.
• Derealisation (feeling of unreality) or depersonalisation (being detached from oneself).
• Fear of losing control or going crazy.
• Fear of dying.
• Paraesthesia (altered sensations e.g. tingling, pins and needles).
• Chills or hot flushes.

Agoraphobia which may or may not accompany panic attacks may be defined as:

• Anxiety about being in places or situations from which escape is difficult or embarrassing or in which help may be not be available.
• The situations are avoided or endured with great distress or worry about having a panic attack.

If anxiety is an issue for you and you would like to consider the benefits of the Wait Control Process training programme, including avoiding long term use of medication, then please contact me by phone or email for further information.

Further information available from NICE: Clinical Guideline 22. Anxiety: management of anxiety (panic disorder, with or without agoraphobia, and generalised anxiety disorder) in adults in primary, secondary and community care. (www.nice.org.uk)

¹Barr Taylor C, Panic Disorder (Clinical Review). BMJ 2006; 332:951-55