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General Questions & Answers Page Three Is there a hormonal link to my panic and anxiety? What is the difference between fear and anxiety? What is wrong with positive thinking? Why do I need to see a psychiatrist/psychologist? Why do set backs happen? Is there a hormonal link to my panic and anxiety? The 'jury' is still out with this one ! This possible link is still being investigated by researchers and it may be a few more years before the results are known. But many women do report increased panic attacks & anxiety in the week before menstruation. Some women can develop panic and anxiety during menopause, but it is not yet known if this is in reaction to the stress of menopause or an effect of menopause itself. Whether the hormonal link is either proved or disproved, we can still gain control over our thoughts and the anxiety/panic reactions to these thoughts. We can learn to take back the power !!!! What is the difference between fear and anxiety? Looking at fear in relation to individual anxiety disorders, the fear is the specific thought/s as in : Panic Disorder: The fear: ' I'm having a heart attack/I'm going to die/ I'm going insane' Social Phobia: The fear: of embarrassment/making a fool of self Obsessive Compulsive Disorder: The fear of contamination/ fear the person may hurt themselves, their loved ones, strangers/ the fear that if something is not done a certain way something will happen etc. Post Traumatic Stress: The fear of the original trauma/ flashbacks &/or nightmares of the original trauma/ fear that a similar trauma may happen again to themselves or loved ones Anxiety is the response to these thoughts. The fearful thoughts activate the fight and flight response which is felt as physical sensations: racing heart, over breathing, perspiration, shaking, etc. The physical sensations equal anxiety. The fight and flight response is very necessary in a dangerous situation as it provides us with the energy to either run from the danger or to confront it. eg 'you are in a field and a bull charges at you'. The fight and flight response enables us to run/escape from the bull. With panic disorder, social phobia and obsessive compulsive disorder, people are not in danger per se. It is the way that they are thinking that creates the 'danger' which in turn activates the fight and flight response which is then felt as anxiety/panic symptoms. With post traumatic stress disorder, the fearful thinking is based on a life event/s that did happen and the fear/s are valid within this context. What is wrong with positive thinking? Many people find that positive thinking doesn't work because they don't believe what they are saying to themselves. They may get short term relief with this type of thinking, but it is usually only short term. The 'cause' is still there as they have not taken any steps to deal with it. The root cause of course is their fearful thoughts. Using a Mindfulness cognitive technique teaches people to see through the thoughts that create much of their distress and also teaches them how to control them. Permanently! Why do I need to see a psychiatrist/psychologist? We always strongly recommend that people with an anxiety disorder see a mental health professional, either a psychiatrist and/or a psychologist. Anxiety disorders are the most common mental health problem in the country, and many psychiatrists and psychologists are trained in this area. When we have a physical problem people prefer to see a someone who specialises in that particular area. So it is with anxiety disorders. Most of us need to see a mental health professional. Seeing a professional who is trained in anxiety disorders can mean the difference between a full or incomplete recovery. It is important that people with anxiety disorders understand mental illness per se. Our own biases and fears only helps to perpetuate the stigma and shame many people feel if they have a mental health problem. The fear, stigma and shame won't change until we as individuals change our perception about mental illness/mental disorders. Why do set backs happen? Set backs can happen for a number of reasons. If you are not learning to control and manage your thinking, then your thoughts can 'trip' you up and you can become caught up in the cycle again. This also applies for people who have come off medication and have not learnt any cognitive skills. If you are using a cognitive technique, then you need to understand the reason/s why the set back has happened and use your cognitive skills to work through the set back. This is what we call the 'working through process'. Set backs are part of the recovery process. We can use them proactively to learn about our panic and anxiety and ourselves. The more we learn, the more power we will have over our disorder.  |
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Last modified:11th December, 2008