Anxiety Treatment Gold Coast

Anxiety problems are amongst the most common mental health issues experienced by Australians, and indeed, across the globe. One in four Australians will suffer from some form of anxiety disorder throughout their life. Anxiety is normal and is a part of our threat system, which evolved to keep us safe. At times though, anxiety can become excessive, overwhelming, and it might start to interfere with our daily functioning. 

 

Read more about anxiety and anxiety treatment below.

Anxiety Treatment and Anxiety Therapist: Gold Coast

There are a range of anxiety related problems that people commonly suffer. This includes social anxiety, generalised anxiety (GAD), panic attacks, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Phobias are also common and people's fears can be focussed on animals (e.g. snakes, spiders, dogs, etc.), heights, enclosed spaces, blood and injection phobias, thunder, rain, and weather events, driving and car phobias, fear of bridges, and more. Not everyone who struggles with anxiety will have an anxiety disorder. High anxiety, without an anxiety disorder, can still cause difficulties in a person's life. 

 

Anxiety is normal and you may be surprised to know that everyone feels anxiety. Anxiety is our evolved threat system and its main task is to keep us safe. Anxiety actually has many benefits. Anxiety makes us pay attention, prepare for difficulties, get out of the way of fast moving cars, avoid dark alleys at night, and re-read the exam questions to make sure we've learnt all that we need to learn. In these ways, and many more, anxiety can serve us well. Some common physical signs of anxiety can include a racing heart, racing thoughts, dry mouth, shortness of breath, chest pain or tightness, butterflies or sickness in the stomach, shaking, sweating, tingling in the extremities, etc.

 

In some circumstances, rather than being helpful, anxiety can just start to get in the way. At times, people can struggle with severe anxiety symptoms, which can become overwhelming and even debilitating. Anxiety symptoms can begin affecting a person's ability to attend work, university, social gatherings, or lead to avoidance of places that tend to trigger anxiety. People can develop elaborate routines, all in the services of avoiding anxiety or making sure their anxiety isn't triggered. Completing regular daily tasks can become difficult or even impossible. It's at these times that people might start to consider outside support for their anxiety problems. The good news is that there are several anxiety treatments available that are effective and can produce long-term improvements in anxiety symptoms. The two most common treatments for anxiety are medications (usually prescribed by your GP) and psychological therapies for anxiety.

 

Therapy for Anxiety

Engaging with an Anxiety Therapist or Anxiety Psychologist can be helpful if you feel like your anxiety symptoms have gotten out of control. A particularly helpful approach that Anxiety Therapists' use is called Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (or CBT). CBT for anxiety is a specific anxiety therapy that has been heavily researched. There are hundreds of studies on CBT. Findings demonstrating that CBT is very effective for supporting people struggling with anxiety problems. CBT for anxiety can help in the management and reduction of anxiety symptoms, and helps to keep these symptoms away in the future. An Anxiety Therapist can help you to better understand your anxiety, how anxiety is shaping your life in unexpected ways, strategies to manage the physiological symptoms of anxiety, and how your thinking and behaviours might be maintaining your problems with anxiety. CBT has several common themes, regardless of the anxious condition being treated, and it also has specific 'ingredients' for each different type of anxiety problem. Treating Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, for example, will look slightly different to the treatment of Social Anxiety Disorder. 

 

People who struggle with anxiety problems tend to report particular patterns in how they think about their anxiety or events associated with their anxiety. These thoughts can trigger or exacerbate anxiety symptoms and are often a focus of anxiety treatment. In Panic Disorder, sufferers tend to hold excessive fears about physiological changes and experiences (e.g. increased heart rate, changes in breathing, dizziness, etc.). These symptoms may leave them thinking "I'm going to have a heart attack", "I'm going crazy", or "I'm going to die". In Social Anxiety Disorder or Social Phobia, sufferers tend to hold excessive fears around perceived judgement from others and what that judgement may mean. They tend to expect that others will notice them, and that they will be judgemental. They may fear saying the wrong thing, not know what to say in a social situation, or may fear that others will notice their anxiety. In Generalized Anxiety Disorder, people tend to fear that their worry will cause them physical damage, or in fact, that they need to worry to remain prepared. As you can see, how we think is important in the intensity and maintenance of our anxiety levels and each of the anxiety disorders has a particular map of common thinking patterns. Anxiety Treatment can help you to better understand, manage, and overcome these thinking patterns.

 

We think knowledge is power. The more you know and understand about anxiety, the more you will feel empowered and able to manage your anxiety symptoms. We hope this information has helped you in that way. And remember, anxiety is normal, and everyone feels it, you're not alone. 

 

MHM Psychology is a Gold Coast Psychology Clinic providing anxiety counselling, using research-supported psychotherapy techniques, including Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. If we can be of help with any anxiety difficulties that you might be having, please be sure to get in touch, we'd be happy to be assistance. 

 

Click here to learn more about Dr Mark Bartholomew, our services or you can take a look at our Blog page.

 

Click here to take a quick psychological wellbeing test