There are currently no laws in place stipulating what training and qualifications a counsellor must have in order to treat anxiety. However, the national institute for health and care excellence (nice) has developed a set of guidelines that provide advice about the recommended treatments.
In the first instance, those suffering from anxiety should be offered access to a support group and self-help information recommendations by their doctor. If this doesn’t help, or the anxiety is more severe, psychological treatments such as cognitive behavioural therapy and/or applied relaxation are recommended. Further treatment may require medication. Read the full nice guidelines:
generalised anxiety disorder and panic disorder in adults: management.
Symptoms of generalised anxiety disorder (GAD)
The information in this section is about a specific condition called generalised anxiety disorder (gad). Gad is a long-term condition that causes you to feel anxious about a wide range of situations and issues, rather than 1 specific event.
People with gad feel anxious most days and often struggle to remember the last time they felt relaxed. As soon as 1 anxious thought is resolved, another may appear about a different issue.
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If your anxiety symptoms meet certain criteria, your gp may diagnose you with an anxiety disorder. Some common anxiety disorders include: generalised anxiety disorder – feeling anxious or worried most of the time panic disorder – having regular panic attacks, often for no apparent reason post-traumatic stress disorder (ptsd) – having anxiety problems after experiencing a very stressful or frightening event social anxiety disorder – a fear or dread of social situations obsessive-compulsive disorder (ocd) – having recurring unpleasant thoughts (obsessions) and performing certain routines (compulsions) to relieve anxiety phobias – an overwhelming fear of a specific object, place, situation or feeling anxiety disorders are among the most common mental health problems.
When to get help for anxiety
Anxiety is the feeling of worry, apprehension or dread that something bad is going to happen or that you can’t cope with a situation. It’s also the physical reactions that go with the feeling, like ‘butterflies in the stomach’, tension, shakiness, nausea and sweatiness. And it’s behaviour like avoiding what’s causing the anxiety or wanting a lot of reassurance. Anxiety can happen in response to a specific situation or event, but it continues after the situation has passed. It can happen without a specific situation or event too. Anxiety is a common and natural part of life. Everyone feels anxious sometimes.
Experiencing occasional anxiety is a normal part of life. However, people with anxiety disorders frequently have intense, excessive and persistent worry and fear about everyday situations. Often, anxiety disorders involve repeated episodes of sudden feelings of intense anxiety and fear or terror that reach a peak within minutes (panic attacks). These feelings of anxiety and panic interfere with daily activities, are difficult to control, are out of proportion to the actual danger and can last a long time. You may avoid places or situations to prevent these feelings. Symptoms may start during childhood or the teen years and continue into adulthood.
Anxiety is another word for when you feel worried or scared. Anxiety can make you feel like your heart is beating too fast, like you feel upset, your breathing feels off or you have pins and needles in your hands and feet, as well as lots of other things. It is very normal to feel anxious sometimes - everyone does - and you shouldn’t ever be embarrassed to talk about it. You might have anxiety about starting school, or about speaking in public, or about catching the bus on your own for the first time. Right now, a big reason you might feel anxious is the coronavirus.
Understanding gad generalized anxiety disorder (gad) is characterized by persistent and excessive worry about a number of different things. People with gad may anticipate disaster and may be overly concerned about money, health, family, work, or other issues. Individuals with gad find it difficult to control their worry. They may worry more than seems warranted about actual events or may expect the worst even when there is no apparent reason for concern. Gad is diagnosed when a person finds it difficult to control worry on more days than not for at least six months and has three or more symptoms.
Writing down what’s making you anxious gets it out of your head and can make it less daunting. These relaxation tricks are particularly helpful for those who experience anxiety sporadically. They may also work well with someone who has generalized anxiety disorder (gad) when they’re in a bind! however, if you suspect you have gad, quick coping methods shouldn’t be the only kind of treatment you employ. You’ll want to find long-term strategies to help lessen the severity of symptoms and even prevent them from happening. If anxiety is a regular part of your life, it’s important to find treatment strategies to help you keep it in check.