What are the Anxiety Disorders?

It is believed by some researchers that as many as 30% of the general population may suffer from one or more of the anxiety disorders, to at least some degree.  So if you struggle with fear, stress, anxiety, panic attacks, stuttering, or even obsessive compulsive disorder, you are not alone!

Types of Anxiety Disorders

"The anxiety disorders" is a name given to a range of disorders having different characteristics.  These are:

• Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD), suffering from worries, fears and stress even though the particular concerns may not be, of themselves, at all important.  The person may have difficulty thinking straight or even making simple decisions.
  
  
• Phobias, suffering from a specific fear of an object or situation, or fear of social engagement, usually due to fear of extreme embarrassment or humiliation.  The person may go to extremes to avoid the situation or object which is the source of fear, dramatically limiting quality of life.
  
  
• Panic Disorder, where feelings of terror, or overwhelming dread strike very suddenly and repeatedly, sometimes in response to known triggers, and perhaps for no apparent reason at all.  Almost always there are extreme physical symptoms related to heart rate, breathing difficulties, nausea, and many others, which may or may not be apparent to bystanders.
  
  
• Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), reliving the terror of a past event which continues to maintain an intense emotional hold over the person's present life, even though it may have occurred a long time ago.  Usually involves hypervigilance (a state of heightened awareness of possible danger or threat) or some degree of "numbing" where the person has a flattened mood and may be unresponsive to other people or events.
  
  
• Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), usually characterized by extreme stress relating to objects, people or situations, and repetitive thoughts or rituals which the sufferer finds as distressing not only because of the urgency and anxiety surrounding the thoughts and behaviour, but because they are quite outside of their control.
  
  
• Depression (which is further broken down into differing types of depression) is not actually an anxiety disorder but a mood disorder often associated with anxiety. Depression may not mean "sadness" (which is the common misconception), and rather may include amongst its many symptoms a flatness or "nothingness" as many describe it.

How Do These Anxiety Disorders Arise?

Usually anxiety disorders are more common in families with a history of anxiety disorders.  A sufferer can most probably remember a fearful, controlling, or over-anxious parent, and so on back down the family line.  This suggests both genetics and environment as causes, and recent research bears this out.

However even though genetics may lay the groundwork for anxiety disorders to arise, we cannot predict whether that will eventually be the case -- environmental factors are just as important and may build a temperament which entirely counters genetic factors.

What Types of Treatment are Available?

It should never be simply presumed that if someone has all the symptoms of anxiety, that they have an anxiety disorder!  This is because there are several physical illnesses which also produce those symptoms, and left untreated these could have tragic consequences.  Always have your symptoms thoroughly investigated by your doctor to exclude underlying pathology. (Eg thyroid disorder can produce all of the symptoms of the anxiety disorders, and yet is frequently missed.)

Most treatments conventionally used take weeks or months to achieve benefit, if ever.  These include a range of medications, and psychotherapies such as Cognitive Behaviour Therapy.

People often try to cope with their disorder by using dangerous strategies such as drinking too much, or using illicit drugs.  Good therapy will seek to discover if these types of coping strategies are being used, and ensure that treatment for these forms part of the program, with the aim of full recovery so the person can go on to live a full and satisfying life.

Typically, therapies offered by qualified health practitioners are "evidence based" meaning that they have been clinically tested and therefore objectively evaluated.  You will notice that it is rare to read client testimonials for these therapies, not only because it would be unethical to ask for them, but because the research speaks for itself.

Where "therapies" or "treatments" are offered by unqualified people, particularly over the internet, it is common to see testimonials, and you should keep in mind not only that there is no proof that these testimonials are real, but that 1000 testimonials from happy clients often hide 100000 disappointed stories from clients who got no such result.

The problem is that "placebo effect" (positive benefit arising merely out of the belief that the "treatment" will work) is at work in every case, so that there will always be people who improve, but they may be very few amongst many.  The placebo effect is at work in clinical trials also, but in properly-designed trials this is taken into account in order to more properly judge the effectiveness of the treatment.

The program which we offer has been trialled around the world, and our actual research papers, as well as the research of others, is on this site and the "mother" site:  www.bmsa-int.com.

How to Access Treatment for Your Anxiety

Most people with anxiety of some kind do need professional help to eliminate their problems and therefore we suggest 3 ways for you to proceed.

Firstly you might like to work with a therapist trained in BMSA methods and in that case you should check our "Clinic" section in order to choose.  We are the only organisation that trains BMSA therapists, and as more psychologists and counsellors graduate from our training, we will list them here.

Secondly you might like to become more familiar with the way that BMSA therapy works before choosing a therapist.  In that case we recommend that you obtain a copy of 2 books:  "From Panic to Peace" and "Rapid Self-Help Techniques", and take these to your own psychologist or counsellor in order to get their help to work through the program.

Thirdly, definitely check out www.RealHelpforAnxiety.com and assess whether the supported treatment program there appeals to you and your unique needs.

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