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This site is designed
to give detailed information for those who choose to use it
that way, but here for your convenience is an at a glance look
at the site in one page: -
What is....??
Anxiety/Panic:
The body and mind's natural response to feeling threatened.
Essentially an uncomfortable feeling of fear which is designed
to create discomfort so that one leaves a situation or does
not go into a situation in the first place. Anxiety can be
specific (i.e focused on something), or general (just present
for no apparent reason). Panic is also included here as an
extreme form of anxiety often referred to as a "panic attack"
as panic is usually intense but short lived. It is not
uncommon for people experiencing panic for the first time to
believe they are dying or having a heart attack....so
unpleasant is the feeling! Anxiety can resolve itself but if
it is chronic (has been going on for a long time), then
treatment is advisable.
Depression: A
persistent feeling of hopelessness and helplessness
characterised by low mood, sleep disturbance, lack of energy,
and persistent negative emotional disturbance. Depression is
the "opt-out" response to feeling threatened and is therefore
an anxiety based disorder. What this means in practice is that
a depressed person will often disengage with life generally
and feel isolated and unmotivated. Some depressions (bi-polar
disorder for instance) require pharmacological intervention
but most depressions can be treated quickly and effectively
using solution-focused therapies. Non-severe depression will
often resolve itself without treatment.
OCD -
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: An anxiety disorder
characterised by repetitive involuntary obsessional thoughts
and behaviours. Sufferers experience thoughts and feelings
that tell them that something terrible will happen, and they
then feel compelled to take steps to avoid that event taking
place. This often results in sufferers spending long periods
of their day cleaning , washing hands , checking doors are
locked etc in an effort to avoid the perceived danger. OCD
appears to outsiders to be something one should just "get
over" but to the sufferer the fears and concerns appear as
very real and become all consuming. OCD can be self treated
but is a very challenging condition to overcome, and support
can be invaluable. Treatment is very specific (discussed in
the OCD page on this site).
Phobias:
Essentially, a phobia
is a fear of something specific which causes a panic like
reaction. Most "simple" phobias (i.e fear of flying) can be
easily treated in a few sessions. Some phobias (i.e
agoraphobia - fear of crowds and being outside) are more
complex and take a little longer to treat because they affect
the sufferers whole life and are therefore often accompanied
by high anxiety generally. Phobias usually do require
treatment though minor phobias can often resolve themselves if
a persons overall anxiety level reduces sufficiently.
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