Anxiety
What is anxiety?
Anxiety is a symptom or an emotion which is produced as a result of fear of something. We in Metsin often call it a fight or flight reaction, which is where the body prepares itself to either have to fight a threat or run away from it. And that means that the body induces a number of changes whereby it's preparing for this particular act. These changes are usually an increase in your heart rate, an increase in your rate of breathing. You will often sweat more, and your muscles will be in great attention in order to prepare to respond.
How can anxiety be controlled?
Anxiety can be controlled firstly by being aware of the fact that it is happening. Very often when you suffer from anxiety you're not certain that it is indeed anxiety which you're feeling. Very often people suffer a headache and it is diagnosed as a tension headache, but it's simply as a result of the increased muscle tension that a patient suffers as a result of anxiety. So the first situation is to be aware of the fact that you're suffering from anxiety. Once you're aware of that then you can begin to implement a number of practices which will help you relax. The first thing is to be aware of your muscles and to allow them to drop and to relax. Secondly, you can control your breathing. You can slow it down, you can breathe more deeply, and you can just allow yourself to breathe in a way which is far more normal and natural. And then thirdly, you should be aware of what is causing your anxiety, in order to be able to try and make certain changes to it, so that the anxiety becomes a more rational fear rather than a possibly irrational response to a relatively minor incident. And anxiety can also be treated with medications and there are essentially three different types of medications that we use for anxiety. The simplest form might be to use a type of medication that we call a beta blocker. They're called beta blockers because they block a certain type of effect of adrenaline in the system. Because we release adrenaline when we're anxious, beta blockers will often block those responses, and hence we will feel less anxious. But beta blockers lower blood pressure and slow heart rate, and therefore they must be controlled by doctors. The second type of medication is what we call anxiolytics or minor tranquilizers. These will usually have a fairly rapid response in the body to relieve anxiety, and they're normally extremely effective. But they do have a problem in that they are habit forming, and therefore the patient that needs long term treatment may need a different type of medication that is not a minor tranquilizer because of the addictive type potential of these medications.And then the third type medication are in fact antidepressant medications, which have anxiety relieving properties. And therefore antidepressants may sometimes be prescribed not because the patient is depressed, but because the patient is suffering a more chronic or long term form of anxiety. And these are often extremely effective, but they do take time to work. They don't work for the first two weeks and they don't develop their maximum effect before about six weeks. And therefore the patient has to be patient to continue to take it, so that they can develop their maximum effect and not think that they're doing nothing.
Is anxiety potentially dangerous?
Anxiety, per say, is not a dangerous condition. That means to say that anxiety, although it can produce fairly dramatic symptoms, such as panic attacks, hyperventilation, and the problems associated with hyperventilation, the symptoms are not dangerous, and usually with very simple measures to control the acute anxiety or panic attack, they can be relieved. Having said that, anxiety can worsen other underlying disorders, which could then become potentially dangerous. For example, if a patient suffers from ischemic heart disease, the increased heart rate or increased blood pressure associated with the adrenaline release from an acute anxiety episode may well induce a heart problem. But that is an indirect affect and you need to have other underlying disorders, which would create a potential danger.
What is a panic attack?
A panic attack is a situation whereby the patient is suffering from acute severe anxiety and hence it is associated with an inappropriate fear. As a result of that, the patient will develop a number of symptoms which are often very disturbing and which will form part of a vicious circle, because the patient will in turn worry about the symptoms that have been produced by the extreme anxiety. For example, part of an anxiety attack could easily and will often be hyperventilation. Hyperventilation means that we breathe too fast, too quickly, and we will expel too much carbon dioxide. This changes the calcium levels in blood which will in turn cause symptoms of pins and needles around the mouth or on the tips of the fingers or stiffness of certain muscles, such as the fingers of the hands and these will often go into spasm. All this only goes to worsen the anxiety of the patient, who is indeed already suffering from a panic attack. So in a way, it's a bit of a vicious circle of anxiety symptoms which will develop into a downward spiral.
What should I do to help someone having a panic attack?
To help somebody who has a panic attacked,you need to become yourself and you need to transmit serenity to that patient.You need to reassure them that nothing serious is happening to them and that nothing serious will happen to them.Then you need to tell them that in fact they have bringing the number of symptoms on upon themselves.You need to get them to brief slowly and calmly.You need to get them to relax their muscles and you need to get them to understand that they will be fine.So basically,we need to slow the systems down and transmit this to the patient.Breath slowly.Breath calmly.Relax your shoulders,relax your arm muscles and relax your leg muscles.Nothing will happen to you.By repeating this messages to the patient,they will gradually get into a normal sleep and breathing pattern and they will begin to say that they will come out of this.However if there is any doubts about the symptoms that they are expressing i think it is extremely important that one considers as getting them into the emergency department or to be seen by a doctor as soon as possible.
