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Anxiety Disorders
Occasional anxiety is a normal part of life. Many people worry about things such as health, money, or family problems. But anxiety disorders involve more than temporary worry or fear. For people with an anxiety disorder, the anxiety does not go away and can get worse over time. The symptoms can interfere with daily activities such as job performance, schoolwork, and relationships.
There are several types of anxiety disorders, including generalized anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder, and phobias and panic disorders
Types of Anxiety Disorders
Who do they affect?
Anxiety disorders can affect anyone at any age, and they are the most common mental health problem. Sometimes, anxiety disorders are triggered by a specific event or stressful life experience. Anxiety disorders may be more likely to occur when we have certain ways of looking at things (like believing that everything must be perfect) or learn unhelpful coping strategies from others. But sometimes there just doesn’t seem to be a reason.
What can I do about them?
Many people who experience an anxiety disorder think that they should just be able to get over it on their own. Others may need time to recognize how deeply anxiety affects their life. However, anxiety disorders are real illnesses that affect a person’s well-being. It’s important to talk to a doctor about mental health concerns. Some physical health conditions cause symptoms of anxiety. A doctor will look at all possible causes of anxiety.
Anxiety is part of being human. Treatment should look at reducing unhelpful coping strategies and building healthy behaviours that help you better manage anxiety.
Each anxiety disorder has its own specific treatments and goals, but most include some combination of the following strategies:
Counselling
An effective form of counselling for anxiety is cognitive-behavioural therapy (or CBT.0 CBT teaches you how your thoughts, feelings, and behaviours work together. The goal of CBT is to identify and change the unhelpful patterns of thinking that feed anxious thoughts. CBT can help you identify problem behaviours and replace them with helpful strategies. It’s often the first treatment to try for mild or moderate problems with anxiety.
Medication
Some people also find antianxiety or antidepressant medication helpful. Medication can help with the physical feelings of anxiety. It may also make anxious thoughts less frequent or intense, so it can be easier to learn helpful coping strategies. Some people take medication until their anxiety is controlled enough to try therapies like CBT.
Support groups
Support groups in person or online may be a good place to share your experiences, learn from others, and connect with people who understand.
Resources
There are several tools available through Anxiety Canada to help those who struggle with persistent anxiety cope. The Canadian Mental Health Association also offers Bounceback, a free skill-building program designed to help adults and youth 15+ manage low mood, mild to moderate depression, anxiety, stress or worry. Find out if you meet the criteria.