Areas of Focus

Anxiety

Anxiety arises from threats that are perceived to be uncontrollable or unavoidable. Common forms of anxiety are generalized anxiety, social anxiety, and panic attacks. These are accompanied by extremely uncomfortable states of physiological arousal. For example, you may feel on edge, experience butterflies in your stomach, and an increased heart-rate.

Generalized anxiety can be thought of as a blanket of worry. It envelops you and does not pass. You wake up with anxiety and go to sleep with anxiety.

Social anxiety relates to a fear of criticism from others and typically surfaces in the social sphere. You tend not to enjoy social events.

Panic attacks occur out of the blue and are terrifying. It may feel like you are having a heart attack and often result in visits to the Emergency Unit.

An important distinction exists between state anxiety and trait anxiety. State anxiety refers to a temporary reaction following an adverse experience. For example, experiencing panic attacks when driving after having had a motor vehicle accident. Trait anxiety concerns a more stable personality feature involving a tendency to respond to life events with worry, and typically requires longer-term therapy.

References

Barlow, D. (2000). Unraveling the mysteries of anxiety and its disorders from the perspective of emotion theory. The American Psychologist, 55(11), 1247–1263.

Davison, G. (2008). Abnormal psychology. Toronto: Veronica Visentin.

Schwarzer, R. (1984). The self in anxiety, stress and depression. Advances in Psychology, 21, 1–16.