Anxiety-Continue

Anxiety:

Benzodiazepines work quickly, often within an hour, so they're useful until an antidespressant can kick in, usually from two to five weeks. While order tricylics can be effective, most doctors use the

well-known SSRIs (selective serotanin reputake inhibtors), such as paroxetine (Aropax), sertraline (zoloft) and venl afaxine (Efexor), which are now indicated for panic anxiety or disorders as well as depression. New antidepressants such as mirtazapine (Avanza) and nefazdone (Serzone) help you get a better night's sleep; growing evidence show that regular, good-quality sleep lessens anxiety.

  Even if antidepressants work, you'll still want to keep the quicker acting benzodiazepines around for the occasional times when things get overwhelming. And a final word of advice on medications: don't consider them a substitute for psychological counselling. Drugs are great at treating the symptoms, but they don't tackle the root cause.

Lifestyle Changes

Along with psychotherapy and medication--the bulwark of anxiety treatment--changes you make in your everyday life can help you deal with your problem on a very pratical level.

                                          POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER

Originally called shell shock by the combat veterans who experienced it, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a virulent form of long-term anxiety that can occur after extreme trauma. It can affect both men and women who have been in a serious accident, seen unimaginable horrors or been kidnapped, tortured, raped or assualted.

   Symptoms include relieving the event though vivid memories or flashbacks, strong feelings of terror or helplessness and behaving as if you're still in imminent danger, even though the event is long past. In a 12-month period, an estimated 1.3 percent of Australians will experience PTSD. To be classified with PTSD, symptoms must persist for more than a month. The condition can even develop months or years after the  triggering event took place.

   Cognitive-behavioural therapy is effective for treating PTSD. So is the dug sertraline (Zoloft).

A 2001 study found that participants who received 50 to 200 mg of Zoloft a day for 12 weeks had significant improvement in their symptoms.

  There are also encouraging reports about an innovative therapy for trauma called EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing), which uses visualisation and self-hyposis tecniques to change brain connections and relieve PTSD.

            

                                                        Panic attack

Take extreme, unshakable terror, pack it into 10 to 30 minutes, and you've got a panic attack. For that period of time, your breath is short, your heart is pounding and you're probably thinking you're just about to die. The symptoms are so awful that fear of having another panic attack is sometimes enough to set one off. For 1 to 2 percent of men and women, this becomes panic disorder-panic attacks that come from nowhere, rather than being caused by a scary encounter.

   Treatment of panic disorder requires both therapy and drugs. You should always seek out  a speciality trained therapist skilled in handling panic disorders. Tricylic and SSRI antidepresssants,

as well as medicines called MAO inhibitors, are very effective in blocking panic attacks, but take up to six weeks to start working. A sedative called alprazolam (Xanax) works more quickly and can be useful in the meantime.

 PROMISING DEVELOPMENTS

• The mechanism that underlie anxiety have long eluded researchers. But scientist at Columbia University in New York have made strides in solving that mystery. Their research, reported in the journal Nature, has shown that altering certain receptors in the forebrain of mice can both increase and decrease anxiety levels in the rodents. For the first time, this shows the exact location in the brain where anxious behaviour originates, enabling future research to concentrate on that area.

• Get moving. Regular aerobic exercise (not strength or resistance training) has been shown to noticeably reduce anxiety. Jog, walk, swim, bike, even practise yoga at least three times a week. Expect improvement in your mood (and waistline) in about three months.
• Look in your fridge. A healthy diet is important for improving anxiety levels. Add as many vegetarian options as possible. A small study showed there was considerably less anxiety among vegetarians.  This may be because blood sugar levels are more stable in a vegetarian diet. Get rid of caffeine; it's a known contributor to anxiety. Sugar, too: it can cause your body to mimic anxiety symptoms.
• Develop good sleep habits. Research shows that people with insomnia are at increased risk for developing anxiety. Avoid heavy meals before bedtime. Go to bed and get up as close to the same time everyday as possible. And don't work out within three yours of bedtime; it takes that long to cool all the way down.
• Leave the booze in the bottle. A few drinks may seem like a good way to calm down, but alochol interferes with your sleep, and it can create an unhealthy dependence that may increase, not decrease, your anxiety over the long run.

Natural Methods

The medicinal herb valerian is helpful as a mild sedative and sleep aid. Look for standardised capsules, tables or extracts, and follow the instructions on the label. Don't use valerian for more than two weeks in a row, however, and avoid sedatives (including alcohol) while taking it. St. John's wort can be useful for mild symptoms, but talk to your doctor first if you're taking a prescription medication. Relaxation techniques can also produce excellent results:

meditation, acupuncture, massage and stress-reduction audiotapes are all fine ways to defuse tension, and therefore anxiety.

FINDING SUPPORT

Anxiety Network Australia

PO Box 452

Paddington,QLD 4064

Tel: (07) 3369 6090

www.anxietynetwork.com.au

beyondblue: the National Depression Intiative
PO Box 6100
Hawthron, VIC 3122
Tel (03) 9810 6100
Fax (03) 9810 6111
www.beyondblue.org.au


For a directory of support services contact:
depressionNet
DIRS
PO Box 1152
Box Hill, VIC 3128
Tel (03) 9898 9165
www.depressionnet.com.au

The Phobic Trust of New Zealand
Tel: 0800 142 694 389
        (09) 846 9776
www.phobic.org.nz