Psychological Issues: medical help
Seeking Medical Help, mixed anxiety & depression is most common here in the Uk, making your doctor your first port of call for advise can only be a good course of action. Some of the symptoms of anxiety can indeed make you think you are coming down with some dreaded illness such as heart attack, (chest pains) stomach pains, even passing out. It is not surprising that people suffering from anxiety/stress visit their doctor’s more frequently than average. The ratio of 29% of Women are more likely to have been treated for a mental health problem compared 17% of men in the UK. The figure for men is more than likely to be higher as this percentage does not take into account those men who have a problem admitting to the problem in the first place.
It is documented that 1 in 4 British adults will experience at least one diagnosable mental health problem in any one year, and women are more likely to report a common mental health problem than men. Like I have said somewhere else on this website mental health problems do not have a preference it strikes at the young, the elderly, any region, any country and all walks of life. The British Journal of Psychiatry (2005) states that although mental health problems are wide spread, serious cases are concentrated among a relatively small proportion of people.
Where children are concerned The Office for National Statistics Mental health in children and young people in Great Britain (2005) report that One in ten children between the ages of one and 15 has a mental health disorder, and boys are more at risk than girls. As they reach adolescence the problem seems to increase making disorders among boys aged 5 to 10 affected from 10.4%, rising to 12.8% aged 11 to 15. and 5.9% of girls rising to 9,65% aged 11 to 15.
Once you and your doctor are sure your physical health is not at risk talk to him/her about other forms of help before pting for prescribed medication.
As I have all ready said stress/anxiety is found in all walks of life, from crossing a busy main road, through the home, and into the work place. Everyone feels tension and has stress in their lives. It is when the tension continues over a long period of time that a problem may arise.
Our thoughts alone can be the cause of unnecessary stress. We may dwell on past events or imagine future ones to be worse than they will be in reality. As you can see from the diagram below, our thoughts go round and round. They call this the Vicious Circle/Cycle.
THE ANXIETY SPIRAL
When keeping a diary the chart below can be used to identify the area’s where fear, panic and those recuring thoughts are at their worse.
