The Institute for Population Health at Weill Cornell Medicine – Qatar (WCM-Q) recently held a webinar that examined anxiety and related disorders, and how to manage them.
The webinar on 'Anxiety: When your worrying becomes worrying' delivered by assistant professor of psychiatry Dr Zahra Naqvi, discussed diseases such as generalised anxiety disorder, panic disorder, social phobia, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder.
She explained that anxiety is a common disorder that can cause a significant impairment in social, occupational, and other areas of living.
Even when therapy services are provided, not everyone takes advantage because of the stigma associated with the disorder.
Studies show that 56% of depressed or anxious individuals do not seek care because they fear losing the respect of others, while 83% fear that others would view them as unfit.
At the same time, some fail to seek therapy because of the lack of time, while others are concerned about their health record, or fear of confidentiality and cost.
“Anxiety is a sustained mental health issue that can be triggered by stress and doesn’t fade away once the threat is in the past,” Dr Naqvi said. “Although many symptoms of anxiety and stress are similar, stress is transient while anxiety is of longer duration. Anxiety symptoms can present in two different ways: physically and mentally.”
She said that individuals should seek medical attention if they have difficulty in controlling worry, are restless or feeling keyed up or on edge, are easily fatigued, have difficulty concentrating, are feeling irritable, have disturbed sleep patterns or have exaggerated startle response.
“Therapy is done to help people identify triggers and develop coping skills. Medication is also a common treatment; however, many people benefit from a combination of the two,” Dr Naqvi said. “People should also educate themselves about key issues including self-care, sleeping right, eating a healthy meal and being physically active.”
“If one knows that they tend to become anxious, they should use a preventative focus before the anxiety sets in,” she added.
Medical causes of anxiety include cardiovascular problems, asthma, seizures disorder, diabetes, hyperthyroidism or hypothyroidism, inner ear problems, certain medications, and legal or illegal drug use.