Anxiety - National Service Project
** All screening/assessment tools are designed to help determine if individuals should see a mental health professional for proper diagnosis and treatment. They are in no way to replace the diagnosis and treatment of mental health professional.**
Signs and Symptoms of Anxiety Disorder:
- abdominal discomfort
- diarrhoea
- dry mouth
- rapid heartbeat or palpitations
- tightness or pain in chest
- shortness of breath
- dizziness
- frequent urination
- difficulty swallowing
- insomnia
- irritability or anger
- inability to concentrate
- fear of madness
- feeling unreal and not in control of your actions (depersonalization)
Types of Anxiety Disorders:
Acute Stress Reaction
This type of reaction typically occurs after an unexpected life crisis such as bereavement. Sometimes symptoms occur before a forthcoming event, such as an important exam. This is called situational anxiety. Symptoms usually settle fairly quickly and no treatment may be needed.
Adjustment Reaction
This is similar to acute stress reaction, but symptoms develop over days or weeks after a stressful situation, for example as a reaction to a divorce. Symptoms tend to improve over a few weeks or so.
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
This may follow after experiencing or witnessing a traumatic event such as a major accident or military combat. Anxiety is only one of the symptoms, which may come and go. The person may re-live their traumatic experience in dreams or flashbacks. It is normal to react with anxiety to a frightening experience - the term PTSD is only applied if symptoms persist. It may start years after the triggering event.
Phobias
A phobia is a fear that is out of proportion to the real danger posed by the thing or event that triggers it. Phobias interfere with a person's ability to lead a normal life. The most common phobias are fear of heights, spiders, mice, blood, injections or enclosed space (claustrophobia). Social phobia is one of the more common phobias. Meeting people causes anxiety and people are worried about what others think of them. One form of social phobia is severe anxiety about speaking or performing in public. It is common to feel nervous in these situations, but people with social phobia find these activities impossible. Agoraphobia, another common phobia, is a fear of various places and situations, such as crowds or public places.
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
This consists of recurring obsessions or compulsions. Obsessions are recurring thoughts or images that cause feelings of disgust. Common obsessions include germs, dirt or violence. Compulsions are thoughts or actions that people feel they must do or repeat. A compulsion is usually a response to ease the anxiety of an obsession. Excessive hand washing to deal with an obsession about dirt, for example.
Panic Disorder
This is characterized by panic attacks - a sudden sense of anxiety that occurs without warning and with no apparent trigger. The physical symptoms of anxiety can be very severe. Panic attacks usually last 5-10 minutes.
Ways to Screen:
Anxiety Disorders Association of America Screening Tools:
Anxiety Self Assessment Tool http://psychcentral.com/quizzes/anxiety.htm
Freedom from Fear, a non-profit Mental illness Advocacy Organization, offers an Anxiety Self Assessment http://www.freedomfromfear.com/screenrm.asp
The California Psychology Network offers a free and confidential anxiety assessment http://www.calpsy.net/mh/ai.htm
Screening for Mental Health offers online screenings for a variety of mental illnesses including anxiety. https://www.mentalhealthscreening.org/screening/select_screening.asp
Virtual Psychology Classroom Anxiety Screening http://allpsych.com/tests/diagnostic/anxiety.html
Organizations to partner with:
