Anxiety, Fears and Phobias. Research, Treatments. Complementary Therapy Clinic, Hypnotherapy and Hypnosis

Depression and anxiety affect up to 15 percent of preschoolers

Almost 15 percent of preschoolers have atypically high levels of depression and anxiety, according to a new study published in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry. The five-year investigation also found that children with atypically high depression and anxiety levels are more likely to have mothers with a history of depression. 

University of Montreal 08 09

Stress ...

Whether it's getting a cold during exam time or feeling run-down after a big meeting, we've all experienced feeling sick following a particularly stressful time at work or school. Is this merely coincidence, or is it possible that stress can actually make us sick? In a new report in Perspectives on Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science, psychologist Janice K. Kiecolt-Glaser from the Ohio State University College of Medicine reviews research investigating how stress can wreak havoc on our bodies.

Patients with anxiety disorders think they have more physiological problems than they really have, according to a study 

Palpitations, sweating, irregular breathing, shaking of the hands and muscular tension are some of the symptoms that patients with anxiety disorders think they suffer, although the implementation of physiological tests has proved they are, in fact, less intense than what they subjectively feel. The research work has been developed with 83 patients with anxiety disorders in the program of “Evaluation and Treatment of Anxiety Disorders” of the Clinical Psychology Unit of the Faculty of Psychology of the University of Granada (Spain). 

A doctoral thesis carried out at the University of Granada has proved that patients with serious anxiety disorders (panic disorder with and without agoraphobia, social anxiety disorder or generalized anxiety disorder) think they suffer more physiological (palpitations, sweating, irregular breathing, shaking of the hands and muscular tension …) than they really have. In other words, although many patients with anxiety disorders have orally reported very intense physiological symptoms in surveys and questionnaires, they are hyperactive when real measures of such symptoms are taken through physiological tests.

The research work was conducted by Professor Mª Isabel Viedma del Jesus and supervised by dirigida Professors Jaime Vila Castellar and Mª Carmen Fernández- Santaella, of the department of Personality, Evaluation and Physiological Treatment. It was carried out with 83 patients who had been diagnosed any of the following anxiety disorders: panic disorder with and without agoraphobia, social anxiety, generalized anxiety and specific phobias. They all were looked after in the of “Evaluation and Treatment of Anxiety Disorders” of the Clinical Psychology Unit of the Faculty of Psychology.

Less serious patients

This work has also revealed that those patients who suffer a less serious anxiety disorder, such as those who have been diagnosed specific phobias (excessive and irrational fear of a certain object or situation, such as certain animals, blood or open wounds, heights, storms, closed spaces…) show a high reactivity in the physiological tests. Viedma stresses the existence of relationship between the capacity to react physiologically and the prognosis of therapeutic success, as it is patients with specific phobias who benefit most of the cognitive- behavioral treatment. Therefore, we can state that the presence of physiological symptoms is a good improvement predictor in anxiety disorder patients.

Prevalence in society

In accordance with the researcher, anxiety disorders are the most prevalent psycho-pathological problem in European countries. According to US statistics, the prevalence of specific phobias ranges between 8.8 and 12.5% of the general population. Although few of the persons who show specific fears come into the category of phobic, nearly 11% of such people have fears serious enough to affect their lives significantly.

Department of Personality, Evaluation and Psychological Treatment of the University of Granada (UGR). 13 Nov 08

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Panic attacks linked to higher risk of heart attacks and heart disease, especially in younger people

People who have been diagnosed with panic attacks or panic disorder have a greater risk of subsequently developing heart disease or suffering a heart attack than the normal population, with higher rates occurring in younger people, according to research published in Europe's leading cardiology journal, the European Heart Journal. 

"Panic disorder and risk of new onset coronary heart disease, acute myocardial infarction, and cardiac mortality: cohort study using the general practice research database". European Heart Journal 2008 29 (24): 2981-2988. doi:10.1093/eurheartj/ehn477.

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