Jonathan Haverkampf

I’m lonely, in my 30s and find it very hard to make new friends | Ask Annalisa Barbieri

The people making a difference: the man who set up a mental health walking group for ‘blokes’

Anxiety News, Anxiety Resources, Anxiety Self-Help /

After bottling up his own anxieties for a decade, Scott Oughton-Johnson created a group for other men who’ve felt the same. Now it’s his turn to be treatedScott Oughton-Johnson simply did not talk about his feelings. Not when he separated from the mother of his children a decade ago, and not during their subsequent custody battle.“I was in and out of court for the best part of 10 years,” says the 35-year-old community sports coach from south London. “It was a nightmare. I bottled it all up. People would say, ‘I don’t know how you do it.’ But inside, it was terrible. The stress and anxiety were killing me.” Continue reading…

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I’m lonely, in my 30s and find it very hard to make new friends | Ask Annalisa Barbieri

Panic 101: what to do during a panic attack – and how to prevent them

Anxiety Resources, Anxiety Self-Help, Help with Anxiety /

A sudden episode of intense fear leaves sufferers feeling debilitated and out of control. Practical steps can help to regain calm and avoid future attacksPanic is like a runaway train. A form of acute anxiety that quickly spirals out of control. As a psychiatrist, I try to help prevent anxiety from escalating into panic in the first place. There is so much we can do – from getting plenty of sleep to daily breathing exercises, to keeping blood sugar stable – to decrease overall anxiety and eliminate unnecessary stress responses that might otherwise drop us into a state of panic. But sometimes our anxiety passes the point of no return and we find ourselves in a full-blown panic attack – a sudden episode of intense fear, accompanied by physical reactions such as rapid heart rate and shortness of breath.A panic attack is essentially a discrete stress response in the body with no real danger or apparent cause. In a survey of over 3,000 urban residents across the UK, more than half stated that they’d had at least one panic attack in their life, with 14% experiencing them at least once a month. Continue reading…

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I’m lonely, in my 30s and find it very hard to make new friends | Ask Annalisa Barbieri

Therapy v medication? How to choose the best treatment for anxiety

Anxiety News, Anxiety Research /

Medication is often prescribed as a quick-fix but therapy can be more helpful in the long-run, if accessible. Here’s how to work out what is best for youSince the beginning of the pandemic, there has been a soaring demand for mental health services, with an estimated 1.6 million people in England waiting for specialised support, and another 8 million who would benefit but whose deterioration in mental health is not considered serious enough to even get on the waiting list. Anxiety rates have been recorded as rising significantly between 2008 (the year of the financial crash) and 2018, with increases in all age groups under 55, but trebling in young adults.The number of prescriptions issued for anti-anxiety medication has also been rising. Earlier this year, research was published showing that between 2003 and 2008 the use of drugs to treat anxiety was steady, but by 2018 it had risen considerably. During that earlier period, new anti-anxiety prescriptions rose from 25 or 26 per 1,000 person years at risk – a measure of the prevalence of anxiety – to 43.6 in 2018. Nearly twice the number of women are being prescribed medication as men. Continue reading…

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bipolar

Anxiety Discussion Forum /

I’m becoming confident that I’m bipolar with general anxiety disorder. I do not drink alcohol or caffeine, I will try to eat more unfried fish as I’ve read that helps. Are their any other tips from anyone who is knowledgeable about bipolar for managing symptoms that don’t involve medication. Any and all advise would be

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Does anyone have any idea what is wrong with me? why am I so anxious for no reason, seemingly out of nowhere?

Anxiety Discussion Forum /

Hi Cornelius, You may want to find out with a good therapist where the anxiety is coming from. Very often, past experiences can reach into the present, and resolving them can be very helpful. If for any reason, one’s feelings of safety and security have been affected by situations or events, that can lower the

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