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Self-Report Anxiety Scale
- Results
- A score of 50 or more indicates a clinical degree
of anxiety. A heightened degree of anxiety can complicate
every aspect of one's life. It can lead to physical ailments,
troubled relationships due to impatience or irritability.
One is more likely to get traffic tickets when stressed,
or to make problematic mistakes at work. Look up Anxiety
Disorders on the "disorders"
page of Psych-Net Mental Health, for more information.
Here is an Article from Dr. Weil:
Fighting
Social Fears?
Q.I
saw something on TV the other day about a medication for social
anxiety but didn't catch the name. I believe I'm affected
and would like some information and help.
A. (Published
12/16/99) If you've got social anxiety, sometimes called
social phobia, you're not alone. Some ten million Americans
are affected to some degree. Essentially, social phobia is
the fear of being criticized, embarrassed, or humiliated in
social situations. People affected usually believe that all
eyes are on them. They may suffer panic attacks, complete
with heart palpitations, trembling, blushing, nausea, lightheadedness,
stomach discomfort, shortness of breath, or heavy sweating
when confronting social situations.
Researchers suspect that neurotransmitter-receptor abnormalities
in the brain play a role in the development of social phobias.
However, low self-esteem, coupled with past rejections by
peers, having poor social skills, or having suffered from
some type of public embarrassment, can also play a role in
making you extremely shy. You may be able to address some
of these issues via "exposure therapy," which slowly introduces
you to the specific situations you fear. Talk to a psychologist
if you want more information on this treatment.
I'm not surprised that you heard about using drugs to treat
social phobia. Quite a few, strong prescription medications
are used for this purpose, including the anti-anxiety drugs
Xanax (alprazolam) and Valium (diazepam); as well as beta-blockers
such as Inderal (propranolol) and Tenormin (atenolol), which
are approved for controlling high blood pressure and some
heart problems. Other medications include MAO inhibitors,
such as Nardil (phenelzine) and Parnate (tranylcypromine),
and serotonin specific reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), such as
Prozac (fluoxetine), Paxil (paroxetine), Zoloft (sertraline),
and Luvox (fluvoxamine).
Instead of drugs -- which can interfere with mental function,
contribute to depression, and lead to dependence -- I suggest
you make some changes that can help you control your anxiety,
which is a major underlying problem:
- Avoid coffee; it is a stimulant that can heighten anxiety.
- Do breathing exercises. It's the single most effective
relaxation technique I know.
- Take passion flower, a mild tranquilizer that's safer
than pharmaceuticals. It comes in tinctures, extracts, and
capsules; the recommended dosage is one dropper full of
the tincture in a little warm water, or two capsules of
extract, up to four times a day as needed.
And finally, you may want to try hypnotherapy. It can give
you a sense of what it feels like to be relaxed and open --
and teach you the tools to re-create a similar state on your
own.
- Can Repressed Anger Cause Psoriasis?
Click Here to read
an interesting article.
- Or visit the National
Institute of Anxiety disorders.
Click
Here for More Quizes and Tests
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