Featured Painting Title: Drugs and Alcohol
By Hien Bui
"The pink background describes the 'high feelings' but inside the pink there is a dark part as depression comes out when all of the 'high' feelings disappear. The white smoke coming out of the pot has a figure of a skull of the life threatening habit."
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Risk factors of anxiety
Anxiety is mostly caused by perceived threats in the environment, but some people are more likely than others to react with anxiety when they are threatened. People most at risk of developing an anxiety disorder are those who:
• Have a more sensitive emotional nature and who tend to see the world as threatening
• Have a history of anxiety in childhood or adolescence, including marked shyness
• Are female
• Abuse alcohol
• Experience a traumatic event.
There are some family factors that increase risk for anxiety disorders:
• A difficult childhood (for example, experiencing physical, emotional, or sexual abuse, neglect, or over-strictness)
• A family background which involves poverty or a lack of job skills
• A family history of anxiety disorders
• Parental alcohol problems
• Separation and divorce.
Anxiety symptoms can also result from:
• Some medical conditions such as hyperthyroidism, arrhythmias, respiratory conditions such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder, metabolic conditions such as vitamin B12 deficiency
• Side effects of certain prescription and nonprescription medications
• Intoxication with alcohol, amphetamines, caffeine, cannabis, cocaine, hallucinogens and inhalants
• Withdrawal from alcohol, cocaine, sedatives and anti-anxiety medications.
Some people develop ways of reducing their anxiety that cause further problems. For example, people with phobias avoid anxiety-provoking situations. This avoidance reduces their anxiety in the short term, but can limit their lives in significant ways. Similarly, people with compulsions reduce their anxiety by repetitive acts such as washing hands. The compulsions then become problems in themselves. Some people will use drugs and alcohol to cope with anxiety, which can increase anxiety in the long term.
Importance of early intervention for anxiety
It is important that anxiety disorders are recognised and treated early because they can have a major impact on a person's subsequent life.
Anxiety disorders often develop in childhood and adolescence and, if they are not treated, the person is more likely to have a range of adverse outcomes later in life such as depression, alcohol dependence, drug dependence, suicide attempts, lowered educational achievement and early parenthood. Because of these long-term consequences, it is very important that anxiety disorders are recognised early and people get appropriate professional help.
Crises associated with anxiety
Crises that may be associated with anxiety are:
• The person goes into a panic attack
• The person has experienced a traumatic event
• The person has suicidal thoughts and behaviours
• The person is engaging in non-suicidal self-injury
Panic attack
More than one in four people have a panic attack at some time in their lives. Few go on to have repeated attacks, and fewer still go on to develop panic disorder or agoraphobia.
Although anyone can have a panic attack, people with anxiety disorders are more prone to them.
Traumatic event
A traumatic event is any event which is perceived to be traumatic by the person who experiences it. Most people who experience a traumatic event do not develop a mental illness.
Others experience symptoms of severe stress and may go on to develop acute stress disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder, another anxiety disorder or depression. People at most risk of developing mental illness after a traumatic event are those who are prone to depression or anxiety before the event and those who feel horror or powerlessness during the event.
Suicidal thoughts and behaviours
Extreme levels of anxiety are the most obvious crisis seen in people with anxiety disorders.
However, there is also the possibility of suicidal thoughts. The risk of suicide in people with anxiety disorders is not as high as for some other mental illnesses. However, the risk increases if a person also has a depressive or substance use disorder. Of people who have had an anxiety disorder in the past 12 months, approximately 2% attempt suicide. Therefore, in any interaction with a person with an anxiety disorder, be alert to any warning signs of suicide.
Non-suicidal self-injury
Anxiety disorders greatly increase the risk for non-suicidal self-injury. Non-suicidal self-injury may be a coping mechanism for feelings of unbearable anxiety.