Services
ANXIETY DISORDERS
Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)
Treatments for GAD rely heavily on anxiety management and identifying and changing worrying thoughts.
If you have Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD), you know yourself to be someone who constantly worries. For GAD to be diagnosed, it is likely that you have been prone to excessive worry and anxiety, occurring most days for at least 6 months. Additional symptoms can include irritability, muscle tension, and fatigue, sleep difficulties and disturbances in the gut, to mention a few.
Cognitive therapy and relaxation therapy have shown to be only somewhat effective in treating worry and only slightly better than talk therapy (Borkovec and Costello, 1993). The metacognitive model (Wells, 1997) has proven more successful and focuses specifically on counterproductive thought control strategies, the uncontrollability of worry, negative beliefs about the danger of worrying and positive beliefs that support the overreliance on worrying as a coping strategy.
Panic Disorder
Treatment for Panic Disorder can include Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), antidepressant medication, benzodiazepine medication and cannabidiol or CBD. Panic-focused psychodynamic psychotherapy (PFPP) has also shown to be effective and the focus here is on symptoms and the dynamics of panic disorder.
Panic Disorder refers to recurrent panic attacks and may include palpitations, sweating, numbness or tingling sensations and fear of “going crazy” or fear of dying.
OBSESSIVE COMPULSIVE DISORDER (OCD)
Behaviour therapy is an especially effective treatment for OCD
OCD is characterized by intrusive thoughts and is associated with order, contamination, harm to self or others, violence and many other distressing topics. Although called thoughts, they can often be images or scenes that enter the sufferer’s mind and cause distress. In addition, many sufferers engage in rituals or compulsions in order to reduce their anxiety.
TRAUMA AND STRESS RELATED DISORDERS
Acute Stress Disorder
Acute stress disorder is likely to appear after directly experiencing, witnessing, or hearing about a traumatic event. Symptoms of arousal and negative mood begin or worsen after the traumatic events occur.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
PTSD refers to repeated or extreme exposure to traumatic events and can affect anyone, but it is best understood in the context of military service, first responders and police officers. As a result intrusive memories of thetraumatic events, flashbacks and prolonged psychological distress occurs.
Adjustment Disorder
This refers to the development of symptoms such as marked distress in response to an identifiable stressor occurring within 3 months of the onset of the stressors.
DEPRESSIVE DISORDERS
Major depression
Dysthymia
Dysthymia refers to a depressed mood for at least 2 years, without an episode of mania.
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Anxiety and Depression in Adults
Dr Nitsa Stylianou is the principal psychologist at anxiety and depression.