Anxiety is a state with which we are all familiar. Perhaps before exams, before being ticked off by parents, going to see the bank manager…..the list goes on! But the problem become of real significance if the symptoms become out of control, such as excessive sweating, trembling or inability to speak effectively (the equivalent of actors’ stage fright); or where symptoms persist for a protracted, perhaps continual, period of time (medically this is called ‘chronic’). This may extend to becoming actually a phobia, where certain things can scarcely be contemplated, like going in lifts or on planes.

There are many symptoms with anxiety and they even be so subtle that the individual is unaware of the cause- so-called psychosomatic symptoms. These might include difficulty swallowing, difficulty ‘catching your breath’ at rest (even though you can go on a 2 mile run), tiredness (as it is tiring being worried all the time), pins and needles, a sense of ‘dread’ and bowel upset.

There are successful treatments available for helping anxiety: establishing the cause and the background and then addressing symptoms - usually by a mixture of practical steps, a degree of looking into the underlying mechanisms and sometimes medication, usually prescribed for the short-term.