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Anxiety Articles

Written By Dr Elaine Ryan.

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Dr Elaine Ryan PsychD is a highly experienced Chartered Psychologist with 20+ years of experience in treating OCD and Anxiety Disorders. Member of the British Psychological Society (BPS), Division of Neuropsychology | EuroPsy Registered| Member of The UK Society For Behavioural Medicine 

Does anxiety run in families?

When I work with people with anxiety, people often say that one or both of their parents or brothers or sisters are anxious.  It makes sense to the person that maybe anxiety is just in their family – it is in the genes. My concern is that if the person accepts that it is part … Read more

Breathing into a paper bag for hyperventilation

Does it work or not? Many people believe that breathing into a paper bag will help them if they are hyperventilating.  Usually, if a person has a panic attack, someone will pull out the trusty brown paper bag and ask the distressed person to breathe into it. First, we must look at why people think … Read more

Medical conditions that mimic panic attacks

December 14, 2024 When someone comes to see me with symptoms of anxiety or panic, the first thing I do is rule out medical causes first.  There are medical conditions that mimic the symptoms of anxiety. You may have panic attacks, but the underlying cause may not be anxiety.  It is essential, therefore, to know … Read more

Performance Anxiety – Treatment and Tips

What is performance anxiety? Performance anxiety is said to occur when you experience anxiety before giving some performance in front of other people. Who gets performance anxiety? I shall break it into the following subtopics to answer this most effectively. Stage Fright Sexual performance anxiety Social Anxiety Stage Fright Stage fright describes the anxiety experienced … Read more

Nocturnal Panic Attacks – While Sleeping

What is a nocturnal panic attack? A nocturnal panic attack is an attack that occurs in your sleep and will result in you waking up in a panic, often sweating, with palpitations and feeling extremely fearful. What causes panic attacks in your sleep? There is no cause specifically for nocturnal panic attacks; instead, if you … Read more