Christmas Often anxiety disorders and panic attacks

Anxiety disorders: For many people, Christmas is a horror trip

04/12/2012

While most people enjoy the Advent season and look forward to Christmas, others go through a horror trip just in time for the contemplative season. „Anyone who suffers from social anxiety or panic disorder often finds Christmas approaching a threat“, explained psychotherapist and author Dr. Doris Wolf to the news agency „DAPD“.

According to the expert, anxiety disorders are a widespread phenomenon that affects about every seventh German or has already been affected. People who suffer from anxiety and panic disorders can often hardly enjoy Christmas time, but feel it as an enormous psychological burden, s Wolf. you „fear that they have to endure the closeness of people they do not want to meet at festive gatherings, or they feel lonely just because they have no one with whom they can or want to be together“, reports the psychotherapist. Due to the psychological pressure, those affected also show physical symptoms, such as faster and deeper breathing, increased muscle tension, palpitations and hypertension. Not infrequently, the patients suffer in the course of the panic attacks real fear of death, which also goes back to the noticeable physical symptoms (fear of a heart attack). Christmas is therefore not a reflective season for those affected, but often characterized by significant mental discomfort.

Self-doubt and fears intensified at Christmas time
Numerous factors that healthy people classify as the usual Christmas stress are a significant burden for people with anxiety disorders. They torment, for example, in the food and gift selection or the organization of the party considerable fear of failure. This can also be seen in the calls for telephone counseling, explained Ruth Belzner, psychologist and chairwoman of the Protestant Conference for Telephone Care and Open Doors. Fears and disappointments around Christmas are often the subject of this season. „People around the holidays are thinking about things that displace them in everyday life, disappointment and self-doubt emerge more easily“, so the Belzner statement. Accordingly, the anxiety and the sense of being at the mercy of people with anxiety disorders at Christmas time are particularly intense. This not infrequently also has a significant impact on the behavior of those affected. Sometimes the fear of anxiety in certain situations can sometimes burden them for hours and keep them from important activities, such as shopping or meeting friends and acquaintances. Your everyday life is severely limited by the anxiety disorder. Telephone counseling offers those affected an opportunity to talk about their fears without being judged or even convicted, Ruth Belzner said.

Physical reactions increase the panic attacks
According to psychotherapist Doris Wolf, anxiety is a sensible alarm reaction of the body in which our organism lives „to certain stimuli today as well as our ancestors (responds), who flee in a flash from wild animals, fight with hostile tribes or had to squeeze together quietly.“ However, the physical reactions triggered by this can aggravate panic attacks in patients with anxiety disorders. At first they show typical anxiety symptoms in psychologically stressful situations, such as an increased heart rate. Through the physical reaction, those affected increasingly feel that something is wrong and their fear continues to increase. Without objective reason, they panic. However, according to the expert, anxiety reactions can also be reduced again. To avoid the fear, those affected should first pay attention to what thoughts and fears precede their anxiety, explained Doris Wolf. Patients then have to ask themselves if all the fears are really going to happen or if they exaggerate the extent of the danger themselves.

Unlearn fears again?
Just as fear reactions are learned, they can also be unlearn, explained the expert. Bit by bit, the problem can be remedied, for example by the persons concerned repeatedly confronting the actually harmless situations that cause them panic and saying to themselves: „I know that all my physical symptoms will show up. They are the result of my thoughts. They will pass. I can stand it, they are just unpleasant“, Wolf explained. In their opinion, it is particularly important that patients remain in the situation until the fear subsides. Because this way to face his fear, but a lot of energy, was „for some people a therapeutic support very helpful“, the expert continues. Relaxation techniques such as autogenic training or progressive muscle relaxation (progressive muscle relaxation) are also helpful because „We can not feel fear and relaxation at the same time“, explained Wolf.

Varied causes of anxiety disorders
The cause of the anxiety disorder can be factors such as the stress of Christmas or heavy workloads, but the actual causes of the complaints are, according to current knowledge, extremely complex. For example, genetic, neurobiological and social factors are mentioned by the experts as possible causes of anxiety disorders. Also, physical disorders, such as a thyroid dysfunction (hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism), should be mentioned as possible causes of anxiety. In the course of the diagnosis should therefore urgently the disease history of the patients but also their personal development course be considered. (Fp)

Also read:
fear of exams
66 percent are afraid to forget the phone
scared of spiders

Picture: Gerd Altmann / Carlsberg1988