Elena Lashington¹

and

Mario Pimentel²

¹ Clinical Psychologist

² Educational Neuropsychologist

❤️‍🩹 Racing heart, sweaty hands, rapid breathing, avoidance, thoughts similar to the phrases “what if everything goes wrong?”, “I can’t stand it”, “better not to do it”. Has this happened to you? Has it happened to someone you know?

👉🏼 Anxiety is an emotion associated with fear; we have all experienced it at some point, for example, when we are about to speak in front of an audience or when you are still a child and fear being away from your primary caregivers. Talarn (2015) differentiates fear and anxiety in the way a person experiences a fear, with fear being the emotion felt in the present moment, while anxiety is experienced in response to poorly defined future threats; however, anxiety remains a natural response that appears alongside fear to keep us alert to situations that represent a challenge, discomfort, or potential danger, helping us cope with such situations, therefore, it is not in itself a disorder, and it is unrealistic to believe that we should never feel it.

👀 However, like many things in life, excess is not good, and anxiety can become a disorder, that is, a clinically significant alteration of thoughts, behaviors, and emotions, when it stops helping us adapt to our daily lives and becomes an interference in our daily activities, generating avoidance, hypervigilance, becoming very frequent, excessive, and intense, and continues in this way for about 6 months or more in adults or a shorter time in children, as indicated by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders in its fifth edition (DSM-5, 2014). Depending on the situation that provokes fear, avoidant behaviors, associated thoughts, age (DSM-5, 2014), biological and contextual factors (Ruiz & Lago, 2005), anxiety disorders can be differentiated into separation anxiety disorder, panic disorders, social anxiety, agoraphobia, generalized anxiety, among others.

⭐️ It is common for people to seek consultation after going to the doctor, getting examined, and finding out that there is no problem, but they continue to identify physical symptoms that appear for no apparent reason: tension in the body, blurred vision, racing heart, headache, rapid and shallower breathing, weakness in the legs, stomach discomfort, feeling of choking, among others (García-Herrera & Nogueras, 2013); in children, it is also common to find drops in academic performance, refusal to attend school or sleep, frequent crying, tantrums, etc. (Ruiz & Lago, 2005).

🤓 Do you notice that something like what has been mentioned has definitely happened to you or that you know someone who seems to be experiencing something similar? If so, remember that you can approach mental health professionals and seek support to evaluate what is happening.

🔎 Clinical psychologists often support clinical diagnosis with interviews, behavioral observations, and psychological tests such as the Beck Anxiety Inventories BYI-II and BAI, State-Trait Anxiety Questionnaire STAI, Educational-Clinical Questionnaire Anxiety and Depression CECAD, among others, to subsequently provide an intervention tailored to the individual needs of each client.

One of the most effective psychological interventions for anxiety disorders in children, adolescents, and adults is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (Barlow, 2018; Kendall, 2009; Ruiz & Lago, 2005). This type of therapy seeks to psychoeducate individuals about the issue and create self-awareness, then train them in coping tools that help reduce their symptoms and recover their well-being. The time in therapy can vary according to the individual needs and situations of those attending their intervention process; it is advisable to commit to active collaborative work.

If you need further guidance or require a psychological evaluation, at the Comprehensive Center for Educational Neuropsychology, we will be available to receive your inquiries, and you can confidently schedule an appointment by calling or writing to +507 6535-6362 📲

📚References

  • ✅ American Psychological Association [APA]. (2014). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5).
  • ✅ Barlow D. (2018). Clinical Manual of Psychological Disorders, step-by-step treatment. Editorial Manual Moderno S.A. de C.V.
  • ✅ Cárdenas E.M., Feria M., Palacios L., De la Peña F. (2010). Clinical Guide for Anxiety Disorders in Children and Adolescents. Ed. S. Berenzon,
  • ✅ J Del Bosque, J. Alfaro, M. E. Medina-Mora. Mexico: National Institute of Psychiatry. (Series: Clinical Guidelines for the Care of Mental Disorders).
  • ✅ García-Herrera J. M., Nogueras E. V. (2013). Self-Help Guide for Depression and Anxiety Disorders. Andalusian Health Service.
  • ✅ Kendall, P. (2009). The Brave Cat. Akadia Editorial Bookstore.
  • ✅ Ruiz Sancho AM, Lago Pita B. Anxiety disorders in childhood and adolescence. In: AEPap ed. Pediatric Update Course 2005.
  • ✅ Talarn Caparrós, A. (Ed.). (2015). Manual of Clinical Psychopathology: (2nd ed.). Herder Editorial.