CANADIAN ADULT CONGENITAL HEART NETWORK


	The Beat Newsletter Archive 2009/2010 TCCCA update Winter 2009 Many things have happened at the Toronto Clinic over the last few months. We have said goodbye to some... + read more CCHA Updates Winter 2009 First ‘Beat Retreat’ camp a big success More than a dozen adult CHD patients – along with a cardiac care nurse... + read more Anxiety Winter 2009 The quiet agony of worry, so far, insidiously confined internally, first in tightness, in shallow breaths, in fearful ‘I wonder’,... + read more Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy and Genetics Winter 2009 Recently I attended the conference, “Diagnosis and Management of Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy and Prevention of Sudden Death: The Next 50 Years”,... + read more -------------------------------------------------- Sign-Up for Updates First Name Last Name Email Address Click here to unsubscribe			PRINT ARTICLE Anxiety Season: Winter 2009 Submitted By: June Yee, MSW, RSW Adult Congenital Heart Clinical Social Worker Peter Lougheed Centre, Calgary, Alberta The quiet agony of worry, so far, insidiously confined internally, first in tightness, in shallow breaths, in fearful ‘I wonder’, or ‘what- if’ thoughts, pained clenching muscles in the shoulders, back, arms, prolonged, ever present, instead of the sleep that should be caressing the night. Sudden captivating alarm, panic, deep horrible fear is triggered by something. The mind drifts to concerns about nothing so important, about everything perhaps unimportant, but with the persuasive power to shape the course of the rest of the day. Sometimes anxiety just drifts away but sometimes it lingers. Sometimes it just takes over. Sometimes it is difficult to put a name on this feeling, this anxiety. This is a common presentation for people experiencing an episode of anxiety. Is something happening that is life-threatening, normal, simply inconvenient, embarrassing or … what. Sometimes it is hard to distinguish the nature of this beast. Many people have an anxiety event and carry on unscathed. Yet for many others, anxiety is responsible for prompting healthcare visits to emergency departments or other providers. Still, many others try to cope by trying to keep their anxiety a secret. Yet, anxiety can feel like a heart attack. Throughout time, the heart has been acknowledged as an emotional organ. Within the Cardiology world, it is common practice to look at whole body health – body, mind and spirit. Anxiety can become a social affair, its impact felt most dearly by those closest to the sufferer. Often, family members share in becoming adept at knowing how to restore calm, how to interpret the urgency of the threat factor, how to establish patterns of activities that are helpful or not helpful. Anxiety may lead to avoidance of anticipated stressful situations or lead to repetitive rituals to relieve intense feelings. Anxiety can occur with higher frequency in conjunction with medical conditions, device implants or as side effects to some medications. It can be influenced or tempered by diverse factors such as personality, mood, health, genetics, substance abuse, life stage, or life circumstances. Diagnosis of anxiety is usually by DSM-IV-TR (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, American Psychiatric Association) criteria, made by trained and licensed health professionals. DSM definitions help to differentiate types and severities of anxiety, such as situational anxiety, adjustment anxiety, separation anxiety, generalized anxiety, panic, social phobia, agoraphobia, post traumatic stress disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder. Relief from anxiety can involve diverse tailor made programs, with such exercises as breathing and relaxation techniques, desensitization, or cognitive behavioral therapy, biofeedback, family therapy, or medication. Response to treatment can vary from rapid relief to more gradual relief, depending in part on anxiety diagnosis, severity of anxiety, treatment options and persistence. If anxiety is a concern, be sure to discuss it with a health care professional. In addition to family Physicians or Nurse Practitioners, many cities have a Distress Centre or a Mental Health Service that can be contacted to talk about things like anxiety and to help formulate a plan of action for relief.