Some anxiety is normal and indeed beneficial as it helps us to take greater care in certain situations or to prepare for things more thoroughly. It becomes a problem when it is a constant feeling which is out of proportion to the situation we are in. This is very distressing and can exert a severely limiting effect on the lives of those affected. Anxiety negatively affects about 15% of the population.

Types of anxiety that I can help with include:

-Panic attacks.

-Generalised anxiety disorder (GAD) where you are always anticipating disaster and worrying excessively.

-Specific phobias, an intense, irrational fear of something which can lead to avoidance of certain situations, places or things. Examples of specific phobias are: flying, driving, heights, water, being sick, dogs or other animals, lifts, tunnels, closed-in or open spaces.

-Social anxiety, where you fear and avoid social situations.

-Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) This is characterised by persistent unwanted thoughts and the performance of rituals to prevent those thoughts from occurring. For example, you may have an obsessive thought that your house is going to burn down, and then be compelled to check that sockets and devices are turned off in order to stop this happening. The performance of the rituals is extremely time consuming and any relief which it brings from the thoughts is only short-lived.

Because panic and anxiety problems can be so debilitating, they are often accompanied by other problems which will need treating as well: depression, low-self esteem, alcohol misuse for example.