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Anxiety Overview
Anxiety in New Zealand and Beyond
Anxiety is a common mental health condition that can cause significant distress and impair daily life. In New Zealand, anxiety affects a large proportion of the population, with nearly 15% of adults reporting symptoms of an anxiety disorder in the previous 12 months. This equates to around 582,000 adults in New Zealand. This is higher than the global average of about 10%.
Anxiety is also more prevalent in women than men, with nearly 17% of women reporting symptoms of an anxiety disorder compared to around 12% of men. These statistics highlight the significant impact of anxiety on the mental health and well-being of individuals in New Zealand and the need for effective support and treatment options.
Globally, anxiety affects millions of people. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), anxiety disorders are the most common mental health condition globally, affecting an estimated 275 million people. This is around 3.6% of the global population.
The prevalence of anxiety varies by region and country, but it is generally more common in high-income countries. In some countries, the prevalence of anxiety can be as high as 10-15% of the population.
The global impact of anxiety is significant, with the condition being a leading cause of disability and lost productivity. It is also associated with increased healthcare costs and a range of negative health outcomes, including an increased risk of cardiovascular disease and mortality.
Anxiety Disorders
Ordinary mild anxiety is a normal part of being human. It comes and goes in relation to ‘life stuff’ but doesn’t interfere with your everyday life. Feeling anxious about starting a new job, having an operation, or sitting for an exam is normal. The anxiety of this type is unpleasant, but it can motivate you to work harder or do a better job.
Feelings of fear and anxiety can become extremely persistent, and at times very strong, for people who develop anxiety disorders. These feelings can become very intense and can sometimes be debilitating.
Having an anxiety disorder may cause you to stop doing things you enjoy. For example, it may prevent you from catching up with friends, entering a busy shopping mall, crossing the road, or in extreme cases, leaving your house. If left untreated, the anxiety can keep getting worse.
Anxiety disorders are the most typical form of emotional disorder and can affect anyone.
Phobia
Phobias differ from other anxiety disorders as they relate to a specific cause. A phobia is an excessive fear of a specific situation, object, or activity. A person with a phobia might know a fear extreme or illogical but still remain unable to control feelings of anxiety around the trigger.
Panic Disorder
This means you experience brief or sudden attacks of intense terror and apprehension. Pain attacks often occur at unexpected times and escalate rapidly, peaking after 10 minutes; in more severe cases, they could last for hours. These attacks can lead to breathing difficulties, nausea, confusion and shaking.
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
Having obsessive-compulsive disorder means you have repeated unwanted thoughts or sensations that lead you to perform specific, repeated behaviours. Some people can have both obsessions (thoughts) and compulsions (the act of doing something).
Social anxiety disorder
Social anxiety disorder is an overwhelming, extreme fear of being judged by others in social situations or of public embarrassment. This disorder can cause people to avoid human contact and public situations to the point that everyday living is extremely difficult. Social anxiety disorder includes a range of feelings, such as a fear of intimacy, stage fright, and anxiety around rejection and humiliation.
Separation Anxiety Disorder
This means you have high levels of fear and anxiety after being separated from a place or person that provides feelings of security or safety. Separation might sometimes result in panic symptoms.
Anxiety Symptoms
Anxiety symptoms differ for each person. Feelings can vary from butterflies in your stomach to a racing heart. You may feel out of control like there’s a disconnect between your mind and body. You may have a general sense of dread and worry, or it may be that you fear a specific place or event. In some instances, you may experience a panic attack.
Excessive worry can involve persistent and intense worry or fear about everyday situations, events, or activities. This worry may be unrealistic or disproportionate to the actual likelihood of harm or danger. People with anxiety may find it difficult to control their worry and may experience a range of physical symptoms as a result, such as muscle tension, restlessness, and fatigue.
Panic attacks are a particularly intense symptom of anxiety, and involve sudden and intense episodes of fear or discomfort, often accompanied by physical symptoms such as chest pain, rapid heartbeat, and shortness of breath. Panic attacks can be frightening and overwhelming, and may lead to avoidance behaviours or increased anxiety about future panic attacks.
Irritability involves feeling easily frustrated or agitated or having a short fuse. This can be due to the tension and stress that comes with anxiety, as well as the impact that anxiety can have on daily life and relationships.
Sleep Disturbances
Sleep disturbances are also common in anxiety disorders, and may involve difficulty falling or staying asleep, or experiencing restless, unsatisfying sleep. This can contribute to fatigue and daytime drowsiness, and can interfere with daily activities.
Physical symptoms can include heart palpitations, sweating, trembling, shortness of breath, and stomach discomfort. These physical symptoms can be distressing and uncomfortable and may interfere with daily activities and relationships.
Obsessive thoughts or behaviours are another symptom of anxiety and may involve persistent and intrusive thoughts, images, or impulses that are difficult to control, or repetitive behaviours that are performed to alleviate anxiety. These obsessive thoughts and behaviours can interfere with daily life and relationships and can be distressing for the person experiencing them.
Avoidance behaviours involve avoiding situations or places that may trigger anxiety symptoms, such as social events or crowded spaces. This avoidance can make it difficult to participate in important activities and can contribute to feelings of isolation and loneliness.
Hypervigilance is a symptom of anxiety that involves feeling constantly on guard or experiencing an exaggerated startle response. This can make it difficult to relax and feel safe and may contribute to feelings of anxiety and fear.
Anxiety Diagnosis
There is not a single test that can diagnose anxiety. An anxiety diagnosis requires a lengthy process of mental health tests, physical examinations and psychological questionnaires.
During an initial evaluation, the healthcare provider will likely ask about symptoms and medical history, as well as any other factors that may be contributing to anxiety, such as medication use or substance abuse. They may also perform a physical exam and order laboratory tests, like urine or blood tests that help to rule out any underlying medical conditions that could be causing the symptoms.
Several anxiety tests and scales are also used to help a doctor assess the level of anxiety you’re experiencing. These include:
Severn Clinics Supports Successful Holistic Care Of
Severn Clinics Supports Successful Holistic Care Of
FIBROMYALGIA
CHRONIC PAIN
DEPRESSION
ANXIETY
STRESS
OCD
PTSD
TRAUMA
INSOMNIA
ADD & ADHD
CHRONIC FATIGUE
MOOD DISORDERS
Session Selection
Individual Session
A single session is perfect if you need a little mental relaxation during moments of heighten stress. Ideal to help combat the effects of, or prepare for a busy week.
Course Of Sessions
We recommend a course of sessions if you are looking at supporting a specific outcome. A course typically lasts five or ten weeks, where one or two light sessions per week can be scheduled.
This course protocol is then repeated every 2 to 3 months. Maintenance or relaxation sessions can be completed weekly or fortnightly during this more focused period; this is especially recommended if work or life stresses are significant.
Session Selection
Individual Session
A single session is perfect if you need a little mental relaxation during moments of heighten stress. Ideal to help combat the effects of, or prepare for a busy week.
Course Of Sessions
We recommend a course of sessions if you are looking at supporting a specific outcome. A course typically lasts five or ten weeks, where one or two light sessions per week can be scheduled.
This course protocol is then repeated every 2 to 3 months. Maintenance or relaxation sessions can be completed weekly or fortnightly during this more focused period; this is especially recommended if work or life stresses are significant.
Example Severn Clinics Sessions
No More Anxiety
Length: 30 minutes
Shake The Snow Globe
Length: 30 minutes
Return To Happiness
Length: 30 minutes
Purpose: Anxiety, Tension, Fear, and Stress Relief / Calm Awareness and Focus/Feelings of Well-being
Purpose: Neural Reset / Personal Development / Therapeutic Enhancement
Purpose: Mood Enhancing
Feeling: Gentle, Chilled, Sleepy, Peaceful, Calming, Enjoyable
Feeling: Gentle, Peaceful, Calming
Feeling: Gentle, Peaceful, Calming
Frequencies: 0.1Hz, SMR variable (13 -14 Hz)
Frequencies: 60Hz, 10.5Hz + mixed beta
Frequencies: Mixed SMR, Theta, and Medium Beta (plus matched isochronic tones)
Anxiety is probably the most prevalent challenge for people in modern times. Research shows that it’s not just an overabundance of higher brain waves that are more common in people with anxiety but a lack of coherence in the lower brain frequencies. This session is designed to help you retrain yourself into an idling state. The idling state is where you are ready to either take action or relax.
When you shake a snow globe, white ‘snow’ particles swirl around and slowly settle in a new pattern. People often use this opportunity to make a wish for the future. To say ‘Shake the snow globe’ in conversation refers to chaos or change. It means creating purposeful chaos before letting that chaos turn into a new normal. In essence, it’s a type of reset that allows for change. This session is designed to put the brain into a state of plasticity or malleability, so it’s open to change, new learnings and new habits. It gives you a great base to work from. There is no specific audio designed for this session, so you can either choose a pre-recorded meditation session or simply go into the session with an intention and use a piece of music that allows you to drift off.
Return to Happiness is a perfect pick me up. Feeling low can be all consuming and hard to break out of. This session is designed to help you break out of the habitual mindset of feeling low or depressed.
It’s great to use a session to get you feeling better temporarily. Better still though is to start to train your brain to be in the frequencies of mind that encourage happy moods. What shows in experience and research to be most effective in this goal is to encourage a brain state that is ready for action but relaxed – SMR or Low Beta. This session has a stable core of SMR with some moving Theta and Beta to further enhance the effects
Example Severn Clinics Sessions
No More Anxiety
Length: 30 minutes
Purpose: Anxiety, Tension, Fear, and Stress Relief / Calm Awareness and Focus/Feelings of Well-being
Feeling: Gentle, Chilled, Sleepy, Peaceful, Calming, Enjoyable
Frequencies: 0.1Hz, SMR variable (13 -14 Hz)
Anxiety is probably the most prevalent challenge for people in modern times. Research shows that it’s not just an overabundance of higher brain waves that are more common in people with anxiety but a lack of coherence in the lower brain frequencies. This session is designed to help you retrain yourself into an idling state. The idling state is where you are ready to either take action or relax.
Shake The Snow Globe
Length: 30 minutes
Purpose: Neural Reset / Personal Development / Therapeutic Enhancement
Feeling: Gentle, Peaceful, Calming
Frequencies: 60Hz, 10.5Hz + mixed beta
When you shake a snow globe, white ‘snow’ particles swirl around and slowly settle in a new pattern. People often use this opportunity to make a wish for the future. To say ‘Shake the snow globe’ in conversation refers to chaos or change. It means creating purposeful chaos before letting that chaos turn into a new normal. In essence, it’s a type of reset that allows for change. This session is designed to put the brain into a state of plasticity or malleability, so it’s open to change, new learnings and new habits. It gives you a great base to work from. There is no specific audio designed for this session, so you can either choose a pre-recorded meditation session or simply go into the session with an intention and use a piece of music that allows you to drift off.
Return To Happiness
Length: 30 minutes
Purpose: Mood Enhancing
Feeling: Gentle, Peaceful, Calming
Frequencies: Mixed SMR, Theta, and Medium Beta (plus matched isochronic tones)
Return to Happiness is a perfect pick me up. Feeling low can be all consuming and hard to break out of. This session is designed to help you break out of the habitual mindset of feeling low or depressed.
It’s great to use a session to get you feeling better temporarily. Better still though is to start to train your brain to be in the frequencies of mind that encourage happy moods. What shows in experience and research to be most effective in this goal is to encourage a brain state that is ready for action but relaxed – SMR or Low Beta. This session has a stable core of SMR with some moving Theta and Beta to further enhance the effects
Online Consultation
Book an online consultation and get personalized advice from the comfort of your home. Our licensed practitioners are here to assess your concerns, provide expert diagnosis, and offer treatment recommendations—all through a secure virtual session.
Call or Text
027 508 8083
tobias@severnclinics.co.nz
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