Awareness of anxiety disorders

“Anxiety is a natural bodily response to challenging or dangerous situations, and only becomes a problem when it stops being a useful and occasional part of life, and starts being frequent and debilitating. Anxiety is the main symptom of phobias, panic attacks, social anxiety disorder, Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD), Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). This course explores types of anxiety disorders, risk factors, self-help and treatments, and supporting someone with an anxiety disorder.

Learning outcomes

• You will understand how anxiety feels and when anxiety becomes a symptom of a potential mental health condition
• You will understand the impact of anxiety disorders on the individual and those around them
• You will know some strategies for managing anxiety, and be able to advise and support the person you care for or support with their anxiety disorder

Advantages of this course

• People who are at risk of anxiety disorders should be identified and supported at the earliest point – left unsupported and unable to process their negative thoughts and experiences, they may enter into the vicious cycle of anxiety. This course considers strategies for managing anxiety, and supporting someone with a mental health condition
• You will read and watch some personal stories of how anxiety has affected people in their daily life
• The precise cause or causes of anxiety aren’t known, but there are several factors that increase risk of anxiety disorders. This course explores these risk factors.
• This course contains a Video learning resource on ‘Types of Anxiety Disorders’ and an e-Book on ‘Supporting Someone with a Mental Health Condition’, with specific chapters on Anxiety, OCD, and PTSD. A Think and Challenge section asks you to do some of your own research into an interesting topic, and consider how you would respond to a practical scenario.”