Anxiety that can affect us in a variety of different ways. Sometimes there are specific situations that provoke anxiety, such as social situations or phobias. Sometimes we experience acute intense periods of anxiety in the form of panic attacks.

Other times anxiety doesn’t have a specific focus, and but tends to be more constant and persistent. Instead of the intense bursts of anxiety of a panic attack, sometimes anxiety is more chronic, and often takes the form of excessive and seemingly uncontrollable worrying.

Cognitive behvioural therapy (CBT), sometimes called cogntive therapy, is a type of thereapy that focuses on how various factors within us and our environment interact with each other to to produce and maintain many issues that people struggle with such as anxiety and depression.

In CBT/cognitive therapy, we recgonize that, in addition to your environment, there are generally four components that act together to create and maintain anxiety: the physiological, the cognitive, the behavioural, and the emotional. These are described below.

Among the different types of anxiety, panic attacks can be particularly overwhelming. Panic attacks are intense periods of extreme anxiety that come on suddenly and usually subside within a few minutes, though can sometimes last longer.

People experiencing a panic attack often feel like they’re having a heart attack, or are going to faint or are going crazy. Panic disorder refers to unexpected and repeated panic attacks, accompanied by persistent concern about having another panic attack, or changes in behaviours, such as avoiding certain situations, designed to prevent another panic attack from occurring.

There are any number of reasons that people become depressed. Depression can arise in response to events such as the loss of a relationship or job, or a loved one. Depression can also arise during a stressful period of uncertainty or transition in your life that leads you to questions what you’ve been doing and where you’re headed, leaving you feeling lost and without answers. And sometimes the reasons depression arises may not be clearly defined.

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