Anxiety Assessment Questionnaire

Why: Intermittent anxiety suggests the possibility of epilepsy, phaeochromocytoma, insulinoma or intermittent cardiac arrhythmia.

Why: E.g. interpersonal relationships, physical health, occupational stressors or financial worries - anxiety states are usually in some understandable relationship to stressful life events.

Why: e.g. sexual assault, natural disaster, battle? - may indicate Post-traumatic stress disorder which can occur with other symptoms of anxiety.

Why: studies have shown that there is an undoubted genetic component in the propensity to anxiety states.

Why: some prescribed medications can cause anxiety like symptoms e.g. ventolin, thyroxine.

Why: excess caffeine can cause anxiety like symptoms.

Why: dependence and withdrawal can cause anxiety like symptoms.

Why: dependence and withdrawal can cause anxiety like symptoms.

Why: dependence and withdrawal can cause anxiety like symptoms.

Why: This is a general opening question which your Health Professional may ask to allow you time to tell them what you think your prioritized problems are.

Why: There are several different forms of anxiety which one can experience, and by telling your Health Professional when you feel anxious you may assist them to identify which form you are suffering from.

Why: This can be one form of anxiety which is commonly described as Generalized Anxiety, or "free floating anxiety". It tends to be the result of an abnormally high level of worry/concern about otherwise normal life events or issues.

Why: This question is asked to determine the severity of anxiety.

Why: This can be experienced with Generalized Anxiety, and is can be a diagnostic criterion.

Why: Along with some other symptoms, these may be included as diagnostic criteria for generalized anxiety.

Why: Generalized Anxiety may cause you to feel more fatigue than usual.

Why: A lack of concentration is another of the diagnostic criteria for Generalized Anxiety, and may interfere with your everyday activities.

Why: Sleep disturbance, and particularly insomnia (the inability to sleep) can be caused by anxiety. Additionally, any sleep disturbance may be classified as a criteria for generalized anxiety.

Why: This is the second major form of anxiety and is often reported as being quite severe.

Why: In general terms, Panic Attacks can be in response to either no readily discernable cause, or they can be the result of an often specific imagined/real threat. The management of panic attacks may be slightly different depending on the cause of them.

Why: It important for your health professional to garner an understanding of what exactly happens between your panic attacks such that they can understand their frequency, any potential triggers, and the level to which they are affecting your ability to lead a normal lifestyle.

Why: Whilst seeming an odd question to ask, this question may in fact be vitally important because it will communicate your current level of functionality and the level to which your condition is affecting your life.

Why: Fears or phobias can be a cause for panic attacks, and may in fact be quite treatable using modern psychological techniques. Your fears may include anything from specific animals (e.g., spiders, snakes), to certain situations (e.g., being in open spaces, being scrutinized or humiliated), or in fact a very long list of things. Your health professional will not judge you for the specific fear/s that you have, and by expressing them you are assisting in your treatment.

Why: There are many life factors which may result in an anxiety disorder. These may include anything which results in a sharp increase in stress, any traumatic episode, or any major changes in your life.

Why: Post traumatic stress disorder is a condition which occurs in response to a high magnitude stressor which could be expected to cause significant distress to the vast majority of otherwise healthy people. The experience of this condition includes a feeling of re-experiencing the event, avoiding things which may remind you of the event, and a wide range of symptoms which reflect a higher than usual level of psychological arousal (insomnia, decreased concentration, etc.). Significant anxiety may be a feature common to many aspects of this psychological condition.

Why: Whereas post traumatic distress disorder tends to occur anywhere up to six months after a traumatic experience, an acute stress reaction can occur to a similar traumatic experience anytime of up to three days after it is experienced. An acute stress reaction may be experienced with anxiety, decreased attention, feeling "dazed", some confusion/disorientation, amnesia, or some altered level of responsiveness (either heightened or extremely decreased).

Why: The death of someone in your life may in some circumstances result in a state of anxiety or an anxiety disorder. Additionally, bereavement may be a risk factor for other things such as depression or suicide.

Why: Obsessions are thoughts that you find unpleasant, that are recurrent, and that may enter your mind even though you don't want them to, but are in fact your own (often irrational) thoughts. Obsessions by their very nature can lead to anxiety or obsessive compulsive disorder (which is an anxiety disorder).

Why: These are repetitive mental or physical acts which you may perform in response to obsessions you may have, and which you may perform in order to avoid a real or imagined anxiety-provoking situation. These can be incomprehensively excessive and may have no relationship with whatever real/imagined situation they are being performed to avoid. Compulsions may lead to anxiety (even if they occur in order to avoid it), or obsessive compulsive disorder.

Why: Some medications (antidepressants, steroids, thyroid medication) can produce anxiety as a side effect, whilst others (sedatives, benzodiazepines) can result in anxiety when you suddenly stop taking them if you have dependence on them. Any substance to which you may have dependence (caffeine/coffee, alcohol, nicotine, cocaine) can cause anxiety when you stop taking it. Some substances (alcohol, amphetamine, cannabis/hallucinogens, cocaine, caffeine, inhalants) may cause anxiety if you taken them in levels resulting in substance intoxication. It is important for you to tell your Health Professional if you are currently taking any medications as some medications prescribed for anxiety may interact with other medications, and may cause either medication to not work as intended or may cause unwanted side effects. If you have ever had any allergies or unintended side effects from medications in the past then it is important for you to tell your Health Professional about them.

Why: Whilst anxiety can be the predominant feature of some conditions, it may be only one of many symptoms in others.

Why: Depression is a relatively common condition which may involve feelings of anxiety.

Why: It is important for your health professional to know if you have ever had any other medical conditions or diagnoses. This is because anxiety may be caused by some non-psychiatric conditions such as heart failure, chronic obstructive airways disease, hyperthyroidism, Cushing's syndrome, phaeochromocytoma, some cancers, some forms of epilepsy, and some types or malnutrition. Asking if you have ever been to hospital before is a good way of getting you to remember any medical problems that you might have had in the past, even if you think that they were trivial, minor or are no longer current. An example of the last of these is that some types of head trauma can result in anxiety.

Why: Whilst anxiety is a psychological condition it can be exhibited by certain physical symptoms such as palpitations (an awareness of your heart beating faster/stronger than usual), chest pain or even chest discomfort. Chest pain as a result of anxiety can be very similar to that experienced with angina/ischemic heart disease or myocardial infarction, and your health professional may ask you further questions to delineate its exact physical or psychological cause.

Why: Anxiety may exhibit itself via an episode (or episodes) of dyspnea/hyperventilation. You may not feel that you are experiencing anxiety; however it may assist your health professional if you explain the exact circumstances in which you experience these symptoms.

Why: These can be other physical symptoms of underlying anxiety. They may be difficult for you to notice, and may in fact have been noticed by those around you at the time.

Why: These can all be physical symptoms as part of the broader experience of excessive anxiety or an anxiety disorder. Unfortunately these can all be experienced by those who are healthy and do not have anxiety. As such it is important for you to detail how often and when you experience them, as well as if they are concerning you or not.

Why: These can be experienced with anxiety, and may become quite debilitating in certain situations if your anxiety becomes severe. Another way that people may describe these symptoms is "butterflies in my stomach".

Why: Anxiety can cause you to experience any of these, and they may cause a great deal of concern for both you and your health professional. As some of these symptoms can reflect other conditions which may be life threatening, your health professional may ask you about these in fine detail in order to ascertain their physical or psychological cause.

Why: Anxiety and some psychological conditions which may result in anxiety can have an inheritable component. Some personality traits also tend to run in families and may predispose you to anxiety.

Why: If you suspect that your child may be experiencing anxiety then these are some of the symptoms that they may exhibit. Children exhibit anxiety and many other conditions in different ways from adults, and so it is important to mention anything that concerns you with regards to your child even if you do not feel that it is related.

Why: You may have already noticed that some particular things that you do may help you to feel less anxious or stressed. By telling your health professional what these things are, they may be able to assist you with psychological strategies using elements of those particular anxiolytic activities.

Why: e.g. down mood, insomnia, poor self esteem, teary, poor concentration and attention, feelings of worthlessness - Most people with long standing anxiety will eventually develop depressive symptoms however anxiety can also be misdiagnosed as depression as they are closely related.

Why: e.g. hallucinations , paranoia , delusional thinking) - schizophrenia and bipolar disorder can be misdiagnosed or associated with anxiety.

Why: recurrent panic attacks occur in Panic disorder and may be confused with generalised anxiety disorder or be associated with anxiety.

Why: persistent, irrational fear with a compelling desire to avoid the object or situation occurs in Phobia disorders and may be confused with generalized anxiety disorder or be associated with anxiety.

Why: can cause anxiety-like symptoms e.g. weight loss, emotional lability, agitation, nervousness, tremor, palpitations, racing heart.

Why: angina and cardiac arrhythmias can be misdiagnosed as anxiety.

Why: (e.g. discrete episodes of headache , sweating , palpitations , skin pallor , chest tightness and high blood pressure ) - can be misdiagnosed as anxiety.

Why: Dementia can be confused with anxiety.

Why: e.g. intermittent episodes of confusion, anxiety, stupor related to fasting of exercise.