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Disorders treated
At Boyce & Dale Anxiety and Mood Disorders Clinic, you will undertake an assessment which is all about understanding your specific, unique symptoms. Your treatment plan will then be formulated based upon your needs.
Part of the process will also be determining whether you meet diagnostic criteria for particular disorders. Included here is a list of some of the disorders more commonly diagnosed at our Penrith practice.
However, as clearly useful as disorder labels are, it's not good practice to pull out the same OCD manual for every person who has been diagnosed with OCD! Everyone's presentation is different, and everyone needs their own, tailored treatment plan.
Long story short: don't get too caught up in a label. We'll assess, let you know what we think, and then get on with helping.
Common disorders treated at our Penrith Clinic
If you feel your diagnosis or symptoms are not listed here, please feel free to contact us to discuss suitability for our services. Sometimes, our services are sought to treat 'part of the presentation' - we're happy to discuss with you how we can help.
Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD) is characterised by persistent, excessive worry about various aspects of life, often accompanied by physical symptoms like restlessness, fatigue, and sleep disturbances. The worry has an impact on daily functioning, and is often accompanied by worry about worry.
Social Anxiety Disorder is characterised by intense fear and avoidance of social situations due to excessive self-consciousness and worry about being embarrassed or negatively judged. It can be specific to certain circumstances (e.g., public speaking) or generalised to many social situations, significantly impairing daily life and interactions.
Panic Disorder is marked by recurrent, unexpected panic attacks—sudden surges of intense fear or discomfort—accompanied by physical symptoms, and persistent concern about additional attacks. This tends to lead to significant behavioural changes or avoidance of situations. Agoraphobia is an intense fear of being in situations in which it might be difficult to escape or get help.
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) involves persistent, unwanted thoughts/feelings (obsessions), and is usually accompanied by repetitive behaviours or mental acts (compulsions) performed to relieve anxiety. These compulsions tend only to exacerbate the preoccupation with the unwanted thought, and so the cycle continues.
Health/Illness Anxiety (Hypochondriasis) is characterised by a preoccupation with having or acquiring a serious illness, despite medical reassurance. If you have Health/Illness Anxiety, you likely misinterpret normal bodily sensations as signs of serious disease. Your excessive worry may lead to frequent doctor visits or health-related internet searches, and it can significantly impact daily functioning and quality of life.
Specific Phobia
Specific Phobia is an intense, irrational fear of a specific object or situation, such as heights, animals, or flying. It often leads to extreme avoidance behaviours and significant distress in everyday life when encountering or anticipating the phobic stimulus.
Separation Anxiety Disorder
Separation Anxiety Disorder is characterised by excessive fear or anxiety about being separated from attachment figures, often resulting in extreme distress when separation occurs or is anticipated. It may include physical symptoms, and it affects the ability to function independently. It is markedly more common in children, but can also occur in adults.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) can be triggered by experiencing or witnessing a traumatic event, even if the symptoms appear many months or years later. Symptoms include flashbacks, nightmares, severe anxiety, difficulty managing thoughts about the event, and emotional numbness. PTSD can lead to significant distress and impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning.
Body-Dysmorphic Disorder
Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD) is characterized by an obsessive focus on perceived flaws in one's own physical appearance. The 'flaws' are often minor or imagined, and the preoccupation often leads to significant distress, time-consuming behaviours like mirror checking, and avoidance of social situations.
Trichotillomania
(hair-plucking)
Trichotillomania is characterised by an irresistible urge to pull out one's hair, whether from the scalp, eyebrows, pubic area or elsewhere, leading to noticeable hair loss and significant distress or impairment in social or occupational functioning.
Excoriation (Skin-picking) Disorder
Excoriation Disorder is characterized by repetitive and compulsive picking of the skin, leading to tissue damage, significant distress, and impairment in daily functioning. This behaviour often results from an urge to remove perceived imperfections or as a way to relieve tension.
Other Body-Focused Repetitive Behaviours
In addition to behaviours focusing on hair and skin (see above), Body-Focused Repetitive Behaviours include related disorders that involve compulsively damaging one's physical appearance or causing physical harm through repetitive behaviours. These nail-biting, lip chewing, and other similar actions, often driven by anxiety or stress, leading to significant distress and impairment.
Major Depressive Disorder is characterised by persistent and profound sadness, loss of interest in activities, and a range of physical and cognitive symptoms, like changes in appetite or sleep, fatigue, and difficulty concentrating. It significantly impairs daily functioning and overall quality of life.
Peri-natal Depression
Perinatal Depression can affect women during pregnancy and after childbirth. It encompasses a range of emotional and physical symptoms similar to depression, including persistent sadness, anxiety, fatigue, and changes in sleep or appetite. This condition can significantly impact a mother's well-being and her ability to care for herself and her newborn.
Dysthymic Disorder, also known as Persistent Depressive Disorder, is a chronic form of depression characterised by a depressed mood for most of the day, more days than not, lasting for at least two years. It involves less severe but longer-lasting symptoms than Major Depressive Disorder, affecting daily functioning and quality of life.
Bipolar Disorder
Bipolar Disorder is a mental health condition characterised by significant mood swings, including manic (or hypomanic) episodes of elevated mood, energy, and activity levels, and depressive episodes with feelings of sadness, hopelessness, and loss of interest. These swings can affect functioning, relationships, and daily activities.
Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder
Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder involves intense emotional and physical symptoms that occur during the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle, typically resolving with menstruation. Symptoms include mood swings, irritability, depression, anxiety, and physical symptoms like bloating and fatigue, significantly impacting daily functioning and quality of life.