Have you dropped many of your activities and interests? Do you feel that your life is empty? Do you often get bored? Are you afraid that something bad is going to happen to you? Do you often feel helpless? Do you prefer to stay at home, rather than going out and doing new things? Do you feel you have more problems with memory than most people? Do you LACK energy most of the time? Do you feel that your situation is hopeless?

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ANXIETY The telltale signs include the following:

• You feel anxious and tense even when there is no real danger
• The symptoms cause significant distress and interfere with your daily activities
• You take extreme steps to avoid situations that make you feel anxious

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FEARS

Places that seem harmless to most people-restaurants, buses, elevators, shopping malls- often become forbidden territory for individuals with irrational "Fears". It is sometimes known as, "the fear of fear itself".

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PHOBIAS

Repeated panic attacks and "what if" thinking tend to create a reaction called anticipatory anxiety, which is an integral part of phobic avoidance. Because these attacks are so disturbing, the fear of another one can itself be very frightening. The result is that anticipatory anxiety can produce "Phobic" avoidance in much the way an actual attack can.

This is could be a "fear of leaving home", "Fear of going out in public", or an irrational fear of ordinary places or activities.

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PANIC

An unprovoked surge of fear accompanied by at least four of the following physical and emotional symptoms:

(Check your answer)

SLEEP DISTURBANCE

Repeated awakenings from major sleep period or naps...frightening dreams, nightmares...upon awakening feels distress or impairment in social occupational, or other important areas of functioning.

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