Counseling and psychotherapy

It can be valuable to have an opportunity to talk things over with someone outside your immediate circle of family and friends. Counseling and psychotherapy give people the chance to talk through their problems. Both focus on present day feelings and difficulties, which may be current or rooted in the past, and enable us to take more control of our life and to cope in the longer-term.

There are many types of treatments that are termed "therapy" and it is important to make a distinction between relaxing therapies like aromatherapy and reflexology, which help cope with the problem without actually addressing the causes, and psychotherapies that support people and help them address the causes themselves, and provide a long term solution.

Apart from finding which approach suits us best, we also need to find a counselor or therapist we feel we can trust.

Medical treatment

A large proportion of visits to the doctor are stress-related, but many more people do not seek medical help and struggle to deal with it on their own. It may be that they do not realize they have a problem. Some people are embarrassed to admit they have stress. Others may not be ready to ask for help, or may not believe that the doctor will understand or even know how to deal with the problem.

Some people will turn to their doctor when they experience the first physical signs of stress. It is important to have a check-up to rule out the possibility of physical illness.

You may also want to talk about alternatives to drug treatment, such as counseling, psychotherapy or self-help.

A prescription of anti-anxiety medication may be made (for example benzodiazepines, which are tranquillisers). They can offer some relief and can be helpful in the short term to get through a crisis. Regular use of these drugs may lead to dependence and is likely to result in the return of fear or panic symptoms when discontinued.

As a result, they are generally only prescribed for a short period of time. Tranquillisers are now rarely used and few are recommended for more than one month.

If you are having difficulty sleeping, your doctor may also prescribe sleeping tablets, again for a short time.

A number of medications originally approved for treating depression are thought to be effective at reducing worry and panic and you may therefore be prescribed these. Most anti-depressants take two to four weeks before they have any effect on our mood, so it is important not to give up too quickly if we do not feel better straight away.

Antidepressants should be taken as prescribed. Some patients experience mild symptoms when stopping, reducing, or missing a dose.

These can include dizziness, nausea, anxiety, and headaches. The drugs however are not associated with tolerance and craving. Antidepressants should be taken for at least six months after symptoms have disappeared, because this greatly reduces the risk of the symptoms coming back.

It is important to then go back to your doctor to find out if you need to continue with treatment. Some people may be advised to continue treatment for longer than six months.

This article is contributed by The Star Health & Ageing Panel, which comprises a group of panellists who are not just opinion leaders in their respective fields of medical expertise, but have wide experience in medical health education for the public. The members of the panel include: Datuk Prof Dr Tan Hui Meng, consultant urologist; Dr Yap Piang Kian, consultant endocrinologist; Datuk Dr Azhari Rosman, consultant cardiologist; A/Prof Dr Philip Poi, consultant geriatrician; Dr Hew Fen Lee, consultant endocrinologist; Prof Dr Low Wah Yun, psychologist; Datuk Dr Nor Ashikin Mokhtar, consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist; Dr Lee Moon Keen, consultant neurologist; Dr Ting Hoon Chin, consultant dermatologist; Prof Khoo Ee Ming, primary care physician; Dr Ng Soo Chin, consultant haematologist.

-The Star/Asia News Network