subject: The Beck Anxiety Scale: What It Is And How It Can Help You [print this page] Many people in this country suffer from anxiety disorders. Anxiety can be brought on by many things and has common symptoms of many other conditions. For instance, it is very easy to confuse a panic attack with a heart attack. There are few tools that can help you distinguish the level of anxiety that you're suffering like the Beck anxiety scale.
When using the Beck anxiety scale you are asked to rate 21 different categories on a scale of zero to three. Zero means you are not affected at all by the symptom. You will give one point if it mildly bothered you, two if it was moderately disturbing and three for something that severely bothered you. Once you have read it be 21 separate categories, you will add up all of your points and come up with your final score. Then you look down at the chart to see how severe your anxiety is.
If you have a score of zero to 21, you are considered to be suffering from low anxiety levels. While this is usually a positive sign, the person taking the test needs to make sure that they have answered all of the scores honestly as they may be giving themselves a false assessment. If that is the case, they're trying to cover up their symptoms and act as though things aren't bothering them and the result is usually that they will end up distancing sell themselves from the people closest to them. When you do this assessment you need to be totally honest in rate each and every category exactly how you are affected by this symptom.
If you score from 22 to 35 you're in a moderate anxiety category. More than likely your body is trying to give you warning signs that you need to pay attention to. Depending upon when you experience these conditions, could mean that you are suffering from a phobia or perhaps getting warning signs from your body of a more serious medical condition. There is no need to panic at this level, but you do need to look at why you are experiencing these feelings.
If you score over 36 points, you're going to need to seek some help. Having that level of stress is not good for anyone and it needs to be treated aggressively to ensure that your mental and physical health do not deteriorate. Consult your family doctor and he or she will get you pointed in the right direction of therapy.
