An Overview About – ANXIETY DISORDERS

OVERVIEW

Anxiety is a Latin word derived from the word “anxietas”, which means to choke, throttle, etc. Basically, it encompasses cognitive, behavioral, and affective responses to the perception of danger. Anxiety is one of many general human emotions. In normal terms, anxiety is an anticipation of future threats.

The case of excessive anxiety is also known as pathological anxiety. The moderate state of this anxiety stimulates an anticipatory and adaptive response to the pertaining stressful event. When in excess, anxiety destabilizes the individual, ultimately leading the person in a dysfunctional state.

But when these feelings persist for more than six months and begin to interfere with our daily activities, we may be diagnosed with an anxiety disorder.

Anxiety disorders can be termed as, disorders that share the features of excessive fear and anxiety and disturbing behavioral patterns.

Panic attacks feature prominently within the anxiety disorders, with the fear response. Panic attacks can also be one among the major constituents in other mental disorders as well. Despite the anxiety disorders are highly comorbid with each other, the way to differentiate them is by close examination of the types of situations that are feared or avoided, along with the various beliefs associated with them.

SYMPTOMS

In times when the physiological symptoms are not attributable to the effects of a substance/medication, that’s when the professionals go for the diagnosis of anxiety disorder.

Certain pointers to differentiate anxiety disorders from developmentally normative fear are as follows:-

The clinician here plays a major role in the determination of whether the fear or anxiety is excessive or out of proportion, by taking into account cultural contextual factors.

Common symptoms of an anxiety disorder

Extreme worrying

This is one of the most common symptoms of an anxiety disorder.

The triggers are not proportionate to the worry and it typically occurs in response to everyday situations.

Panic Attacks

A type of anxiety disorder; i.e. panic disorder is associated with recurring panic attacks.

Panic attacks produce a sudden excessive sensation of fear that can be debilitating.

This feeling is accompanied by palpitation, sweating, shaking, shortness of breath, nausea, etc.

Panic attacks usually happen in isolation, but if they are consistent and unexpected, it can be a sign of the panic disorder.

Irrational Fears

A phobia is defined as extreme anxiety or fear about a specific object or situation. The feeling is enough to interfere with our ability to function normally.

Some commonly observed phobias include:

Animal phobias: Fear of certain animals or insects.
Natural environment phobias: Fear of natural calamities like hurricanes or floods
Blood-injection-injury phobias: Fear of blood, injections, needles
Situational phobias: Fear of certain closed spaces like an airplane or elevator ride

Agoraphobia is another phobia that includes fear of at least two of the following things:

public transportation
open spaces
enclosed spaces
being in a crowd
to go out alone

Phobias affect nearly 12.5% of Americans, which is more common in women than men.

Feeling Agitated

The feeling of anxiety kicks off a cascade of effects throughout the body. That can be a racing pulse, sweaty palms, shaky hands, and dry mouth.

These symptoms occur because our brain sends signals to have sensed danger, thus the body prepares itself to react to the threat.

Our body shunts blood away from our digestive system and toward your muscles, the fight or flight response.

Restlessness

This is another common symptom of anxiety, especially found in children and teens.

The feeling of restlessness is basically the “uncomfortable urge to move.”

Difficulty Concentrating

People with anxiety usually report facing difficulty in concentrating.

Studies show that anxiety can interrupt the working of memory, used for holding short-term information.

Tense Muscles

It is possible to comprehend the muscle tenseness, as it increases feelings of anxiety, but the vice versa can also be taken into consideration.

PREVALENCE

Anxiety may persist among individuals ranging in all age groups, but if we specifically consider teenagers, then we’ll get to know the nuances that they get to face. Teenage children may have many reasons to be anxious some among the various reasons can be frequent tests, college visits, and first dates, etc.

Although the symptoms are often seen to develop during childhood, they can also be expressed throughout adulthood as well.

GENDER DIFFERENCES

Many anxiety disorders develop in childhood and tend to persist, if not treated.

Girls manifest greater reluctance to going to school, than boys. Indirect expression of fear of separation is reflected more in males than in females.

TYPES OF ANXIETY DISORDERS

GAD (Generalized Anxiety Disorder)

In the case of generalized anxiety disorder, the worrying must continue for at least six months and be difficult to control.

The worrying has to be severe and intrusive, making it difficult to accomplish day-to-day tasks.

People who come under the high-risk group are under the age of 65, especially singles, having a lower socioeconomic status, along with many life stressors.

Panic Disorder

Fear of separation may lead to excessive anxiety and even a panic attack. In separation anxiety disorder, the anxiety occurs because of the possibility of staying away from attachment figures.

Agoraphobia

Individuals with Agoraphobia, are anxious about being incapacitated in situations from where escape is perceived as difficult.

Social anxiety disorder

Children’s reluctance to go to school may be due to social anxiety disorder (social phobia). It can be due to fear of being judged negatively by others rather than any other worries.

WHEN TO SEE A DOCTOR

The feeling of worrying too much and it’s interference hampers our work, relationships

The feeling of fear, worry, or anxiety is upsetting to us and is becoming difficult to control

We mostly feel depressed, along with the trouble of alcohol or drug use, etc.

Having suicidal thoughts—if such is the case, we should seek emergency treatment immediately

Our mental health professional will work, to uncover the root cause(s) of our anxiety, make a diagnosis.

CAUSES

Some of the most common factors that cause anxiety disorders are as follows:

Stressful events: workplace stress, loss of a loved one, or issues within relationships, can also act as triggers for anxiety.

Family history: in families with prevailing and persisting mental health issues, the chances of anxiety become higher.

Health issues: ailments such diabetes or heart disease can also be a cause of anxiety

COMPLICATIONS

Having an anxiety disorder does more damage to the individual and a family as a whole, than just to make us worry.

The condition of insomnia

Bowel problems
Chronic pain
Substance abuse
Social isolation

DIAGNOSIS

Mental health professionals, including a psychologist, a psychiatrist etc. can diagnose anxiety and provide counseling.

Our mental health provider may:

Provide us a psychological evaluation- discussing our thoughts, feelings, and behavior to help frame a diagnosis and reach for related complications.

Compare our symptoms to the criteria in the DSM-5- many health professionals use the criteria in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), published by the American Psychiatric Association, to diagnose and confirm an anxiety disorder.

TREATMENT/ THERAPY

The major treatments for anxiety disorders are psychotherapy and medications. We may benefit most, when a combination of the two is taken into consideration.

Psychotherapy

Talk therapy or psychological counseling, psychotherapy includes working with a therapist to reduce our anxiety symptoms

Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is one of the most effective forms of psychotherapy. CBT teaches us specific skills to improve our symptoms and gradually resume the activities.

Medications

Varieties of medications are used to help relieve symptoms, primarily depending on the type of anxiety disorder we have.

To treat anxiety disorders, certain antidepressants are also used.

An anti-anxiety medication, called buspirone can be prescribed.

In limited circumstances, our doctor may prescribe certain sedatives, also called benzodiazepines, or beta-blockers. These medications are short-term relievers of anxiety symptoms..

Lifestyle and home remedies

To get anxiety under control, lifestyle changes can also make a difference.

Being physically active. Exercise is considered as a stress reducer. It improves our mood and helps in staying healthy

Avoiding alcohol and drugs. These substances can worsen anxiety. If unable to quit on our own, we should seek help from a doctor.

Eat healthily. Focusing on vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and fish, may be linked to reduced anxiety.

COPING MECHANISMS

Learning about our disorder. Visiting our doctor or mental health provider. Finding out what might be causing your specific condition and what treatments might be best for us.
Maintaining a journal. Keeping track of our personal life can help us and our mental health provider identify what’s causing us stress and what seems to help us feel better.
Breaking the cycle. When feeling anxious, go for a brisk walk or delve into a hobby for diversion.