What Kinds of Anxiety Disorders?
In the United States, approximately 19 million adults have an anxiety disorder. Most anxiety disorders begin in childhood, adolescence, and young adulthood. This disorder occurs slightly more often in women than in men, and occurs with the same amount of good whites, African-Americans, and Hispanics.
Anxiety disorder is a serious mental illness because sufferers feel intense anxiety and fear and continuously so as to paralyze their normal activities.
Anxiety is an emotion experienced by each person at a given time. Many people feel anxious or nervous when they face problems at work, before an exam, or make important decisions. But the anxiety is different from anxiety disorder. Anxiety disorders can disrupt a person's ability to live a normal life.
Panic disorder:
People with this condition feel the threat that appears suddenly and repeatedly. Other symptoms are: sweating, chest pain, palpitations (irregular heartbeat), and a feeling of choking, which can make a person feel like having a heart attack or behaving like a lunatic.
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD):
People with OCD distracted by thoughts or constant fear that causes them to perform certain rituals or routines. His troubled thoughts called obsessions, whereas rituals or routines that do are called compulsions. An example is people who have a fear that is not logical to germs so she constantly washes her hands.
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD):
This is a condition that can occur after a traumatic event and / or frightening, such as sexual or physical abuse, the sudden death of a loved one, or natural disaster. People with PTSD often have persistent thoughts and memories of the terrifying and emotional events tend to be unstable.
Social anxiety disorder:
Also known as social phobia, the anxiety and self-consciousness is remarkable about the social conditions everyday. His fears are often centered on the fear judged by others, or ways of behaving that cause embarrassment or ridicule others.
Specific phobia:
The great fear of objects or situations, such as fear of snakes, heights, or flying. This can cause the sufferer to avoid common, everyday activities.
Generalized anxiety disorder:
The worries and tensions excessive and unrealistic, although no or only little to provoke anxiety.
What are the symptoms of Anxiety Disorders?
Symptoms vary and depend on the type of anxiety disorder. But usually there are common symptoms following:
- Feelings of panic, fear, and anxiety
- Uncontrollable obsessive thoughts
- Repeatedly recall or flashbacks of traumatic experiences nightmare
- Ritualistic behavior, such as washing hands repeatedly
- Problems in bed
- Hands and / or cold or sweaty feet
- Shortness of breath palpitations
- Inability to be quiet and calm
- Dry mouth
- Numbness or tingling in the hands or feet
- Nausea
- Muscles tense
- Dizziness
What Causes Anxiety Disorders?
The exact cause of anxiety disorders is not known. Anxiety disorders, as well as other forms of mental illness, not the result of a weak personality, character defects, or poor education. As research in the field of mental illness, it becomes clear that many of these disorders are caused by a combination of factors such as: changes in the brain and environmental pressures.
Anxiety disorders can be caused by a chemical imbalance in the body. Research has shown that stress is severe or long-lasting, can alter the chemical balance in the brain that controls the emotional world. Other studies have also shown that people with certain anxiety disorders undergo structural changes of the brain that controls memory or emotional functions.
In addition, research has shown that anxiety disorder can be scaled back in the family, which means it can be inherited from one or both parents, like hair or eye color. Moreover, certain environmental factors, such as trauma or important events can trigger anxiety disorders in susceptible people and inherit anxiety disorder.
How to Diagnose Anxiety Disorder?
If there are symptoms of anxiety disorders, the doctor will begin an evaluation by asking questions about your medical history and perform a physical examination. Although there are no specific laboratory tests, but the doctor can perform a variety of tests to look for physical illness that can lead to symptoms of anxiety disorder.
If no physical disorder, then you may be referred to a psychiatrist or psychologist, mental health experts who are specially trained to diagnose and treat mental illness. Psychiatrists and psychologists use interviews and assessment tools specifically designed to evaluate one's anxiety disorder.
Diagnosis is based on reports the intensity and duration of the patient's symptoms, including problems in everyday activities and also the observation of doctors to the patient's attitudes and behavior. The doctor then determines whether the patient's symptoms and degree of dysfunction in accordance with certain anxiety disorders.
How to Treat Anxiety Disorders?
Much progress has been achieved in the past two decades to treat patients with mental illness. Despite appropriate treatment depends on the type of interference. Most cases of anxiety disorders can be treated with one or a combination of the following therapies:
Medications:
Medications used to reduce the symptoms of anxiety disorders, such as anti-depressant medication and decrease anxiety.
Psychotherapy:
A type of counseling that addresses the emotional response to mental disorders. This is a process where mental health experts are trained to help people with interviewing strategies to understand and deal with their disorder.
Cognitive behavioral therapy:
Patients with anxiety disorders often participate in different types of psychotherapy, where they learn to recognize and change thought patterns and behaviors that lead to feelings of anxiety.
Changes in diet and lifestyle
Relaxation therapy
Can Anxiety Disorder Be Prevented?
Anxiety disorders can not be prevented. However, there are some steps that you can do to control or reduce symptoms. Stop or reduce consumption of products containing caffeine, such as coffee, tea, cola, energy drinks, and chocolate. Ask your doctor or pharmacist before taking any OTC medication or herbal remedies. Many medicines contain chemicals that can increase anxiety symptoms. Seek counseling and expert support when you experience a traumatic or disturbing events.
Source : Webmd.com
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