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Anxiety DisordersWhat is anxiety? Anxiety is a sense of apprehension, fear, or worry, often accompanied with physical symptoms such as tension, sweating, or increased heart rate. Almost everyone experiences anxiety or fear as a normal reaction to a stressful situation at some point in life. While anxiety is a natural "alarm system" in dangerous situations, it can develop into a debilitating disorder, giving a feeling of worry and fear for no apparent reason. Anxiety disorders are the most common mental illness in the in the United States, affecting about 18% of adults. Most disorders begin in childhood, adolescence or early adulthood. Untreated anxiety disorders can push people into avoiding situations that trigger or worsen their symptoms. Anxious people are likely to suffer from depression, and they also may abuse alcohol and other drugs in an effort to gain relief from their symptoms. Job performance, school work, and personal relationships can also suffer. The following factors may play a role in the development of an anxiety: heredity, brain chemistry, personality, and life experiences. There are several types of anxiety disorders, but they all have the common symptoms of excessive, irrational fear and dread. Generalized Anxiety Disorder Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) is characterized by ongoing, exaggerated worry and tension that is unfounded or much more severe than the normal anxiety most people experience. People with GAD usually realize that their anxiety is more intense than the situation warrants, but can't get rid of these irrational concerns. They do not avoid certain situations as a result of their disorder. They can’t calm down and are easily startled. Symptoms of GAD include tension, trembling, shortness of breath, fast heartbeat, sweating, dizziness, nausea, irritability, loss of sleep and not being able to concentrate. Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is characterized by recurrent, unwanted thoughts (obsessions) or rituals (compulsions), which feel uncontrollable to the sufferer. Obsessions are irrational thoughts, or worries that frequently recur and cause great anxiety, but cannot be controlled through reasoning. Common obsessions include pathological doubts, repetitive actions, preoccupation with sequence or symmetry. The trend of the obsession regardless of type is negative. A person with OCD doesn't want to have these thoughts and feels them disturbing, but can't control them. Compulsions (also called rituals) are repetitive, ritualized and stereotyped behaviors undertaken to reduce anxiety caused by the obsession. Although most adults with OCD realize that what they are doing is senseless, some adults and most children may not realize that their behavior is out of the ordinary. Panic Disorder Panic disorder is characterized by unexpected and repeated panic attacks along with intense anxiety between attacks and possible avoidance of situations where attacks may occur. Panic attack is an uncontrollable panic response to ordinary, not dangerous situations. It may occur anytime, unexpectedly, sometimes even during sleep. Panic attacks last about 5 to 30 minutes. They can lead to phobias if aren't treated. Over time, a person with panic disorder develops a persistent fear of having another panic attack. This fear of future attacks can cause the person to avoid places and situations where an attack may occur, which can affect daily activity and quality of life. Panic disorder generally develops in early adulthood. It is three times more common in women than in men. Phobias Phobias are extreme, unreasonable, and involuntary fears in response to some specific situations or things. Examples include fear of crowds, bridges, snakes, spiders, heights, open places or social embarrassment. A phobia is only considered a problem when it keeps you from living a normal life. Phobic disorder includes agoraphobia, social phobia and specific phobia. Agoraphobia is an intense fear of being in places (especially in public places) or situations in which panic attack may occur, or from which escape would be difficult or highly embarrassing. This phobia may progress to the severe form that the sufferer will not leave home. The word "agoraphobia" means "fear of the marketplace." Social phobia is characterized by a persistent, intense, and chronic fear of being exposed to certain social or performance situations. Anxiety and worry in persons with social phobia often centers on being embarrassed or humiliated if they fail to meet expectations. Often, the same activity performed alone produces no anxiety. Social phobia sufferers tend to be sensitive to criticism and rejection, and have low self-esteem. The most common fears are associated with activities that may potentially be embarrassing, such as fear of speaking in public or to strangers, a fear of meeting new people, fear of eating or drinking in public. Specific (simple) phobia is an unreasonable excessive fear of particular conditions, situations, or objects, exposure to which causes an anxiety or panic. Among the most frequent are fear of:
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a debilitating anxiety disorder that may develop following a terrifying event. It is characterized by persistent re-experiencing of the traumatic event, frightening thoughts and memories of the ordeal. Persons with PTSD avoid places, people, and experiences that remind them of the trauma. PTSD can happen to anyone at any age. Traumatic events that may trigger PTSD include violent personal assaults, disasters, accidents, or military combat. Symptoms Anxiety symptoms can cover the full physical, emotional, and mental range. Physical symptoms:
Emotional and psychological symptoms:
Treatment Many people suffering from anxiety don't seek help as they believe only "mentally sick" people need to visit a psychiatrist. The important thing is to understand the illness can be treated and that living with persistent anxiety is not necessary. Anti-anxiety medications used to treat anxiety disorders include anxiolytics, antidepressants, and beta blockers (for heart conditions). They are highly effective in treating most types of illness, regardless of the underlying cause, and some may start to work in as little as 30 minutes. Benzodiazepines were first introduced over 30 years ago. They are powerful and the most commonly used anxiolytics. Benzodiazepines slow down the transmission of nerve impulses in the central nervous system, which can help relieve symptoms of anxiety. Benzodiazepines are acting relatively fast and provide rapid relief from the symptoms of anxiety within hours. Buspirone (Buspar) is an anxiolytic that is sometimes used as an alternative to benzodiazepines. Buspirone must be taken consistently for at least two weeks to achieve an anti-anxiety effect. Antidepressants such as Zoloft (sertraline), Lexapro (escitalopram), Paxil (paroxetine), Prozac (fluoxetine), are helpful in a variety of mental disorders, including GAD, panic disorder, OCD, and social phobia. Effexor (venlafaxine), duloxetine (Cymbalta) are approved by the FDA for the treatment of GAD. Beta blockers are often effective in treating physiological responses to anxiety. These include increased heart rate, sweating and tremors. Beta blockers may also be used to help control performance anxiety that occurs during events such as speaking in public. Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) focuses on identifying, understanding, and changing thinking and behavior patterns. People learn to make the feared object or situation less threatening as they are exposed to, and slowly get used to, whatever is so frightening to them. Last updated: May, 2011 |