Anxiety disorder,symptoms and treatment



What is Anxiety Disorder?

Anxiety disorder (AD) is a mental health condition that is characterized by high levels of worry or nervousness, which can occur when people are afraid of or uncertain about an event or situation. Anxiety is the fear of possible threat, often accompanied by the feeling of impending disaster or difficulty in completing tasks. Symptoms or worries can be overwhelming and last for hours or days. This can lead to feelings of anxiety or other psychological conditions such as depression and tension, especially as those may have been triggered by specific events or situations that were difficult for you to control. The term "anxiety" comes from two Greek words

The first word is ‘an’ which means "anxiety" (“an”) and

(“an”) and “disorder” which means a "disorder" or "disease."

Anxiety disorders are more common among young adults than any other age group. People who have anxiety may worry about everything.. When such people get anxious, they also worry about their ability to function or care for their children, about the future, and about how others think of them. Depression is known to be the most common form of anxiety disorder yet it does not necessarily mean that a person will develop another anxiety disorder. In fact, studies have found that many people with low levels of both depression and anxiety will have some depression, but not all depression will result into anxiety. People with depression and anxiety should know that anxiety can cause depression, so it is important to check if you are dealing with a combination of these two conditions. One example is someone who has gone through abuse and is currently suffering from anxiety and depression. An individual may begin feeling depressed because of the anxiety and depression.

Symptoms Of Anxiety Disorder

People experience different types of anxiety:

Generalized Anxiety Disorder - This type arises when you are anxious and try to avoid facing situations or events. As a result, you get easily scared and stressed. Symptoms include constant preoccupation, rumination, and difficulty focusing. Impulsive actions and thoughts such as doing things with friends or thinking about something other than the present situation as well as being very reactive to even simple conversations or activities. With generalized anxiety disorder, people experience worry for no rational reason. You have to focus on the negative aspects of life. Social Anxiety – An individual may be fearful of speaking in public due to their anxiety towards the unknown. This is commonly seen among adolescents and adults due to the fear of being embarrassed. However, there are times where social events can bring back the original anxiety of talking in front of large groups of people. Hyper-vigilance – When people become hyper-vigilant it is usually related to social situations. Due to the uncertainty about the world and fears of being judged for your beliefs or behavior, individuals tend to live under restrictions as far as the people around them. If a person believes they can’t perform certain things due to the anxiety of performing their activities or behaving wrongly they might make up stories just to keep themselves safe and not let anyone else see the flaws in their character. Dysphoria – Feeling depressed and worry that there is nothing to do can be seen as a symptom of dysophoria. If you suffer from emotional instability, hyper-vigilance and depression, the diagnosis of cognitive impairment is needed. Schizophrenia – Dysphoria is one of the major signs of schizophrenia. Patients with schizophrenia have symptoms similar to those found in general anxiety disorder patients. These include exaggerated startle response to slight noise, repetitive thought patterns, poor executive function skills, and attentional bias. Other symptoms include delusions, hallucinations, and mood episodes. Substance Abuse – As per DSM V, there are four main diagnoses of substance abuse: dependence, abuse, dependency, and abuse. Depictions of alcohol and drug use, including self-harm, suicidal attempts, criminal behavior, unsafe sex, illicit drugs, reckless driving, and risky behaviors. People with obsessive-compulsive disorder are more susceptible than others to substance abuse. Studies have also found that individuals with PTSD also have increased risks of abusing substances. ADHD is known to cause a lot of problems including increased risk of substance abuse. Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a diagnosis that can be made by a family history, unusual speech, symptoms, or disruptive behavior. ADD is also known to cause a lot of difficulties at school with inappropriate behavior, lack of concentration, inability to get along with others and difficulty concentrating. A few physical changes can occur on your body, which can cause you anxiety. Muscle tension, muscle pain, headaches, dizziness or nausea can be some of the effects that people often experience. Headaches are one of the main symptoms you need to look out for if you suffer from ADHD. In most of the cases, however, anxiety is caused by physical changes in the brain and not just by medication. For example, nicotine can actually reduce the ability to concentrate that leads to anxiety while caffeine can increase the amount of adrenaline produced, resulting in a spike in cortisol. Therefore, you need to be careful about taking over the anti-depressants at the same time you take antidepressants. Sometimes you need to stop taking the anti-depressants for a short period just to keep yourself calm. Tension headaches and nausea can be very dangerous and very unpleasant side effects. So, try to stay away from caffeine or nicotine-induced headaches and nausea. Some medications even carry side effects of anxiety.

How To Treat Anxiety

Anxiety disorders have a wide range of treatments. If you are living with the symptoms you need to talk to your doctor and think over the right treatment plan. The best treatment doesn’t necessarily have to be medication. While medication can help you with your anxiety and stress-related symptoms, it should only be taken in small doses, and its effectiveness may be limited. People with severe anxiety can benefit from non-medicated therapy and support groups for coping methods and coping strategies. There are several approaches to psychotherapy for anxiety.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               1: Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) is one of the therapies that can be used in treating anxiety. CBT works by changing the way you view, perceive, interpret, focus, and maintain the relationship between thoughts and emotions, thus working to change the underlying thoughts and distortions that contribute to your anxiety.            2:Dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT). DBT is used to teach skills to manage your anxiety through relaxation strategies and techniques. People with panic attacks or phobias can learn how to cope with fears and anxieties, as well as learn to recognize triggers and how to manage your responses. Thus, the goal is to reduce the anxiety-provoking events to make the events less frightening, and create effective ways for you to prevent them from happening.

3:Psychographic Therapy - Psychographic therapy is one of the most popular approaches in treating anxiety. By looking and assessing your anxiety and depression-related symptoms using questionnaires, you can work with your therapist and discover your core feelings. Once, if you’re struggling with chronic stress you can use it to enhance your overall wellness.                                                                             4:Interpersonal Therapy – Since interpersonal therapy helps patients understand why they are really anxious and help them deal with them. In order to cope with their anxiety, we encourage patients to reach out to their close friends and family members and support groups.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           5:Individualized Therapy – Depending on the specific fears, obsessions and fears your patient is having; individualized therapy can help you understand these fears and help you overcome them.                                                                                                     6:Family and Group Therapy- Family therapy is a powerful therapeutic method of helping young patients in resolving their anxiety. Families are better equipped to tackle complex problems such as anxiety, but there are still some issues that they need to resolve individually, which requires personalized intervention. A lot of therapists suggest the development of tools and resources that connect parents and families to their child's specialist or counselor.                                                                                                        7:Support Groups—When people with anxiety find a community that understands them and supports them, it can help them feel less alone and able to cope with their anxiety. We can encourage them to join our Support Groups, where they can find a great deal of information and support.                                                                                                   8:Self-help Books and Online Resources- Nowadays, lots of online resources on anxiety treatment can help people in getting the most suitable treatment for them. Here is a list of the most popular websites for self-help books: Brainfuse.org/Anxiety. WebMD. com/Anxiety. NAMI. org/Anxiety. Psychology Today. com/Anxiety. CAGE counselling.

References

Anxiety : Diagnosis & Treatment

Anxiety Disorders

Anxiety Symptoms | Anxiety. About.Com.

Anxiety Drugs

Anxiety Help | Anxiety.about.com.

Anxiety Disorders Types, Symptoms, Treatment, Causes And More

Anxiety.com: Medical Tests and Conditions.

Anxiety.com Symptoms by Type