Anxiety Disorders

Anxiety disorders are a group of mental disorders characterized by significant feelings of anxiety and fear. But first, What exactly is Anxiety? Is it a normal and healthy emotion? 

However, when a person regularly feels disproportionate levels of anxiety, it might become a medical disorder. Experiencing occasional anxiety is a normal part of life. However, people with anxiety disorders frequently have intense, excessive and persistent worry and fear about everyday situations. Anxiety is your body’s natural response to stress. It’s a feeling of fear or apprehension about what’s to come. The first day of school, going to a job interview, or giving a speech may cause most people to feel fearful and nervous. Anxiety is a worry about future events, and fear is a reaction to current events. In the case of an anxiety disorder, the feeling of fear may be with you all the time. It is intense and sometimes debilitating. Also try some yoga poses for anxiety. Many people experience anxiety at some point in their lives. 

Anxiety symptoms include

1. Rapid breathing

2. restlessness

3. difficulty falling asleep

4. Feeling nervous, restless or tense

5. Having a sense of impending danger, panic or doom

6. Having an increased heart rate

7. Sweating

8. Trembling

9. Feeling weak or tired

10. Trouble concentrating or thinking about anything other than the present worry

11. Experiencing gastrointestinal (GI) problems

12. Having difficulty controlling worry

13. Having the urge to avoid things that trigger anxiety

Anxiety feels different depending on the person experiencing it. Feelings can range from butterflies in your stomach to a racing heart. You might feel out of control like there’s a disconnect between your mind and body. Other ways people experience anxiety include nightmares, panic attacks, and painful thoughts or memories that you can’t control. You may have a general feeling of fear and worry, or you may fear a specific place or event. Your anxiety symptoms might be different from someone else’s. Generalized anxiety disorder is "characterized by chronic excessive worry accompanied by three or more of the following symptoms: restlessness, fatigue, concentration problems, irritability, muscle tension, and sleep disturbance"Once you’ve been diagnosed with anxiety, you can to explore treatment options with your doctor. 

For some people, medical treatment isn’t necessary. Lifestyle changes may be enough to cope with the symptoms. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, the drugs most commonly used to treat depression, are frequently considered as a first-line treatment for anxiety disorders. Treatment for anxiety falls into two categories: psychotherapy and medication. Meeting with a therapist or psychologist can help you learn tools to use and strategies to cope with anxiety when it occurs. Lifestyle changes can be an effective way to relieve some of the stress and anxiety you may cope with every day. Most of the natural “remedies” consist of caring for your body, participating in healthy activities, and eliminating unhealthy ones.

Anxiety disorder treatments include

• Getting enough sleep
• Meditating
• Staying active and exercising
• Eating a healthy diet
• Staying active and working out
• Avoiding alcohol
• Avoiding caffeine
• Quitting smoking cigarettes

If you have an anxiety disorder, you may also be depressed. While anxiety and depression can occur separately, it’s not unusual for these to mental health disorders to happen together. Anxiety can be a symptom of clinical or major depression. Likewise, worsening symptoms of depression can be triggered by an anxiety disorder. Symptoms of both conditions can be managed with many of the same treatments: psychotherapy (counseling), medications, and lifestyle changes. Neurosis, plural neuroses, also called psychoneurosis or plural psychoneuroses, a mental disorder that causes a sense of distress and deficit in functioning. Neuroses are characterized by anxiety, depression, or other feelings of unhappiness or distress that are out of proportion to the circumstances of a person's life. 

Anxiety neurosis is a common problem. The main anxiety causes aren’t fully understood. Life experiences such as traumatic events appear to trigger anxiety disorders in people who are already prone to anxiety. Inherited traits also can be a factor. For some people, anxiety may be linked to an underlying health issue. In some cases, anxiety signs and symptoms are the first indicators of a medical illness. If your doctor suspects your anxiety may have a medical cause, he or she may order tests to look for signs of a problem.

Examples of medical problems that can be linked to anxiety include

• Heart disease

• Diabetes

• Thyroid problems, such as hyperthyroidism

• Respiratory disorders, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma

• Drug misuse or withdrawal

• Withdrawal from alcohol, anti-anxiety medications (benzodiazepines) or other medications

• Chronic pain or irritable bowel syndrome

• Rare tumors that produce certain fight-or-flight hormones

An anxiety attack is a feeling of overwhelming apprehension, worry, distress, or fear. For many people, an anxiety attack builds slowly. It may worsen as the stressful event approaches. For some, fatigue can follow an anxiety attack, while for others, the fatigue can be chronic. A panic attack and an anxiety attack share some common symptoms, but they’re not the same. Anxiety attacks can vary greatly, and symptoms may differ among individuals. That’s because the many symptoms of anxiety don’t happen to everyone, and they can change over time. 

Common symptoms of an anxiety attack include:

• Fear

• Feeling faint or dizzy

• Shortness of breath

• Dry mouth

• Sweating

• Chills or hot flashes

• Apprehension and worry

• Restlessness

• Distress

• Numbness or tingling

Anxiety is a key part of several different disorders. Some of the types of anxiety disorders are:

1. Panic disorder: Experiencing recurring panic attacks at unexpected times. A person with panic disorder may live in fear of the next panic attack.

2. Phobia: Excessive fear of a specific object, situation, or activity

3. Social anxiety disorder: Extreme fear of being judged by others in social situations

4. Obsessive-compulsive disorder: Recurring irrational thoughts that lead you to perform specific, repeated behaviors

5. Separation anxiety disorder: Fear of being away from home or loved ones

6. Illness anxiety disorder: Anxiety about your health (formerly called hypochondria)

7. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD): Anxiety following a traumatic event

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