Anxiety Disorders; What are they?

Anxiety is a familiar feeling. It's how your brain responds to stress and warns you of potential dangers. Everybody has occasional anxiety. For instance, you might worry when faced with a challenge at work, before a test, or before making a crucial decision.

Periodic anxiousness is OK. Anxiety disorders, however, are distinct. They are mental conditions that produce unrelenting, intense worry and fear. You may avoid activities such as work, school, family gatherings, and other social events because of your extreme anxiety because they could exacerbate your symptoms.

Many individuals with anxiety problems can manage their feelings with treatment.

Anxiety Disorder Types

Anxiety disorders come in several forms, including:

1. Generalized Anxiety Disorder: You experience excessive, unjustified tension and concern for little to no reason.

2. Panic disorder: You experience a panic attack due to sudden, overwhelming fear. A panic episode may cause you to sweat, have chest pain, and cause your heart to race (palpitations). You can occasionally feel like you're choking or going to pass out.

3. Social anxiety: This condition, also known as social phobia, occurs when you have excruciating worry and self-consciousness about typical social situations. You constantly fear that people will judge you, find you embarrassing, or make fun of you.

4. Certain phobias: You have a severe fear of a particular thing or circumstance, like heights or flying. The fear is excessive and could make you avoid commonplace situations.

5. Agoraphobia: Your fear of being somewhere where it would be difficult to flee or find aid in case of an emergency is quite intense. For instance, you might have panic or anxiety while flying, using public transportation, or waiting in a long queue.

6. Separation phobia: Not just young children experience fear or anxiety when a loved one departs. Separation anxiety disorder can affect anyone. If you do, you'll experience intense anxiety or terror whenever someone close to you leaves your sight.

7. Mutism: This is a form of social anxiety in which young children who regularly converse with their family avoid speaking in front of others, such as at school.

Symptoms Of Anxiety Disorders

An excess of fear or worry characterizes anxiety disorders. It might be challenging to breathe, sleep, keep still, and focus when you have an anxiety problem. Depending on your type of anxiety illness, you may experience specific symptoms.

Common signs include:

• Fear, anxiety, and panic

• Feelings of fear, dread, or peril

• Issues with sleep

• Not being able to maintain silence and quiet

• Cold, perspiration-filled, tingly, or numb feet or hands

• Breathing difficulty

• Breathing more swiftly and deeply than usual (hyperventilation)

• Palpitations in the heart

• Mouth irritation

• Nausea

• Stiff muscles

• Dizziness

• Unable to quit thinking about a subject, it keeps coming to mind (rumination)

• Inability to pay attention

• Intense or compulsive avoidance of fearful things or places

Stress Disorder Risk factors and the causes

The specific cause of anxiety disorders is unknown to researchers. A complicated web of factors determines who receives one and who does not.

Anxiety Disorder Causes

Below are a few reasons for anxiety disorders:

• Genetics: Disorders of anxiety can run in families.

• Brain chemistry: According to several studies, dysfunctional brain circuits that regulate emotions and fear may be responsible for anxiety disorders.

• Stressful environment refers to tense situations you have witnessed or experienced. Childhood abuse and neglect, losing a loved one, being attacked, or seeing violence, and these types of life experiences are frequently associated with anxiety disorders.

• Drug abuse or withdrawal: Some anxiety symptoms may be concealed or reduced with specific medications. Alcohol and drug abuse can go hand in hand with anxiety disorders.

• Ailment conditions: Some heart, lung, and thyroid diseases can exacerbate or induce symptoms similar to anxiety disorders. When discussing anxiety with your doctor, you must undergo a thorough physical examination to rule out any medical disorders.

Anxiety Disorder Risk Factors

Additionally, some factors increase your risk of anxiety disorders. They are referred to as risk factors. You can alter certain risk factors but not others.

The following are risk factors for anxiety disorders:

• A history of mental illness: Your chance of developing an anxiety disorder is increased if you also have a mental health condition like depression.

• Sexual abuse of children: Childhood sexual, emotional, or physical abuse or neglect has been linked to adult anxiety disorders.

• Trauma: A traumatic experience raises the likelihood of developing posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which can result in panic episodes.

• Adverse incidents in life: Stress or unfavourable life circumstances increase your risk of developing an anxiety disorder, such as losing a parent when you were a young child.

• Severe ailment or ongoing medical issue: You may experience overwhelming stress and anxiety if you are constantly concerned about your health, the health of a loved one, or the needs of a sick person.

• Addiction to drugs: Alcohol and illegal drug usage increase your risk of developing an anxiety condition. Additionally, some people utilize these drugs to mask or lessen their anxiety symptoms.

• Being reserved as a kid: Social anxiety in teens and adults is associated with early shyness and withdrawal from strange people and environments.

• Self-esteem issues: Negative self-perceptions may bring on social anxiety disorder.

Treatments for Anxiety Conditions

There are numerous ways to treat and control the symptoms of an anxiety disorder. People who suffer from anxiety disorders typically take medication and undergo counseling.

Among the therapies for anxiety disorders are:

• Medication: Drugs of many kinds are employed to treat anxiety disorders. To choose which medication is best for you, discuss the benefits and drawbacks of each option with your doctor or psychiatrist.

• Antidepressants: The first medications routinely prescribed to someone with an anxiety condition are modern antidepressants (SSRIs and SNRIs). Escitalopram (Lexapro) and fluoxetine are examples of SSRIs (Prozac). Duloxetine (Cymbalta) and venlafaxine are SNRIs (Effexor).

• Bupropion: Another typical antidepressant for treating persistent anxiety is this one. Compared to SSRIs and SNRIs, it operates differently. Different antidepressants Tricyclics and monoamine oxidase inhibitors are a couple of these (MAOIs). Because some people may find side effects such as blood pressure decreases, dry mouth, hazy vision, and urine retention uncomfortable or dangerous, they are less frequently used.

• Benzodiazepine: If you consistently feel anxious or panicked, your doctor can recommend one of these medications. They lessen anxiety. Examples include clonazepam and alprazolam (Xanax) (Klonopin). They operate swiftly, but you might count on them. It would be best if you didn't take them for a long time because they're often supposed to be an addition to the treatment you receive for your anxiety illness.

• Beta-blockers: If you're experiencing anxiety-related physical symptoms like a racing heart, trembling, or shaking, a medication for high blood pressure like this can help you feel better. When experiencing a severe anxiety episode, a beta-blocker may aid in relaxation.

• Anticonvulsants: These medications treat some anxiety disorder symptoms and stop seizures in epileptic patients.

• Antipsychotics: These medications might be added in small dosages to assist other therapies to work better.

• Buspirone (BuSpar) (BuSpar). This anti-anxiety medication is occasionally used to treat persistent anxiety. Before experiencing complete symptom relief, you'll need to take it for a few weeks.

You can discover how your emotions affect your behaviour through psychotherapy, which is a sort of counseling. Talk therapy is another name for it. Your thoughts, feelings, and anxiety condition are discussed with you by a qualified mental health professional who also offers suggestions on how to understand and control them.

Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT): This popular psychotherapy technique teaches you how to change unfavourable or anxiety-inducing thoughts and actions into favourable ones. You'll discover techniques for approaching and handling frightened or worrying situations with caution and restraint. CBT for families is available in several regions.

Wrap Up

To have an anxiety disorder can be challenging and frustrating. You can feel worn out and afraid due to your anxiety and panic. You've already taken the first step in letting go of the worry if you've discussed your symptoms with a doctor.

Finding the best treatment for you can sometimes take some time. You may require a variety of treatments if you have many anxiety disorders. The best treatment for most

anxiety disorder patients is a mix of medication and counseling. You can learn how to control your symptoms and thrive if you receive the proper care and therapy.