Anxiety disorders and Anxiety Attacks

Anxiety disorder - Anxiety Symptoms, Causes, Treatment, Medication, Test Information

Anxiety disorders are the most common of emotional disorders, annually affecting more than 20 million Americans (approximately one in nine).

Anxiety disorders fill people's lives with overwhelming anxiety and fear. Unlike the relatively mild, brief anxiety caused by a stressful event such as a business presentation or a first date, anxiety disorders are chronic, relentless, and can grow progressively worse if not treated.

Effective treatments for anxiety disorders are available, and research is yielding new, improved therapies that can help most people with anxiety disorders lead productive, fulfilling lives. If you think you have an anxiety disorder, you should seek information and treatment.

Each anxiety disorder has its own distinct features, but they are all bound together by the common theme of excessive, irrational fear and dread.

What are the causes of Anxiety Disorders?

The causes of anxiety disorders are not fully known, but both physiologic and psychologic factors are involved.

Physiologically, all thoughts and feelings may be understood as resulting from electrochemical processes in the brain, but this fact tells little about the complex interactions among the neurotransmitters and neuromodulators of the brain and about normal vs. abnormal arousal and anxiety.

Psychologically, anxiety is viewed as a response to environmental stressors, such as the rupture of a significant relationship or exposure to a life-threatening disaster. Anxiety disorders may be due to a physical disorder or use of a legal or illicit drug.

• Anxiety can occur if you are unable to find an outlet for your feelings in personal relationships. This is especially true if you suppress anger or frustration for a very long time.
• It influences the way you think about yourself and others. Anxiety is common if you are insecure about your surroundings.
• Specific events or situations can precipitat anxiety attacks but only after a basic pattern of an anxious respponse to life's experiences is established.

What are the smptoms of Anxiety Disorders?

Symptoms of anxiety disorders can include:

• Uncontrollable obsessive thoughts
• Overwhelming feelings of panic and fear
• Painful, intrusive memories; recurring nightmares
• Nausea, sweating, muscle tension, and other uncomfortable physical reactions

Mixed anxiety and depressive disorder

This disorder is probably the commonest mood disorder in primary care, in which there are equal elements of both anxiety and depression, showing how closely associated these two abnormal mood states are.

Also see Anxiety Neuroses

What are treatment for Anxiety Disorders?

• Self help
• Medication - A short prescription of benzodiazepine tablets, such as diazepam, may be helpful in relieving short-term stress-related anxieties. Buspirone is another medicine that is prescribed in the short-term to relieve anxiety. Antidepressants such as paroxetine (eg Seroxat) may be prescribed for certain anxiety disorders such as generalised anxiety disorder, social phobia and OCD, and when anxiety is associated with depression. Another group of drugs known as beta- blockers relieve many of the physical symptoms of anxiety such as palpitations and tremors and may be helpful for some people.
• Counselling and Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT)
• Behavioural therapy - performed with a mental health professional to help gain control over unwanted behaviour. Can include control exposure to situations usually avoided.
• Cognitive therapy - similar to behavioural therapy but dealing with unhelpful and unproductive thoughts patterns. Feelings and thoughts are examined and the patient learns to identify which thoughts are unreasonable, unrealistic or overvalued.
• Group therapy - with one or two specialised therapists, particularly helpfully for certain conditions such as difficultly relating to others or being scrutinised by others. Allows exposure to feared situations and recognition and understanding by peers.
• Psychoeducation - recognition by the patient that they have a treatable medical condition, and self-education through books and websites, and mental health professionals.
• Relaxation - Relaxation training is a feature of some types of psychotherapy. Various types of relaxation therapy are available - you might want to discuss this with your doctor. Some people may find yoga or the Alexander technique helpful.
• Complementary therapy
• Herbs like Kava Kava and Valerian may also be very useful in treating anxiety.

Learn on Anxiety Lepidopterophobia

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Anxiety Attack Disorder symptoms, treatment including anti anxiety medication, history, medication, test