Everybody knows what it’s like to feel anxious. Anxiety rouses you to action. It gears you up to face a threatening situation.

Unlike the relatively mild, brief anxiety caused by a stressful event (such as speaking in public or a first date), anxiety disorders last at least 6 months and can get worse if they are not treated. Anxiety disorders commonly occur along with other mental or physical illnesses, including alcohol or substance abuse, which may mask anxiety symptoms or make them worse. In some cases, these other illnesses need to be treated before a person will respond to treatment for the anxiety disorder.

But if you have an anxiety disorder, this normally helpful emotion can do just the opposite — it can keep you from coping and can disrupt your daily life. There are several types of anxiety disorders, each with their own distinct features.

Effective therapies for anxiety disorders are available, and research is uncovering new treatments 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 right away.

An anxiety disorder may make you feel anxious most of the time, without any apparent reason. Or the anxious feelings may be so uncomfortable that to avoid them you may stop some everyday activities. Or you may have occasional bouts of anxiety so intense they terrify and immobilize you.

Anxiety disorders are the most common of all the mental health disorders. Considered in the category of anxiety disorders are: Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Panic Disorder, Agoraphobia, Social Phobia, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Specific Phobia, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, and Acute Stress Disorder.

Panic Disorder:

Panic disorder is a real illness that can be successfully treated. It is characterized by sudden attacks of terror, usually accompanied by a pounding heart, sweatiness, weakness, faintness, or dizziness. During these attacks, people with panic disorder may flush or feel chilled; their hands may tingle or feel numb; and they may experience nausea, chest pain, or smothering sensations. Panic attacks usually produce a sense of unreality, a fear of impending doom, or a fear of losing control.

People having panic attacks sometimes believe they are having heart attacks, losing their minds, or on the verge of death. They can’t predict when or where an attack will occur, and between episodes many worry intensely and dread the next attack.

Panic attacks can occur at any time, even during sleep. An attack usually peaks within 10 minutes, but some symptoms may last much longer. Panic attacks often begin in late adolescence or early adulthood, but not everyone who experiences panic attacks will develop panic disorder. Many people have just one attack and never have another. The tendency to develop panic attacks appears to be inherited.

Panic disorder is often accompanied by other serious problems, such as depression, drug abuse, or alcoholism. These conditions need to be treated separately. Symptoms of depression include feelings of sadness or hopelessness, changes in appetite or sleep patterns, low energy, and difficulty concentrating. Most people with depression can be effectively treated with antidepressant medications, certain types of psychotherapy, or a combination of the two.

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder:

People with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) have persistent, upsetting thoughts (obsessions) and use rituals (compulsions) to control the anxiety these thoughts produce. Most of the time, the rituals end up controlling them.

Other common rituals are a need to repeatedly check things, touch things (especially in a particular sequence), or count things. Some common obsessions include having frequent thoughts of violence and harming loved ones, persistently thinking about performing sexual acts the person dislikes, or having thoughts that are prohibited by religious beliefs. People with OCD may also be preoccupied with order and symmetry, have difficulty throwing things out (so they accumulate), or hoard unneeded items.

Healthy people also have rituals, such as checking to see if the stove is off several times before leaving the house. The difference is that people with OCD perform their rituals even though doing so interferes with daily life and they find the repetition distressing. Although most adults with OCD recognize that what they are doing is senseless, some adults and most children may not realize that their behavior is out of the ordinary.

Social Phobia (Social Anxiety Disorder):

Social phobia, also called social anxiety disorder, is diagnosed when people become overwhelmingly anxious and excessively self-conscious in everyday social situations. People with social phobia have an intense, persistent, and chronic fear of being watched and judged by others and of doing things that will embarrass them. They can worry for days or weeks before a dreaded situation. This fear may become so severe that it interferes with work, school, and other ordinary activities, and can make it hard to make and keep friends.

While many people with social phobia realize that their fears about being with people are excessive or unreasonable, they are unable to overcome them. Even if they manage to confront their fears and be around others, they are usually very anxious beforehand, are intensely uncomfortable throughout the encounter, and worry about how they were judged for hours afterward.

Social phobia can be limited to one situation (such as talking to people, eating or drinking, or writing on a blackboard in front of others) or may be so broad (such as in generalized social phobia) that the person experiences anxiety around almost anyone other than the family.

Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD):

Generalized Anxiety Disorder, GAD, is an anxiety disorder characterized by chronic anxiety, exaggerated worry and tension, even when there is little or nothing to provoke it.

People with generalized anxiety disorder can’t seem to shake their concerns. Their worries are accompanied by physical symptoms, especially fatigue, headaches, muscle tension, muscle aches, difficulty swallowing, trembling, twitching, irritability, sweating, and hot flashes.

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.

Treatment for Anxiety Disordes:

The two main treatments for generalized anxiety disorder are medications and psychotherapy, either alone or in combination. It may take some trial and error to discover which treatment works best for you and which you are most comfortable with. Your health insurance coverage also may be a factor.

1 Medications:

Several different types of medications are used to relieve generalized anxiety disorder symptoms:

  • Anti-anxiety medications. Benzodiazepines are sedatives that have the advantage of easing anxiety within 30 to 90 minutes. On the downside, they can be habit-forming if you take them for more than a few weeks. For this reason, your doctor may prescribe them for only a short time to help you get through a particularly rough period. The most commonly prescribed sedatives include alprazolam (Xanax), chlordiazepoxide (Librium), clonazepam (Klonopin), diazepam (Valium) and lorazepam (Ativan). These medications may cause unsteadiness, drowsiness, reduced muscle coordination and problems with balance. Higher doses and long-term use can cause memory problems. Don’t drive or use heavy machinery while taking these drugs.

A different type of anti-anxiety medication often prescribed for generalized anxiety disorder is buspirone (BuSpar). While this medication typically takes several weeks to improve symptoms, it doesn’t pose a risk of dependence. A common side effect of buspirone is a brief feeling of lightheadedness shortly after taking it. Less common side effects include headaches, nausea, nervousness and insomnia.

  • Antidepressants. These medications influence the activity of certain neurotransmitters that are thought to play a role in anxiety disorders. Examples of antidepressants used to treat generalized anxiety disorder include fluoxetine (Prozac), paroxetine (Paxil), imipramine (Tofranil), venlafaxine (Effexor), escitalopram (Lexapro) and duloxetine (Cymbalta).

Whether you try anti-anxiety medications, antidepressants or both, you may need to try several to find which works best for you with the fewest side effects. Also keep in mind that some medications don’t work immediately, particularly antidepressants. It may take several weeks before you notice the full effects of anxiety relief. Psychotherapy or healthy coping skills can help you weather this challenging waiting period.

2 Psychotherapy:

Also known as talk therapy or counseling, psychotherapy involves receiving help from a mental health provider through a combination of talking and listening.

Evidence shows that cognitive behavior therapy in particular can help improve symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder. Cognitive behavior therapy helps you identify unhealthy, negative beliefs and behaviors and replace them with healthy, positive ones. It’s based on the idea that your own thoughts - not other people or situations - determine how you behave. Even if an unwanted situation doesn’t change, you can change the way you think and behave in a positive way. Generally a short-term treatment, cognitive behavior therapy emphasizes learning to develop a sense of mastery and control over your thoughts and feelings.

Treatment for generalized anxiety disorder or any mental illness is tailored to each person. No single treatment regimen works for everyone. Most treatment occurs on an outpatient basis, but some people may need care in a hospital setting.

Soources: Nimh, Mental Help

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