Anxiety Disorder: Be Aware And Informed

What Is Anxiety?

Anxiety is an emotion characterized by feelings of tension, worried thoughts, and physical changes like increased blood pressure. Anxiety is the mind and body's reaction to stressful, dangerous, or unfamiliar situations. It's the sense of uneasiness, distress, or dread you feel before a significant event.

Anxiety is not the same as fear, but they are often used interchangeably. Anxiety is considered a future-oriented, long-acting response broadly focused on a diffuse threat, whereas fear is an appropriate, present-oriented, and short-lived response to a clearly identifiable and specific threat.It’s normal to have some anxiety and it can even be beneficial in some cases. For instance, feeling anxious while going for a job interview or making an important life decision.

What Is Anxiety Disorder?

While it is normal to have some anxiety, but when this feeling goes beyond regular nervousness and becomes persistent, it can be described as anxiety disorder. People with anxiety disorders usually have recurring intrusive thoughts or concerns. They may avoid certain situations out of worry. They may also have physical symptoms such as sweating, trembling, dizziness, or a rapid heartbeat. Anxiety disorders can make it difficult to get through the day.

Types of Anxiety Disorders

There are a number of disorders which are caused due to anxiety. Some of these are –

Generalised Anxiety Disorder

Generalised anxiety disorder (GAD) can cause a person to feel restless, along with feelings of worry that cannot be controlled, difficulty in concentrating and not being able to fall asleep. In fact, in cases of excessive worries, patients may experience anxiety every day for six months.

Panic Disorder

A panic disorder makes people experience recurring panic attacks at unexpected times and may cause the person with this disorder to live in fear of the next panic attack.

Phobia

Phobias refer to the extreme fear of a specific situation, object or activity. The effect of a phobia can range from annoying to debilitating. The fear is irrational, and people with a phobia may often realise this but are unable to do anything about it.

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) leads people to perform the same behaviour repeatedly, arising from irrational thoughts. Some people double-check doors, or perform small rituals like keeping something lucky close by on important days.

Social Anxiety Disorder

Social anxiety disorder or social phobia causes people to feel extreme fear in social settings. They find it difficult to meet new people and talk to them at social gatherings. They are afraid of being judged and may be aware that their fears are irrational.

Separation Anxiety Disorder

This disorder refers to an extreme fear of being separated from a person’s loved ones. While separation anxiety is normal in babies who are 8-12 months of age and goes away around 2 years of age, grade school children and teenagers can also show symptoms of separation anxiety.

Illness Anxiety Disorder

Formerly called hypochondria, health anxiety disease is the irrational fear of having a serious medical condition and caused by an imagination of illness symptoms. Repeated reassurances by medical professionals are not enough to put these people!/s fears to rest.

Post-traumatic Stress Disorder

PTSD is an anxiety disorder that develops after one experiences something traumatic in their life. The event may force them to perceive that there is a threat of death or injuries. PTSD may occur after a natural disaster, physical or sexual assault or abuse, military combat or accident.

Causes of Anxiety Disorder

The causes of various anxiety disorders are complicated and difficult to identify. Many might occur at once, some may lead to others, and some might not lead to an anxiety disorder unless another is present. Possible causes include -

• Environmental stressors, such as relationship problems or family issues
• Medical factors such as existing disease symptoms or the effects of medication
• Family history and genetic
• Hormonal imbalance which can affect brain activity
• Substance-use withdrawal effect

Signs and Symptoms of Anxiety Disorders

The different types of anxiety disorders can cause people to show different signs of anxiety. Common anxiety signs and symptoms include:

• Feeling nervous, restless or tense
• Having a sense of impending danger, panic or doom
• Having an increased heart rate
• Breathing rapidly (hyperventilation)
• Sweating
• Trembling
• Feeling weak or tired
• Trouble concentrating or thinking about anything other than the present worry
• Having trouble sleeping
• Experiencing gastrointestinal (GI) problems
• Having difficulty controlling worry
• Having the urge to avoid things that trigger anxiety

Diagnosis of Anxiety Disorders

If you have symptoms of an anxiety disorder, talk to your healthcare provider. There are no lab tests or scans that can diagnose anxiety disorders, but your doctor may run some of tests to rule out physical conditions that may be causing symptoms.

If your provider finds no signs of physical illness, they may refer you to a psychiatrist or psychologist. These mental health professionals specialize in diagnosing and treating mental illnesses. They may use specially designed interview and assessment tools to figure out if you have an anxiety disorder.

Treatment of Anxiety Disorder

Once diagnosed with anxiety, one can look at a number of anxiety disorder treatments. While some people may require medical treatment, others may simply need to make lifestyle changes in order to cope with their symptoms and make them more manageable. Anxiety disorder can be treated with medications and psychotherapy.

Medication

Medications can’t cure an anxiety disorder. But they can improve symptoms and help you function better. Medications for anxiety disorders often include anti-anxiety medications, antidepressants, and beta-blockers. Your healthcare provider will work with you to find the right medication combination and dosage. Don’t change the dose without consulting your provider. They’ll monitor you to make sure the medicines are working without causing negative side effects.

Psychotherapy

Commonly referred as counselling, this helps you deal with your emotional response to the illness. A mental health provider talks through strategies to help you better understand and manage the disorder. Approaches include:

• Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) - It is the most common type of psychotherapy used with anxiety disorders.
• Exposure therapy – This focuses on dealing with the fears behind the anxiety disorder. It helps you engage with activities or situations you may have been avoiding.

Some lifestyle changes and natural remedies can also manage anxiety. This includes getting enough sleep, meditating, exercising, eating healthy, and avoiding alcohol, cigarettes and caffeine.

Risk Factors of Anxiety Disorder

These factors may increase your risk of developing an anxiety disorder:

• Trauma. Children who endured abuse or trauma or witnessed traumatic events are at higher risk of developing an anxiety disorder at some point in life. Adults who experience a traumatic event also can develop anxiety disorders.
• Stress due to an illness. Having a health condition or serious illness can cause significant worry about issues such as your treatment and your future.
• Stress buildup. A big event or a buildup of smaller stressful life situations may trigger excessive anxiety — for example, a death in the family, work stress or ongoing worry about finances.
• Personality. People with certain personality types are more prone to anxiety disorders than others are.
• Other mental health disorders. People with other mental health disorders, such as depression, often also have an anxiety disorder.
• Having blood relatives with an anxiety disorder. Anxiety disorders can run in families.
• Drugs or alcohol. Drug or alcohol use or misuse or withdrawal can cause or worsen anxiety.

Complications of Anxiety Disorders

Anxiety symptoms can change and worsen over time if left untreated. Untreated anxiety can increase risk of developing more severe, even life-threatening conditions. These conditions include:

• Depression - Anxiety disorder and depression often occur together. They have similar symptoms and can be difficult to differentiate. Both can cause agitation, insomnia, the inability to concentrate, and feelings of anxiety.
• Substance Abuse – People with anxiety are at an increased risk of addiction to many substances as it is believed that it can help to bring some relieve to the symptoms experienced. However, there is no such evidence.
• Physical Illness - Anxiety disorder increases your risk of developing certain illnesses which can compromise your immune system making you more susceptible to infections.
• Suicide - If you have obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) or social phobia, you are at higher risk for suicide. This along with depression puts you at an increased risk.

Prevention of Anxiety Disorders

There's no way to predict for certain what will cause someone to develop an anxiety disorder, but you can take steps to reduce the impact of symptoms if you're anxious:

• Get help early - Anxiety, like many other mental health conditions, can be harder to treat if you wait.
• Stay active - Participate in activities that you enjoy and that make you feel good about yourself. Enjoy social interaction and caring relationships, which can lessen your worries.
• Avoid alcohol or drug use - Alcohol and drug use can cause or worsen anxiety. If you're addicted to any of these substances, quitting can make you anxious. If you can't quit on your own, see your doctor or find a support group to help you.

Conclusion

Anxiety disorders can often go undiagnosed and untreated. Fortunately, treatment can help and with right treatment it can improve your quality of life, relationships and productivity. It can also support your overall well-being. If you notice symptoms of an anxiety disorder, talk to your healthcare provider.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Is anxiety curable?

Yes. Anxiety orders are very common and also highly treatable.

2. Can anxiety go away naturally?

The feeling of mild anxiety may disappear on its own or when you have removed yourself from an anxiety-inducing situation. But it depends on the severity of the situation.

3. Are there any physical signs of anxiety?

Yes. The physical signs of anxiety include shortness of breath, high heart rate, trembling, headache, sweating, nausea and insomnia.

4. Are anxiety and stress the same thing?

No. While stress is a person!/s bodily reaction to threats, anxiety in turn is the body!/s reaction to stress.

5. Can bad lifestyle lead to anxiety?

Yes, according to some studies, anxiety along with depression were associated with an unhealthy lifestyle.