What Is Anxiety?
Anxiety is classified as an intense overwhelming sense of fear or worry. Usually when faced with a problem at work or school someone may feel anxious as it is a part of our everyday lives. But an anxiety disorder is when some can not get over this intense worry or fear and over time it gets worse. The symptoms can then start to interfere with their daily lives such as job performance, education, and relationships.
There are different forms of anxiety disorders they include Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Panic Disorder, and Phobias which can range greatly. When it comes to diagnosing anxiety these three categories are used the most as they are prominent within the disorder.
Anxiety Disorders
Generalized Anxiety Disorder or GAD appears as excessive anxiety or worry about a number of different things. Like work, personal health, social interactions, and other life circumstances; this can then in turn cause significant problems in their daily lives. Symptoms for GAD include fatigue, concentration issues, restless, muscle tension, overwhelming emotions, and sleep problems.
Panic Disorder
Panic Disorders are reoccurring and unexpected. They are defined by sudden periods of intense fear that reach their peak within minutes of starting. These attacks can be triggered by a situation and objects or can just occur unexpectedly with no trigger. When an attack is occurring people may experience the following heart palpitations, shaking, sweating, trembling, shortness of breath, and overwhelming emotions.
Phobias
When it comes to phobias this is classified as the intense fear that people can from an situation or objects. While it is realistic to feel fear or anxious in certain situations, in people with a phobia this is heightened. It is often seen as out of proportion to the actual danger that is presented by the object or situation. Someone who has a phobia may experience excessive worry about a situation or object, avoidance of the trigger, anxiousness. Within the category of Phobias there are subcategories such as Specific Phobias, Social Anxiety Disorder, and Separation Anxiety Disorder.
Specific Phobias are an intense fear to a specific object or situation like spiders or needles. Social Anxiety Disorder use to be called Social Phobia and can manifest in a variety of situations like work or school. This is classified as an intense fear of anything dealing with social interactions. This is also related to Agoraphobia which is an intense fear of the outside world. When it comes to Separation Anxiety Disorder this is commonly seen in children but can be diagnosed in adulthood. This is a fear of being separated from someone they are close to and it can result in physical symptoms when separated from that person.
Selective Mutism
Selective Mutism is a rare disorder that is often associated with anxiety. This occurs when people fail to speak in certain social situations even though they possess normal language skills. This manifests before the age of five and is usually associated with shyness, fear, compulsive traits, tantrums, clingy behavior and withdrawal. Most people that have Selective Mutism also have another anxiety disorder.
Risk Factors
Risk factors for anxiety disorders include both genetic and environmental. However risk factors for certain types of anxiety disorders can vary from person to person. The general risk factors include traits of shyness or behavioral inhibition, stressful or negative life/environmental events, genetics, and physical health conditions like a thyroid problem.
Treatment Types
Anxiety is usually treated with psychotherapy (talk therapy) or medication, sometimes both if needed. There are a variety of ways to treat anxiety and not everything will work for certain people, so it is best to speak with your doctor to find the best treatment form.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy or CBT is one form of psychotherapy that is used to help treat anxiety. CBT teaches people to think, behave, and react differently to any anxiety producing situations or objects. This form is used for treating Social Anxiety Disorder, as it helps people learn and practice social skills.
Medication
Anxiety can be treated with medication however medication does not cure anxiety disorders. It helps to relieve the symptoms that are often associated with anxiety disorders. The most common medications used for treating anxiety are anti-anxiety medications like beta-blockers, antidepressants, and benzodiazepines. These are often prescribed by a doctor either a psychologist or a primary care physician. There is an increased chance of suicidal thoughts or behaviors when taking medication for anxiety especially during the first few weeks of treatment.
Finding The Right Treatment
As with all forms of treatment some may work better than others. Working closely with your doctor will insure that the treatment plan you are on is right for you. It is also beneficial to join a support group with other people that are also dealing with anxiety, however this is not a great alternative to the care and help that can be received by a healthcare professional. There is even the option of Stress Management which helps to calm someone's anxiety but just like the support groups it can not replace care from a professional.