Anxiety Disorders
- Liz F
- Dec 28, 2022
- 6 min read
What is an anxiety disorder?
An anxiety disorder is a disorder where one experiences extreme and ongoing worry or fear about different everyday things. These feelings of anxiety are so strong that they will typically make everyday activities more difficult for someone suffering from an anxiety disorder. Anxiety disorders might involve repeated panic attacks, where the feelings of anxiety come suddenly and get intense quickly.
Types of Anxiety Disorders:
*not all are listed*
Generalized Anxiety Disorder
Panic Disorder
Separation Anxiety Disorder
Social Anxiety Disorder
These are a few of the common types of anxiety disorders, however, there are other specific types. Each anxiety disorder sparks anxiety in different situations.
Generalized Anxiety Disorder
A generalized anxiety disorder is repetitive and uncontrolled fear or worries about a general set of activities or events, mainly being ordinary everyday events. A generalized anxiety disorder is usually found in patients who also have depression or another anxiety disorder. It often is characterized by an amount of fear that seems blown out of proportion compared to the event, and this disorder usually has a physical effect
Panic Disorder
Panic disorder is essentially panic attacks that continue to repeat themselves. It includes feelings of extreme anxiety that usually springs up quickly and escalates quickly to a very high point. The panic attacks involved in panic disorder cause even more anxiety because the person affected is now worrying about if they might experience another panic attack.
Separation Anxiety Disorder
Another type of anxiety disorder is a separation anxiety disorder. This anxiety disorder is more commonly known as a childhood disorder since it typically is when children experience levels of anxiety above their developmental level in reaction to being separated from their parents, even if it’s for a few minutes.
Social Anxiety Disorder
Social anxiety disorder is similar to what it sounds like, it is a disorder that causes major fear, worry, and avoidance when faced with social situations. These high levels of anxiety come from embarrassment, self-consciousness, and fear of how others will judge them.
What causes anxiety disorders?
Anxiety disorders can occur because of multiple different things. First, anxiety can be related to an underlying health issue. For example, heart disease, diabetes, thyroid problems, respiratory disorders, chronic pain, irritable bowel syndrome, drug misuse, drug withdrawal, alcohol withdrawal, or withdrawal from other medications can all cause anxiety. Especially out of these conditions, drug withdrawal or misuse can often be seen going hand in hand with anxiety disorders, specifically substance-induced anxiety disorder. Anxiety disorders can be a symptom of medications as well. Another cause of anxiety disorders is genetics. Anxiety disorder traits can be passed down through generations. Also, brain chemistry plays a role in anxiety disorders. Some anxiety disorders can be caused by damaged circuits in the brain that controls fear, worry, and emotions. Lastly, environmental stress or life experiences can cause anxiety disorders. This includes stressful or traumatic events you have seen or been through during your lifetime. For example, the death of a loved one, childhood abuse, childhood neglect, and more. In summary, the causes of anxiety disorders are typically medical conditions, genetics, brain chemistry, life experiences, and sometimes alcohol or substance abuse.
Diagnosis:
There are different ways anxiety disorders can be diagnosed based on what the disorder might be related to. If one has an anxiety disorder that affects their physical health, they should see their primary care doctor. Their primary care doctor will then check for signs of an underlying medical condition that could be a source of the anxiety, as talked about in the causes. Another way diagnosis for anxiety disorders might be done, is by consulting with a mental health specialist if someone is experiencing intense anxiety. Both a psychiatrist and a psychologist can help to diagnose a mental health condition. One way an anxiety disorder is diagnosed is by giving a psychological evaluation. A psychological evaluation includes talking about what you are thinking about, what you are feeling, and how you are behaving. This will help the doctor to determine a diagnosis and then find appropriate treatment. However, anxiety typically occurs with other mental health conditions such as depression, which makes it more difficult to diagnose someone. Another way to diagnose an anxiety disorder is by using the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) published by the American Psychiatric Association. A doctor can compare someone’s symptoms to the criteria in the DSM-5 in order to diagnose anxiety.
Symptoms:
Anxiety disorders have many different symptoms, but these are the most common symptoms:
Trouble sleeping
Increased heart rate
Sweating
Feeling a need to avoid things that might trigger anxiety
Weakness or tiredness
Breathing rapidly
Feelings of impending doom
Nervousness
Restlessness
Tenseness
Difficulty concentrating
Difficulty controlling feelings of worry or fear
Gastrointestinal problems
Keep in mind that even if you are experiencing any of these symptoms, it does not necessarily mean you have an anxiety disorder. These symptoms would have to be persistent, meaning they continue to occur over a long period of time.
Risk Factors:
Just like many other conditions, there are risk factors that make someone more at risk of developing an anxiety disorder.
Trauma - Especially children who witness or go through traumatic events will be more at risk of an anxiety disorder. This is also true for adults who experience traumatic events. By trauma, I mean a deeply disturbing experience, for example, the death of a loved one.
Physical illness - Having an illness can cause immense stress about treatment or what will happen next, which can lead to extreme worry and fear. Physical illnesses in general can also cause anxiety disorders, such as heart disease or diabetes, which makes it a risk factor.
Stress buildup - Stress buildup is when many stressful events continue to happen and build on top of each other. This can result in intense worry and therefore makes someone more at risk of an anxiety disorder.
Personality - Someone’s personality can make them more prone to an anxiety disorder. For example, shyness can make someone more at risk of developing an anxiety disorder as well as oversensitivity to criticism, fixation on details, and moral rigidness.
Other mental health disorders - Having a mental health disorder such as depression or bipolar disorder.
Family history of anxiety disorders - Having blood relatives with an anxiety disorder can make someone have an increased risk of anxiety disorder.
Drugs or alcohol - The misuse or withdrawal of drugs or alcohol can contribute to risk factors of anxiety disorder, and can make anxiety worse.
Gender - Women are twice as likely to develop an anxiety disorder than men are.
Treatment:
There are lots of different ways to help those with anxiety disorders. The treatment for anxiety disorders is most commonly either psychotherapy or medication. Psychotherapy is essentially talking or working with a therapist. Cognitive-behavioral therapy is typically used to treat anxiety disorders. This therapy is meant to teach methods that will help to reduce symptoms and start participating in the activities that would usually cause anxiety. Cognitive-behavioral therapy also involves exposure therapy, which is when someone is slowly exposed to an object or event that causes them anxiety in order to build their confidence for dealing with that event and any symptoms that arise. As for medications, they depend on the type of anxiety disorder you have and whether or not you have another mental health disorder as well. Keep in mind that medications are not a cure, rather a way to reduce the intensity of symptoms. One medication is an anti-anxiety medication called benzodiazepines. These are very effective, however, some people may end up relying on them if they are taken for long amounts of time. Some other medications that might be used to treat anxiety disorders are certain antidepressants or an anti-anxiety medication called buspirone, which is best for chronic anxiety. Sedatives might be prescribed, but that is not very common since sedatives only provide short-term relief. Another treatment is lifestyle and home remedies. This treatment might include staying physically active, which reduces stress. Also, avoiding alcohol and recreational drugs, quitting smoking, cutting back on caffeinated beverages, using stress management or relaxation techniques such as yoga, getting enough sleep, or eating healthy can all help to reduce anxiety. Another treatment option is alternative medicine. Alternative medicine includes herbal remedies and dietary supplements. Although, these medications aren’t looked at by the Food and Drug Association (FDA) in the same way that most medications are looked at. It is important to speak with your doctor before using any alternative medicine treatments. Next, coping and support are a big part of treatment. Some ways to do this are to socialize, learn time management techniques, break the cycle of your anxiety by taking up a hobby that distracts you and joining an anxiety support group. Some other ways of coping are keeping a journal, learning about what triggers your anxiety, sticking to a treatment plan. If you are suffering from an anxiety disorder, remember that you are not alone and there are people there for you! There are many different options of treatment that can help to relieve symptoms and help reduce anxiety, make sure to consult with a doctor to find which is right for you.
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