Everyone feels anxiety and fear at times. It’s an inherent part of being human. If these feelings persist and are affecting your daily life, you might have an anxiety disorder.
A healthcare professional can help you find an appropriate treatment that matches your symptoms. This may include psychotherapy, antianxiety drugs or natural remedies such as exercise, healthy eating, and sleep.
1. Worry and Fear
Everyone experiences feelings of anxiety and fear from time time — it’s normal to experience our body’s « fight-or-flight » response to danger. If the feeling is extreme and doesn’t go away or is interfering with daily life it could be a sign that you have anxiety disorder. Your doctor can identify anxiety disorders by having a discussion with you, a physical exam and urine or blood tests, and inquiries about your past health. You might be asked to complete questionnaires to aid your doctor in determining whether you suffer from an anxiety disorder.
Types of anxiety disorders have different symptoms. People suffering from generalized anxiety disorder, for example have a tendency to worry excessively and unintentionally about everyday events even though there isn’t any real threat. They also have trouble sleeping or relaxing. Other symptoms include a fast, fluttering or pounding heart (heart palpitations) as well as sweating and trembling. People suffering from panic disorder experience regular moments of intense terror or fear that reach the point of exhaustion in a matter of minutes, and they experience difficulties controlling their emotions. They often try to avoid certain activities or places to stop these attacks from occurring.
People who have phobias have intense fears of certain things, like snakes or flying. They might have other symptoms as well like breathing problems or headaches. People with PTSD experience anxiety when they witness or experience traumatizing events, such as a war or car crash. Other symptoms include flashbacks or nightmares that reminisce about the traumatic event.
Other anxiety disorders include ocd (obsessive compulsive disorder), hoarding disorder, and social anxiety disorder. These disorders cause you to feel anxious when in social situations. There’s also anxiety about an individual health issue, called illness anxiety disorder (formerly known as hypochondria). Other causes of anxiety are stress and an imbalance of chemicals in your brain. Sometimes, anxiety can be an effect of certain medicines.
2. Panic Attacks
People suffering from anxiety disorders are prone to experiencing recurring sensations of extreme panic and fear that are not proportional to their situation. These feelings can trigger severe physical reactions, such as rapid heartbeat, shortness of breath and nausea. You may also feel detached or unreal.
While anyone can suffer from a panic disorder, it’s more common to develop it during childhood, adolescence, or early adulthood. It can be caused by many factors that include prolonged or severe stress that causes a chemical imbalance in your nervous system and brain. Severe trauma, particularly during adolescence or childhood can also increase the likelihood of developing anxiety disorders.
Panic attacks can occur without explanation or in response to a particular situation that makes you afraid for example, being in a large crowd. They differ from normal anxiety disorders consequences-related symptoms because they involve much more intense symptoms and are often unexpected. Individuals with anxiety disorders may also experience a mixture of unanticipated and expected panic attacks.
Talking therapies and medication are the most popular treatments best med for social anxiety disorder anxiety and panic attacks. Therapy sessions can help you control your anxiety and help you eliminate the negative thoughts that fuel your anxiety. They can teach you relaxation techniques, such as deep breathing and mindfulness. Certain medications, especially SSRIs (such as Prozac and Paxil) and SNRIs (such as duloxetine and venlafaxine) can help to reduce anxiety and make panic less intense.
If you’re experiencing a regular panic attack, it’s important to consult with your physician and seek immediate treatment. Your doctor can check for any other health conditions that exhibit similar symptoms and recommend other treatments.
3. Insomnia
When people are anxious they may have trouble sleeping or staying asleep at night. This is referred to as insomnia. It can be a temporary issue or a long-term. Insomnia makes it difficult to function during the day, and can cause serious health problems. It is more prevalent among older adults and is more common in women than men. It is more common among those with psychiatric disorders.
Many different factors can trigger insomnia. There are a variety of things that can cause it. Temporary illnesses like headaches or colds; chronic conditions such as arthritis, acid reflux or Parkinson’s disease, and medication can all affect your sleep. Stressful life circumstances can also be a cause. Around half of people suffering from chronic insomnia suffer from mental illness, which is most often anxiety or depression.
A doctor will first look for physical causes. They will check your medical history and ask you about the symptoms that are making it harder to sleep. They will also inquire if you are taking any medications that may be affecting your sleep. They might also do an overnight sleep study so that they can observe your breathing and heart rate at night.
Behavioral therapy is the most effective treatment for insomnia. It helps you to change the negative thought patterns that are keeping you awake. It also shows you how to relax before sleep. There are a variety of techniques to help you relax, including progressive muscle relaxation meditation, biofeedback, and biofeedback. Your doctor can help you locate a therapist that can teach you the methods. If behavioral therapy does not work then you can try a variety of medications to help you sleep better. These include benzodiazepines that can be used to treat symptoms for a short period of time as well as antidepressant or antianxiety medication.
4. Eating Disorders
Eating disorders are characterised by anxiety about body shape, weight and food, as well as eating habits such as purging, binge eating or vomiting, or the use of laxatives or exercise. A lot of people who suffer from an eating disorder also have anxiety, as do those who have a co-occurring mental illness like bipolar or depression disorder. When they are combined, these two conditions can result in a vicious cycle in which a person’s mood issues exacerbate the symptoms of their eating disorder.
There is a strong connection between anxiety and the severity of eating disorders. Anxiety levels that are higher symptoms are associated with the disorder. Anorexia nervosa patients are more likely to suffer from high levels of anxiety-related symptoms. Similar is the case for binge-eating disorders, bulimia or bulimia. In certain cases anxiety may be the direct cause of an eating disorder. In other cases, it could be a secondary manifestation of an eating disorder.
Researchers found that the presence of anxiety and depression comorbid symptoms was strongly associated with more severe eating disorders in young females. The team of researchers used a 4-item measure called the Patient Health Questionnaire-4 that assesses anxiety and depression symptoms. They also assessed the severity of a person’s eating disorder and asked participants to rate their coping strategies for anxiety.
The authors of the study also looked at three factors that could help explain the relationship between eating disorders and anxiety self-esteem, perfectionism, and mood dysregulation. These factors influenced the relationship between anxiety/depression and eating disorder symptoms however in different ways, depending on the subgroups. They hope that their findings will help them develop more precise and focused treatment of eating disorders.
5. Anxiety-related physical conditions that can be linked to anxiety
The majority of people experience feelings of anxiety at one point in time, but it can become a problem when it’s extreme and affects daily life. Certain people also experience specific physical symptoms, such as stomach discomfort or chest pain according to the type of anxiety they have.
Getting the right treatment for anxiety disorders can make people feel better and live happier lives. Many people benefit from psychotherapy or talk therapy. The most common type is cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). CBT teaches you to recognize and overcome negative thoughts that cause anxiety and anxiety. It also teaches you how to face the things that scare you and overcome your fears in small steps.
Medication can also help. Benzodiazepines, like diazepam or Valium can help ease anxiety and panic attacks. Antidepressants, such as SSRIs or tricyclic antidepressants, can also be prescribed. These medications can be used to treat anxiety disorders alone or in conjunction with other treatments.
Certain medical conditions can trigger anxiety and can cause physical symptoms as an anxiety disorder. Traumas to the head can trigger anxiety and depression, for example. Other conditions that can trigger anxiety include chronic pain, fatigue disorders and rheumatologic conditions such as Lupus, and some nutritional deficiencies.
Certain factors increase the risk of developing anxiety disorders. These are referred to as risk factors. Some risk factors are genetic, for example, an ancestral history of anxiety or disorders. Other factors, like the abuse of children or an underlying depression history or other mental health problems, and a buildup of stress over a long period of time, can increase the risk of developing anxiety disorders. For these reasons, it’s important to get an accurate physical exam if you are suffering from anxiety.