Anxiety Disorders

We all get or rather feel anxious now and then. This is a normal emotion. Sometimes you may feel nervous at work due to problems associated with work, or anytime you are about to make a crucial decision or other times when you are going to take a test and sometimes when you are about to be interviewed.

Anxiety disorders: It is different when it comes to disorders. There are different types of mental illnesses, and the distress they come with can really distract you and cause a lot of damage or harm to your life. This always affects the way your life normally operates.

For those people who have some of the disorders listed below, worry and fear are always constant and really overwhelming and also disabling. But one can be able to manage the feelings and be able to get back on their feet through treatment. Here are some of the anxieties disorders listed and discussed for you.

Types of Anxiety Disorders:

Specific phobia

This type of anxiety disorder is fixated on a specific object or a situation. There is a tendency for one to feel intense fear when they come face to face with the object or the situation. The feeling they have at such a moment goes above normal and can easily cause them to avoid ordinary situations. This type of disorder can keep you away from enjoying what life has to offer be it enjoying a good relationship with others, having a great time at work or even at school.

The types of specific phobia include

Animal phobia- an example includes the fear of insects such as bees

Situational phobia- this includes the fear of heights and elevators

Natural environment -this includes the fear of storms and water.

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

This type of disorder is experienced by people who have gone through a traumatizing event either by experiencing it on a personal level or seeing it happen.

General Symptoms include:

Getting flashbacks of the events
Nightmares,
Severe anxiety
Mind-boggling thoughts of what they went through.

These symptoms mostly start within a month of one experiencing a traumatic event, and sometimes this can manifest years later. They highly interfere with how you run your daily activities, and can easily affect your relationships.

Symptoms can be categorized into:

Intrusive Memories:

The symptoms associated with these include:

having flashbacks
Distressing and recurrent memories of the event
Nightmares
A physical reaction to a particular situation that takes you back to this event.

Avoidance

The symptoms associated with these include:

Unwillingness to speak or think about the traumatic event
Total avoidance of places, activities and even people who could remind you of the event

Negative thoughts and a change in mood

The symptoms associated with these include:

Negatively thinking about yourself, people around you and your environment.
Being hopeless about what the future holds
Not being able to maintain good relationships with your loved ones
Loss of memory especially on issues that were once important to you.

Arousal Symptoms

The symptoms associated with these include:

Having trouble with sleep
Being over aggressive on some issues
Overindulging in activities such as overdriving or drinking beyond your limit
Being on the lookout for danger even when there is none.

In small children, the signs and symptoms may manifest differently. These include:

Recreation of the events when they are playing
Having dreams that do not include the traumatic event

Symptoms vary in their intensity, and this can be because of factors such as trauma triggers and stress.

When should one see a doctor when experiencing PTSD?

You should consider consulting a specialist if you are experiencing mind-boggling thoughts about an event that has traumatized you; especially if this has been happening for over a month.

It is essential to talk to a professional as soon as you can to avoid the above symptoms from escalating.

It can get worse if one is having suicidal thoughts, it is recommended that you get help right away; talk to a friend or close family. This will help curb the suicidal thoughts you may be having

Panic disorder

Panic disorder is a feeling of terror that comes out-of-the-blue, strikes at random causing panic attacks. Panic attacks are also referred to as anxiety attacks; they are usually experienced by adults with a few registered cases among children

Panic attack symptoms: Most of the people who experience this kind of disorder usually feel unusual strong or irregular heartbeats, they experience chest pains, may also feel like chocking, and sometime one may sweat and have heart attacks.

Most people distance themselves from their friends, family and other people who can be of help to them and choose to suffer in silence; just because they are afraid and embarrassed by their panic disorder condition.

Separation Anxiety Disorder

This type of disorder is experienced when one is extremely anxious about being separated from those they are attached to. The feeling can continue for as long as four months in children and six months in adults. Symptoms associated with this type of disorder include:

Refusal to sleep by the person affected
Having nightmares about being separated

Agoraphobia

This is the fear of one being in fixing situations that can be embarrassing, or even situations they cannot hide from. In such situations, there is a likelihood that there may be no help for them in case of a panic attack. It can last for about over five months, and it can render one dysfunctional. The following are situations that can lead to one experiencing agoraphobia.

When one is in an open place
When using public means of transport
Being away from a familiar environment
While walking in an isolated alley

It is essential that this type of disorder is treated to ensure that one can go back to living their normal lives. Without this, there is a possibility that one may not even be able to leave the house.

Social Anxiety Disorder

Social anxiety disorder is a problem that most people face. They try to fight this in all ways that we can. Social anxiety is also referred to as social phobia. It is the intense anxiety of being judged and the feeling of being rejected by the society. Also, being viewed negatively by their friends and family members may lead to this kind of disorder. Sometimes you may feel intense fear of certain situations or object. Social anxiety disorder is one of the visible or rather noticeable disorders. Most of the people with this kind of disorder avoid social gatherings and performance situations. This is to avoid ridicule from anybody around them. This type of disorder really interferes with one's way of life. Some people do not complete their education; others are not capable of establishing relationships whether romantic or friendships. You will find others declining jobs offered to them.

Social anxiety disorder symptoms:

Some of the visible actions or activities that one notices on people with a social anxiety disorder are: blushing and sometimes talking very fast without any flow of words. Others have very strong physical symptoms which include irregular heartbeat, sweating and also nausea.

Generalized anxiety disorder

It is always normal to feel anxious most especially when one has stress. Generalized anxiety disorder is the excessive, repetitive and unrealistic worry which becomes difficult to control and also affects the way of life of an individual. It is also described as tension with no reason. This type of disorder is considered as a long-term disorder. It is always accomplished by a mood disorder. But through medication or psychotherapy, persons with the generalized anxiety disorder can be helped. Changing lifestyle and also learning on relaxation techniques can help too.

Generalized anxiety disorder symptoms:

Different people have different symptoms. Here are some of the symptoms that are usually noticed

Sometimes one may be always over thinking of certain plans and solution that only leads to worst-case outcomes.
It becomes difficult for one to stop worrying and have fears on a certain issue
It makes one have fears of making wrong decisions on a given issue
Some become restless and cannot relax.
Others see certain situations threatening even though they are not.
Sometimes people with this disorder lose concentration at some point.

Risk Factors:

The true cause of anxiety disorders has not been established. The assumption is that there is a combination of elements that bring about this. These include genetics, environmental, psychological and developmental factors. Disorders can run in families this means that genes and the environment play a role as risk factors.

Diagnosis and Treatment:

You should consult your doctor to ensure the symptoms you are experiencing are not from a physical issue. If you have an anxiety disorder, a mental health professional can be assigned to you to help you work on the best treatment for your case.

Data indicates that most people with anxiety disorder sometimes do not even know that they do.

Anxiety disorders manifest in different ways, they however mostly respond to two major treatments. These are:

Psychotherapy/Talk therapy
Medication

The two can be administered alone or as a combination

Cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) which is one of the examples of talk therapy; can be used to help one achieve a different way of thinking, a different perspective in life and even adapt to behavior that can help them to be less anxious.

It is important to note that no known medication cures anxiety disorders; they only provide relief in a significant way. Anti-anxiety medication is the most common type of medication used although one can be issued with antidepressants. Prescription for antidepressants is usually done for a short period of time.

Beta-blockers, which are mostly used for heart conditions are at times prescribed to control physical symptoms of anxiety.

Management of general Symptoms of Anxiety Disorders

Below are some of the tips that can help in the management of anxiety disorders:

Avoid caffeine. It has been found to alter mood and does not, therefore, help with anxiety disorders. Drinks that are caffeinated include coffee, tea, energy drinks and many others

Indulge in a good diet, exercise well and ensure that you get enough sleep. Exercising helps in releasing endorphins which are also called happy hormones. This can help in improving your moods and reduce you the stress you might be experiencing.

You should ensure that you have adequate rest which includes having enough sleep. Make it your personal routine to follow strictly on bedtime schedules.

Self-help, coping and managing

People anxiety disorders should always accept themselves the way they are as the first treatment. Knowing your weaknesses and working on them is one of the greatest tools one can have. There are things that people with anxiety disorders do in order to cope with the situation. Sharing your problem out loud to your friends or family can also really help. This really helps them to understand you much better. For better medication always be open with your doctor and always keep in touch. Managing of stress is also one of the best treatments available and affordable. You can manage your stress by changing your lifestyle and the type of people you are hanging around with.

Conclusion

Anxiety disorders can present one with an unpleasant experience. It is important that if you are experiencing one or two of the mentioned above, you visit your physician for advice. They may be able to help you before things get out of control. Be happy and progressively learn to work on controlling your circumstances so that you are not overwhelmed.