What You Should Know About Anxiety Disorder

It is normal for people to feel anxiety from time to time especially if they are in situations that cause anxiety.  You might feel anxious because of a job interview, test, new challenges or making important life decisions.  Anxiety is said to be needed for performance.  However, if  it is excessive, it can hamper it.

Despite anxiety being a ‘normal’ thing, anxiety disorder is not. There is a big difference between anxiety and anxiety disorder.  Anxiety becomes a disorder when it is persistent (i.e. occurring frequently).  Anxiety disorder often happens on a daily basis and gets to the point that it hurts everyday activities.

There are different types of anxiety disorders based on the accompanied situation and mode of manifestation. However, the central point is the presence of fear.  Below are some things you should know about anxiety disorder.

Types Of Anxiety Disorders

Generalized Anxiety Disorder

This is usually exhibited as a fear of the unknown.  It occurs in any situation and at any time.  This is why it is referred to as generalized.

Panic Disorder

This kind also occurs at any time, but it is characterized as a sudden rise of intense fear.  It can also be  described as a feeling of choking, heart attack or impending doom or death

Agoraphobia

This is the fear of any situation that a person feels is unsafe and they cannot escape from.  This can be a market place, public vehicles, train etc.  The individual feels intense fear in such situations to the extent of avoiding them.  That is why it’s also called the House-bound Housewife syndrome.

Social Phobia

This is a kind of intense fear that occurs in situations where the individual will be judged.  These types of people avoid social gatherings, which can in turn affect their daily activities.

Other Specific Phobias

There are other phobias with fear of specific objects or situations.  For example:

• Entomophobia – fear of insects
• Arachnophobia – fear of spiders
• Claustrophobia – fear of closed spaces like elevator

Symptoms Of anxiety disorder

Symptoms of anxiety disorder include:

• Fear
• Apprehension
• uneasiness
• Restlessness
• Awareness of heart beat
• Panic
• Jitters
• Poor sleep
• Frequent urination
• Dry mouth
• Diarrhea

Causes Of Anxiety disorder

There is no one definite cause of Anxiety Disorder.  It is the result of a combination of many factors.

One of the major factors is genetics.  Traits of anxiety disorder may be inherited genetically from one generation to another.  Research has also shown that people with anxiety disorder, may exhibit a change in their neural pathway.  This suggests a disorder in the chemical system of the brain.  Some other studies have shown that there are abnormalities of some structures of the brain especially those that code for memory and emotions. Significant stress and life events can contribute.

Diagnosis Of Anxiety Disorder

Symptoms of anxiety disorder can occur in other medical conditions.  Your physician will take a careful clinical/medical history, physical examination and investigation.  This will help determine their mental state state in order to make a diagnosis.

Treatment For Anxiety Disorders

Treatment, of anxiety disorders are diverse and it depends on the type of anxiety disorder, severity of symptoms and patient’s choice.  Overall, anxiety disorder are mostly managed using a combination of treatments, which are:

• Biological treatments – An example is the administration of  anti-depressants.
• Psychological treatment – This includes, cognitive behavioral therapy, relation techniques, and systematic de-sensitization.
• Social treatment –  This is the removal of stressful conditions, environmental manipulations, and life style changes