Understanding Anxiety Disorders

Everybody, at certain points in their life, experiences some form of anxiety. In some cases, it is completely normal and rational. An onset of anxiety can occur in moments of panic, stress, fear, or nervousness. However normal the sensation of anxiety may be to the human psychology, sometimes it goes beyond what can be described as a normal reaction and it becomes overwhelming and uncontrollable. This marks something more than the mere feeling anxious and indicates a potential anxiety disorder. The objective here is to give some brief information regarding anxiety disorders, how they affect those suffering from them, how they are diagnosed, and how they are treated. This of course is just a general introduction and not a means for self-diagnosis. If you experience some of the symptoms or conditions for which I'm about to describe it's important that you go to a trained professional and talk to them about it.

The main difference between feeling anxious and suffering from an anxiety disorder are the effects it has on your life. Normal feelings of anxiousness are common to all of us; however, when it takes a crippling effect on one's life in excessive amounts, and makes coping/living in everyday situations extremely difficult, then there is a chance there's something more than simply feeling stressed or anxious about everyday life. With anxiety disorders, the excessive emotions control and dictate one's life.

Anxiety disorder is a broad term. It actually covers several psychological, neurological, and pathological conditions in which the patient is overcome by excessive, irrational fears, phobias with continuous persistence. The crucial aspect is the continuity of these irrational fears that become so overwhelming they interfere with everyday life. The fear itself has certain physiological cues that indicate the mind is under a significant amount of duress. Trained professionals in mental health distinguish between the different anxiety disorders so as to effectively treat them as best as possible. Different disorders lead to different emotional, mental, and physiological symptoms which are important for a professional's diagnosis. Effective diagnosis is the key to recovery.

Diagnosing anxiety disorders requires standardized and objective inquiry into the patient's mindset along with physical medical examination. Since a number of physical explanations can share symptoms with anxiety, or certain experiences, it's important for doctor's to isolate all possible explanations for the patient's condition. What is usually involved is a questionnaire attempting to draw out the patient's problems in an objective manner. This is also accompanied by subjective analysis and interview of the patient's own feelings about himself, life, his situation, and his experiences. Often times, since doctors and researchers have continued to look for genetic basis into the onset of anxiety disorders, a family history will be taken to see if any patterns or trends are present.

The physical symptoms present in those with anxiety disorders can be tricky. More often than not though, these symptoms can be shared with a number of other disorders or conditions. Some of the most common symptoms are heart irregularities (hypertension, palpitations), chronic headaches, heavy sweating, and irregular breathing. Distinguishing if an anxiety disorder is responsible, or another condition, is crucial.

Anxiety disorders can be further broken down into five major categories dependent upon the patient's own subjective mindset compared to objective testing. These five individual disorders include Generalized Anxiety disorder, panic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, social anxiety disorder, agoraphobia, and post-traumatic stress disorder.

Generalized anxiety disorder is just what it's name implies. Unlike some of the other anxiety disorders its not marked by a specific focus on events, situations, experiences, or objects. Rather, it is a chronic condition which often times leaves the patient feeling anxious, afraid, nervous of a many great deal of things but so unspecific that they themselves cannot indicate the sources or origins of their irrational fear. I use irrational here in that their anxiety is caused not by a specific stressor or event that caused specific conditions nor an external or impending threat. The constant fear of unspecific threats can take a serious toll on the patient's body. Often times, because the body engages certain physical reactions to such fears, bodily complications can result. When the incessant worrying lasts for over six months then there is a possibility that the condition responsible is GAD.

Panic disorder differs in that the characteristic "attacks" provide intense and excessive amounts of fear in the individual, often times with extreme physical reactions. The terrifying experience of panic attacks often times can last anywhere from a few minutes to hours. Sometimes it's a fear that one's life is threatened or some other horrific experience. Sometimes panic-attacks can come about unprovoked, but other times they can be instigated after a frightening or threatening experience. Usually the intense fear causes extreme stress on the body and is marked by intense shaking, trembling, increased heart-beat, faster breathing, and sometimes the inflicted patient may believe he/she is having a heart attack.

Obsessive-compulsive disorder is another form of anxiety disorder characterized by the continuous onset of undesirable, distressing, or troubling thoughts that recur with frequency. This is known as obsession. Often times, for a diagnosis of OCD, repetitive and tedious behaviors are performed in hopes of counter-acting these thoughts. These repetitive behaviors are known as compulsion. The compulsive behavior can vary depending upon the individual, the thoughts themselves, or the circumstances. Sometimes performing the compulsions may provide temporary relief; however, inability or simply not performing them can cause a great amount of stress and increased anxiety. In many cases the compulsions become rituals and are seen as necessary in the prevention of anxiety or for the patient to retain any control over his life. It becomes problematic and an indication of the disorder when these start to dominate the individual's life. Often times OCD can destroy someone personal, professional, and social life. The more severe cases can truly disable one's ability to live a normal, functioning life.

Social Anxiety Disorder, also known as Social Phobia is characterized by an irrational, chronic, and overwhelming sense of anxiety and self-consciousness about everyday social settings. It's normal for people to feel self-conscious when surrounded by others to some degree; however, as is the case with Social phobia, it can lead to an overall avoidance of all social situations including being around close friends. The symptoms include an incessant feeling of being watched or judged by others that becomes so intimidating it may lead the individual to intense feelings of fear. Sometimes it may be focused on one event, like performing certain tasks in public such as speaking. Other times, such as more severe cases, it can exist in broader, more debilitating forms where the individual feels anxious about being around people in general. Social intimidation and the worrying about being embarrassed or hurt in social settings is accompanied by a number of physical symptoms including blushing, sweating, nausea, stuttering, and/or trembling.

Post-traumatic stress disorder has gained more notoriety as reports have been made public about the diagnosis of PTSD in returning soldiers after having seen combat. Unlike the other anxiety disorders, PTSD typically occurs after someone has seen terrifying images or experienced situations which have placed an extraordinary amount of stress on their mind. After a traumatic event, the patient may continue to have flashbacks, intense memories, and/or relive the experience which can set off anxiety attacks. Many patients become emotionally numb and detached from people they were once close to. Other traumatic or distressing experiences can complicate matters further. Sometimes individuals may grow violent or lose touch with reality, depending on the severity of the event and its effects on the individual.

In recent decades, more has been learned about effective treatment of these disorders. New technology and research has yielded therapists, counselors, and doctors new tools in attempting to help people suffering from anxiety disorders reclaim their lives. Some of the means for treatment include cognitive behavioral therapy, making positive changes in one's life to try and cope with the effects of anxiety disorder, and pharmacological therapy - including anxiolytic and/or anti-depressant treatments. Many professionals believe cognitive behavioral therapy to be the best means of overcoming the crippling effects of anxiety disorder, though it often depends greatly on subjective considerations and factors - such as the severity of the disorder, which disorder, and how open the individual is to the possibility of therapy sessions.