Anxiety Disorder

This page discusses Anxiety Disorder.

One of the most widely experienced conditions that people suffer from is anxiety.

So what is anxiety, exactly?

In general it is a blanket term for a family of disorders, which in general inspire fear and worry in those that suffer from them.

These days, more people than ever before suffer from mental illness.

When mild, the symptoms of the disease are only unpleasant, but severe anxiety disorder can be extremely debilitating and crippling.

So what causes anxiety?

There can be several different causes.

Usually, these are external in nature, that is to say that we get stressed out primarily in response to outside forces, but anxiety can also originate from within.

Here are a few external stressors:

  • Recent major life changes

  • Stress about work, school, family, or money

  • Difficulty in personal relationships

There can also be medical factors at work, such as side effects from medication, or as part of symptoms of another medical illness.

Drug use is also usually a significant factor, with over half of the total amount of patients seeking treatment for anxiety doing so because of alcohol or painkiller dependence.

If you think you are suffering from anxiety, there are a few commonly experienced symptoms you may experience:

  • Shaking

  • Restlessness

  • Tiredness

  • Upset Stomach

  • Headaches/Migraines

  • Excessive Sweating

  • Panic Attacks

As you can see, the symptoms aren’t exactly pleasant. For people who experience extreme anxiety, the symptoms can get even worse. Sometimes folks with severe anxiety disorders can experience nightmares so vivid that it can prevent them from sleeping, and they may even start avoiding people and places as their symptoms intensify or worsen. Oftentimes anxiety can get worse during stressful situations, or during a time of loss, and during times of their lives when things can get overwhelming.

If you suspect you suffer from anxiety, there are thankfully a variety of ways in which you can treat the the condition and symptoms.

There are three prime ways to do so: self-treatment, medical treatment/medication, and counseling. The following paragraphs are not an exhaustive list of how to treat anxiety conditions, but the hope is that you will be pointed in the right direction to explore more options and move closer to wellness as you embark on this learning process.

Self-treatment is obvious, it is what occurs when you try to develop your stress management skills, or combat the disease through breathing exercises, medication, or physical exercise. Prayer, meditation, exploring nature, and getting proper rest and recovery time built in to your life, are also ways you can detach a bit from the stresses and the rhythms of life.

Counseling is another popular option. If you pursue this treatment course you will work with a dedicated professional who will help walk you through treatment. Talk therapy, is it is often called, can be immensely helpful with helping you process why you may have an anxiety disorder, how you can cope with being anxious, ways you can calm yourself down from triggering events, and learning just what those anxiety provoking triggers are so you can develop a strategy to avoid or limit them in the future.

Of course you can always go with the medical option if in consult with your doctor, they would like to do this; and you can speak with a psychiatrist to discover which of the many different medicines on the market may suit your particular situation or condition. Your psychiatrist will do an initial assessment and an intake consultation with you and the two of you will start to get to know one another.

Some conditions may require multiple avenues of treatment options at the same time. Psychotherapy, learning and educating yourself about your illness, medical/medication avenues (doctors may need to rule out other illnesses in this process), and learning how to more effectively deal with emotional distress caused by your anxiety, these are all important elements as you start and progress down the path of healing.




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