Anxiety Disorders Symptoms
It's normal for people to experience anxiety and apprehension from time to time. However, if these feelings become constant and cause problems in your the daily routine, you could be suffering from an anxiety disorder.
A medical professional can help you find a treatment that fits your symptoms. This may include antianxiety or psychotherapy as well as natural remedies like exercise, a healthy diet, and sleeping.
1. Worry and Fear
Every person feels anxiety and fear from time to time -- it's normal to experience our body's "fight-or-flight" response to danger. However, if the fear or anxiety is severe, doesn't disappear, and it interferes with your daily life, you may have an anxiety disorder. Your doctor can diagnose anxiety disorders by talking with you and conducting physical examinations by taking urine or blood tests and asking about your previous health. You might be asked to fill out questionnaires to aid your doctor in determining if you suffer from anxiety disorders.
Types of anxiety disorders have different symptoms. For example, people with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) have persistent excessive and irrational anxiety about everyday situations even when they are aware of no risk. They also have difficulty getting comfortable or falling asleep. Other symptoms include a fast and pounding heart, fluttering, or a thumping (heart palpitations), sweating and trembling. People suffering from panic disorders are prone to experiencing frequent periods of fear or terror that are intense that can reach a high within minutes. They also have difficulty controlling their emotions. They avoid certain places and activities to prevent attacks.
People with phobias are very scared of certain things, such as flying or snakes. Other symptoms may include headaches or difficulty breathing. People with PTSD are anxious after experiencing or witnessing a traumatic incident, like a war, or car crash. They may experience other symptoms too, like nightmares and flashbacks of the traumatizing incident.
Other forms of anxiety disorders include ocd hoarding disorder and social anxiety disorder, which makes you feel anxious in social situations. There's also anxiety related to an individual health issue, called illness anxiety disorder (formerly known as hypochondria). Other causes of anxiety are stress and a chemical imbalance in your brain. Sometimes, anxiety can be an adverse effect of certain medications.
2. Panic Attacks
Although everyone is worried or anxious at some point, those with anxiety disorders have recurring feelings of extreme fear and panic that are not in line with their situation. These feelings can trigger intense physical reactions, such as a racing heartbeat, shortness of breath and nausea. They can also make you feel disconnected or unreal. reality.
While anyone can suffer from a panic disorder however, it is more common to develop it during childhood, adolescence or in the early years of adulthood. It can be caused by many factors such as prolonged or severe stress that causes an imbalance in the chemical system of your brain and nervous system. panic anxiety disorder , particularly in the adolescent years can increase the risk of developing anxiety disorders.
Panic attacks can occur without cause or in response to a circumstance that causes you to be afraid, like being around an entire group. They are distinct from normal anxiety symptoms since they exhibit more severe symptoms and are usually unexpected. Individuals with anxiety disorders may also experience a mixture of expected and unanticipated panic attacks.
Talking therapies and medication are the most common treatments for anxiety and panic attacks. Talking therapies can help you learn to manage your fears and get rid of the irrational beliefs that fuel your anxiety. They can teach relaxation techniques such as mindfulness and deep breathing. Certain medications, especially SSRIs (such as Prozac and Paxil) and SNRIs (such as duloxetine and venlafaxine) -- can make anxiety and panic less intense.
It's important that you see your physician immediately if have frequent panic attacks. Your doctor can look for any other health conditions that exhibit similar symptoms, and may recommend alternative treatments.
3. Insomnia
People who are anxious may be unable to fall asleep or staying asleep. This is known as insomnia. It could be a short-term issue or a long-term. Insomnia can make it difficult to make it through the day and could lead to serious health problems. It is more prevalent among older adults and is more prevalent in women than men. It is more prevalent among those with psychiatric disorders.
Many different factors can trigger insomnia. Many different things can trigger it. Sleep is affected by a variety of temporary illnesses such as headaches or colds and chronic conditions like acid reflux, Parkinson's disease or arthritis and medications. Stressful life events could also be the cause. Around half of people suffering from chronic insomnia have a mental illness, most commonly anxiety or depression.
A doctor will first look for physical causes. They will ask you questions regarding your medical history and the symptoms that make it difficult to sleep. They'll also want find out if any medications you are taking are affecting it. They might also do a sleep study so they can monitor your heart rate and breathing during the night.
The most effective method of treating insomnia is behavioral therapy. It helps you overcome the negative thoughts that keep you awake. It also teaches you ways to sleep more peacefully before you go to bed. There are a variety of techniques to aid in relaxation, such as progressive muscle relaxation meditation, biofeedback, and biofeedback. The doctor can help you find a therapist to teach you these methods. If you find that behavioral therapy does not work it is possible to try a variety of drugs to help you sleep better. They include benzodiazepines, which can be used to treat symptoms for a short period of time and antidepressant or antianxiety medications.
4. Eating Disorders
Eating disorders are characterised by preoccupations about body shape, weight and food choices as well as eating habits like 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. Together, the two disorders can result in a vicious cycle in which a person's mood issues exacerbate the symptoms of their eating disorder.
There is a strong association between anxiety and eating disorders as more anxiety-related symptoms being linked to greater severity of the disorder. In reality those suffering from anorexia nervosa is more likely to have excessive levels of anxiety symptoms and the same is the case for people suffering from an eating disorder called bulimia, also known as binge eating disorder. In some instances, anxiety could be the primary cause of an eating disorder. In certain instances anxiety could be a secondary sign of an eating disorder.
In one study, researchers discovered that depression and anxiety symptoms were significantly linked to more severe symptomatology of eating disorders in young females. The research team used the Patient Health Questionnaire-4 (PHQ-4), a 4-item measurement of depression and anxiety symptoms. They also analyzed the severity of an individual's eating disorder and asked participants to rate their coping strategies for anxiety.
The authors of the study also examined three factors that could help explain the connection between eating disorders and anxiety: perfectionism, self-esteem and mood dysregulation. They found that these factors moderated the link between anxiety/depression symptoms and symptomatology of eating disorders, and that they did this in different ways for different subgroups of the sample. They hope that their findings will lead to more precise and targeted treatment of eating disorders.
5. Physical conditions that are a result of anxiety
Many people experience feelings of anxiety at some time, but it can become an illness when it becomes severe and interferes with daily life. Certain people may also experience physical symptoms such as stomach pain or chest pain, depending on what kind of anxiety they're experiencing.
The appropriate treatment can help people lead happier and healthier lives. Many people benefit from psychotherapy or talk therapy. A common type is cognitive behavior therapy (CBT). CBT teaches how to identify and change negative thoughts which trigger anxiety and fear. It also helps you confront your fears and take small steps to overcome them.
The use of medication can be beneficial. Benzodiazepines, such as diazepam or Valium can help ease anxiety and panic attacks. Antidepressants, like tricyclic antidepressants and SSRIs are also available for prescription. These drugs can be used to treat anxiety disorders on their own or in conjunction with other treatments.
Anxiety-related medical conditions can be caused by medical conditions and may exhibit the same symptoms as anxiety disorders. For instance, head trauma, can lead to depression and anxiety. Other conditions that can cause anxiety include chronic fatigue, chronic pain, some rheumatologic illnesses, such as Lupus, and some nutritional deficiencies.
Certain factors make a person more likely to develop anxiety disorders. These are known as risk factors. Some risk factors are genetic, like an ancestral history of anxiety or disorders. Other factors, such as childhood addiction, depression or other mental disorders, and an accumulation of stress for a long time can increase the risk of anxiety disorders. For these reasons, it is essential to undergo a thorough physical exam if you have anxiety.