by Robert Thatcher
Anxiety is a natural human reaction. And contrary to popular opinion, anxiety
can be beneficial because it alerts poeple to potential dangers and gives off an
adrenaline rush that can help them accomplish a task in record time.
But like many things, anxiety when taken into the extreme can have disastrous
results. These feelings can lead to panic attacks and chronic worrying that can
slowly affect the way a person deals with other people and with normal life
situations.
Anxiety disorder, as psychologists would want to call this condition, can
range from something as simple as feelings of uneasiness to responses as severe
as feelings of terror and claustrophobia. Fortunately, among the psychological
disorders, anxiety problems are one of the most common and the most treatable.
Combinations of medications and behavior therapy are often given. Symptoms of
anxiety problems include fast heartbeat and palpitations, chest pains and
difficulty in breathing, anxious thoughts that persist even without any concrete
reason, dizziness and nausea, sweating, trembling, difficulty in concentrating,
fearful thoughts and feelings of disorientation and claustrophobia.
Below are the types of anxiety disorders as mentioned in the DSM-IV.
Generalized Anxiety Disorder is characterized by excessive but unwarranted
worries that a person cannot stop having. Although most people will experience
these kinds of feelings every once in a while, a disorder is only diagnosed if
the feelings persist for six months and start to affect work and the person's
relationships with other people. Some of the common symptoms that people should
watch out for are physiological reactions such as headaches, trembling, muscle
tension, sweating, and trouble staying or falling asleep. There are also bouts
of restlessness and sweating.
Panic disorder is another type of anxiety disorder characterized by feelings
of terror that strikes so suddenly without immediate cause. Often, people who
are having panic attacks feel pains in their chest with their heartbeats going
fast. Some will also feel lightheadedness and even nausea. They will find it
hard to breathe and may feel unwarranted fears. Although most attacks usually
last for about a few minutes, there are some that last for almost ten minutes
and even those that continue on for an hour. A disorder is diagnosed when the
attacks happen in a time frame of just four weeks.
We fear a lot of things but there are some people who are quite irrational
with their fears. These fears on things are called phobias. There is a long list
of phobia forms, having a specific name for each item that is feared. A person,
for instance, who is afraid of open spaces has what psychologists like to call
agoraphobia. Phobias are characterized by extreme anxiety and even panic attacks
when confronted by the object being feared. Many of the symptoms that are felt
during panic attacks are also felt during phobic episodes.
Post-traumatic stress disorder also falls under anxiety disorders. PTSD, as
it is often called, often developed after experiencing, witnessing or
participating in a traumatic and terrorizing event such as death, war, torture
and other extreme circumstances. PTSD is characterized by intense anxiety and
nightmares at night. People who have PTSD also find it difficult to sleep and to
concentrate on things. Often, anxiety attacks go to the extreme when confronted
with situations that have similarities with the one experienced.
About the Author
Robert Thatcher is a freelance publisher based in Cupertino, California. He
publishes articles and reports in various ezines and provides anxiety resources
on www.your-anxiety-resources.info.
