ANXIETY

Anxiety is a normal reaction to stress, yet it can cause sufferers to dread everyday’s situations. While it can become excessive, some people may have difficulty controlling it, turning their lives into a nightmare

VARIETY OF ANXIETY DISORDERS

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
A combination of recurring thoughts (obsessions) and repeated actions (compulsions) that a person performs with the belief that the behavior gives him or her control. It’s like being obsessed with cleanliness and having the urge to wash hands over and over again.

Social Anxiety Disorder
or Social Phobia
A devastating fear of being seen negatively by others and humiliated in public. Social anxiety disorder can be thought of as extreme shyness.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
Develops after a terrifying torment that involved physical harm or traumatic incidents.

Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)
Is genetically related and translated through worries about everyday’s problems even when there is nothing to worry about.

Generally, anxiety arises first, often during childhood.
According to National Institute of Mental Health, about 18.1 percent of people in the age group of 18 and older in a given year, have anxiety disorder.

WHO IS AT RISK?
Women are 60% more likely than men to experience an anxiety disorder over their lifetime. However, the statistics may be misleading because men are more reluctant to seek professional help.

DIAGNOSIS
Anxiety disorders commonly occur along with other mental or physical illnesses, including alcohol or substance abuse, which may mask anxiety symptoms or worsen them
Anxiety so frequently co-occurs with depression that both are thought to be twin faces of one disorder.

IS ANXIETY GENETIC?

It is common for anxiety disorders to run in families.
Scientist’s studies clearly show that mental illnesses are complex and
probably result from a combination of genetic, environmental,
psychological, and developmental factors.
The factors that cause anxiety disorders are learned.

CAUSES
Several parts of the brain are key actors in the production of fear and anxiety. Scientists have discovered that the Amygdala and the Hippocampus play significant roles in most anxiety disorders.

Amygdala
The amygdala is an almond-shaped structure deep in the brain which can alert the rest of the brain that a threat is present and trigger a fear or anxiety response.

Hippocampus
The hippocampus is the part of the brain that encodes threatening events into memories.

SYMPTOMS
The type, number, intensity, and frequency of anxiety symptoms will vary from a person to another. All anxiety disorders share one major symptom: persistent, severe fear or worry in situations where most people wouldn’t feel threatened.

• Inability to relax
• Irritability
• Insomnia
• Tiredness
• Excessive worry

• Headaches
• Muscle tension
• Difficulty swallowing
• Trembling or twitching
• Frequent urination

TREATMENTS
Early intervention is the best course of action.
The soonest anxiety is treated, the less complicated the treatment will be.
In general, anxiety disorders are treated with medication, specific types of psychotherapy, or both.

Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is very useful in treating anxiety disorders. The cognitive part helps people change the thinking patterns that support their fears, and the behavioral part helps people change the way they react to anxiety-provoking situations.

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) encourages people to accept and commit to confront their fears in a safe, controlled environment.
By exposing themselves to the feared object, they gain control.