What is Anxiety Anyway?
The term anxiety, or anxiety disorder is really a catch-all term for many anxiety related mental conditions. To simply say someone has anxiety is to suggest that they are experiencing a feeling of fear, apprehension, worry, or other vague and unpleasant feelings. An anxiety disorder is often accompanied by physical symptoms and sensations.
According to the National Institute of Mental Health, there are five general categories of mental anxiety disorders. In those five, there are additional subcategories that make it even more complex and challenging for a mental health professional to develop an accurate diagnosis.
The first of these five categories is called GAD, or generalized anxiety disorder. This is probably one of the most common types of anxiety. Ongoing or continual excess of worried or concerned about every day life and situations is symptomatic of GAD. People with generalized anxiety disorder can continue to function in society depending on the severity of the symptoms. Physical symptoms may also become apparent and include sleeplessness, fatigue, headaches and muscle tension. General anxiety disorder is considered chronic but can be successfully treated in controlled with medications and counseling.
Second, and one of the most common anxiety disorders is known as social anxiety. Societal anxiety is characterized by an over concern about how people may perceive you in a public place. Social anxiety is demonstrated by people who are unable or uncomfortable speaking in public. Many very popular celebrities have been known to suffer from social anxiety. You may want to check the website below for more information on social anxiety and those who suffer with it.
Third on the list of the top five anxiety categories is the obsessive compulsive disorder or OCD. A person suffering with obsessive-compulsive disorders is usually identified as being locked into ritualistic behavior. That is, someone who is overly worried about germs may wash their hands hundreds of times a day. People with OCD may have been unhealthy focus on certain aspects of their life which results in an ongoing behavior to try to limit the effects of the problem. Another example may be somewhat worried about being secure in their home may consistently check doors and windows to verify they are locked.
Fourth is panic disorder. Panic disorder is very similar to the feelings one would get while watching a horror or suspenseful movie. Symptoms include rapid breathing, fast and hard heart pumping, dizziness, lightheadedness and tangling in your hands and feet are all part of a panic attack. The difference between watching the horror or suspense movie, and someone suffering a panic attack is one of control. If that edge of your seat feeling becomes to intense at the movies you can simply close your eyes and regain control. Someone who suffers from panic attacks cannot control when or how long they happen.
Fifth is posttraumatic stress disorder and is usually associated with returning war veterans. PTSD however, can happen to anyone that experiences, a physical are particularly traumatic situation. Traumatic stress disorder has been known to affect people close to someone who has directly experienced a particularly trying our traumatic episode.
This is a very quick thumbnail of the major types of anxiety disorders that have so far been identified. For more information on these and other general mental health information, see the website below.
Abigail Franks
http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/what-is-anxiety-anyway-84320.html
Dealing With Anxiety Disorders In Children
Anxiety disorders can be difficult for adults to deal with, and the problem is that much worse when it affects children. Children are often even less able to deal with the effects than adults and these disorders can affect their development.
Because of the potential for lifelong problems, it is critical that anxiety disorders in children are identified and treated as early as possible. The sooner they are dealt with, the less likely they are to develop into more serious problems down the road.
It’s often difficult to pinpoint anxiety disorders in children because they’re often combined with other problems as well. Anxiety often occurs along with ADHD, depression and obsessive compulsive disorder, making it harder to isolate.
There are a number of methods for treating anxiety problems in children. The best choice will often depend upon the child’s emotional and mental situation.
One treatment method that was traditionally considered ineffective is proper diet and nutrition. Over the past several years, however, this has gained considerable attention and research. Proper exercise and nutrition can have a positive effect on children suffering from anxiety – it will not solve the problem entirely but it can improve it.
Therapy and/or medication is one of the most thoroughly researched approaches. It has proven to be effective in many cases, as it allows the child to get his or her anxiety under control. Once it is controlled, the underlying causes can be addressed more effectively.
If a child is suffering from anxiety problems – or you even suspect they could be – a doctor should be consulted. They can do a thorough diagnosis and prescribe the most effective treatment if an anxiety problem is evident.
Treatments are generally different from those that would be prescribed for adults, so don’t assume that the same things will be effective with children.
Shane Baxter
http://www.articlesbase.com/medicine-articles/dealing-with-anxiety-disorders-in-children-95268.html
Symptoms of Anxiety – Physical and Mental
Anxiety is a complicated thing. Anxiety can easily make an otherwise very happy and healthy person become quite the opposite. Depression and physical sickness can quickly set in as a result of anxiety. Let’s take a much more detailed look at anxiety and its physical and mental signs and symptoms.
Physical symptoms of anxiety:
Have you ever looked at a person and just knew immediately that they were suffering from some sort of anxiety? Perhaps he or she looked haggard, stressed, unhappy, or mentally exhausted. If you didn’t already know it — physically, anxiety can make you very ill. Anxiety over events in your life can cause ever illness from Irritable Bowel Syndrome to heat problems to the common cold. You can become physically ill from anxiety because it actually lowers your immune system’s ability to fight off infections or bacteria. Anxiety strains the heart, and can cause rapid or irregular heartbeat. Severe, recurring and untreated anxiety can ultimately lead to heart attack and stroke.
If you look at a person with severe anxiety, you may be able to see the wrinkles in his or her forehead, the seemingly permanent grimace on the face, and black circles under the eyes. Severe anxiety can also cause him or her to be over or under their normal weight. This is because anxiety often does one of the two things: causes binge eating (which is when a person frequently overeats to deal with stress) or under eating (which is when stress completely wipes out a person’s appetite and they are unable to gain any appetite).
There are other physical symptoms of anxiety that can be found in the manifestation of other mental illnesses. For example, in people with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), severe anxiety can cause a flareup of highly obsessive behaviors. A person who is worried about something may obsessively repeat routines in order to alleviate the stress that they are under. Repetition is often a stress reducer for some with OCD. A chronically depressed person, on the other hand, may have a different reaction to anxiety. They may find it impossible to get out of bed in the morning, and therefore miss a great deal of time at work or school. You may notice that these people are physically absent from their usual activities.
Mental symptoms of anxiety:
Mental symptoms of anxiety are stressful to those who struggle with it. Those who suffer from extreme anxiety may find it nearly impossible to focus on anything except the thing that they are anxious or stressed over. It may seem that no matter what they try to focus on, their thoughts always come back to the same negative things. This can cause a highly depressed state in a person suffering from anxiety. It can also cause a person to have a mental breakdown and be unable to preform the day-to-day tasks that they usually do.
Mentally, anxiety can cause a person to become totally changed. Someone who once used to go out and be social with friends may now be a homebody, unwilling to talk much to others. Severe anxiety can cause mood swings, One minute a person an be content, and the next minute they can be completely unreasonable. Anxiety can cause a person to be unusually quite, distracted, and disorganized. The anxiety can be so overwhelming, that the person suffering from it may not want to explain it to others. In fact, it may seem almost impossible for the person suffering from it to even put it into words. Overall, anxiety is an extremely difficult thing for a person to deal with mentally and physically. If you are suffering from any of the above symptoms or have reason to believe that you are chronically stressed, it is in your best interest to seek the help of a mental health professional right away.
Matthew Hick
http://www.articlesbase.com/non-fiction-articles/symptoms-of-anxiety-physical-and-mental-92199.html
Aromatherapy: Gain Some Relief From Anxiety
Feeling anxious isn’t a comfortable feeling for any of us and the desire to gain some control over our anxiety is understandable. Anxiety can show itself when fear, nervousness, worry and possible paranoia have become fairly common in your life. It’s a state of mind that focuses on negative emotions and could be the result of an underlying traumatic experience. A lot of people who suffer from anxiety live their lives in fear and never truly enjoy many of the pleasures that life has to offer them. Although anxiety starts in the mind, in turn it also affects your body. The fear and panic that you feel can show up physically as shortness of breath, heart palpitations, sweating or sickness.
When a person faces a real fear or threat, they experience what is commonly known as the “fight or flight” response. This response is a natural element of human survival and is an instinctive reaction to a perceived threat. When your body is often in a fearful state, your immune system becomes depressed. If you live with anxiety, panic, and fear for a long period of time, your immune systems is subjected to consistent suppression. This can leave your body open to infections, sickness, and disease.
As well as the physical side effects, feeling anxious stops you from enjoying many of life’s pleasures, both the great one and the small daily ones. In fact, the fear may become so intense that just carrying out normal day-to-day tasks become almost impossible to do. Scientific research shows that nearly twice as many women as men suffer from anxiety, panic, and fear related conditions.
Accompanying anxiety are phobias and fears. A lot of people face normal fears during their lives and this is to be expected as part of life. Its when people develop unhealthy fears for things that aren’t logical, or have a completely over the top response to a fear that the phobia can being interrupt normal life.
There are other anxiety related illnesses such as Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome, it is essential to seek expert help for any anxiety related disorder that you are facing. A course of therapy along with medication might be needed. It could well be a long and tough journey of intensive therapy and other treatments, but the benefits are worth it. Imagine being able to feel peace, stability, security and joy once again.
In addition, aromatherapy is something that can help in many ways and its easy to get started with today. For instance, when you are feeling anxious, an aromatic bath can benefit you both emotionally and physically. Choose tranquil and nerve calming herbs to bathe in so that you’re fighting the feelings of fear naturally and let the tension and anxiety be released. A hot bath with ten drops of Chamomile added gives you a relaxing and anxiety-soothing bath. Make sure that you have the time scheduled just for yourself and soak for at least twenty minutes to gain the maximum benefit.
Another way of relaxing and getting rid of your fear is through massage. The feel of your body gently being massaged helps to relieve tension and can leave you feeling so refreshed. To make your own delightful massage oil, use six drops Bergamot essential oil, 6six drops of Clary Sage along with three drops of Frankincense. Mix these essential oils with 1-ounce carrier oil, and enjoy the massage.
Even if anxiety is a part of your life, you have choices available to handle it.
Wendy Hearn
http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/aromatherapy-gain-some-relief-from-anxiety-102469.html
Definition of Anxiety – When Stress Goes Out of Control
In principle anxiety doesn’t have to be bad, we can’t simply jump to the definition of an illness, in fact according to the National Institute Of Mental Health; anxiety is defined as a normal reaction to stress. It usually helps people to deal with a number of stressful situations, for example; a tense situation in the office, study harder for an exam, keep focused on an important speech, etc. In short we could say that anxiety is good for our survival when it’s present in normal amounts.
But the real problems begin when this normal anxiety starts getting out of control and suddenly you find yourself completely overwhelmed by anxiety feelings, and apparently you can’t find a way out of these feelings and recurrent thoughts, and getting rid of this intimidating sensations presents as an impossible task to do. Once this has happened we know that anxiety as turned into an illness.
From what has been said above, the definition of anxiety, as an illness, can be stated as a medical illness involving the feelings of intense fear, anxiety or worry. This feelings can be associated with specific objects or situations or the feelings can simply appear, apparently from nowhere and causing the patient to modify many of his daily life routines and sometimes seriously impeding the developing of a normal life. In short, an anxiety illness could be defined as the presence of excessive worry and fear without an apparent reason to feel so.
Anxiety disorders can be subject to a sub classification, for example we have: obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), panic disorders, social anxiety disorder, specific phobias and generalized anxiety disorder. They are all variations of the same out of control anxiety involving your life and your mind plays a big role in letting the feelings stay or get rid of them, you just have to know how to do it. For your surprise it doesn’t have to be hard and can be faster than you think.
By: N. Young (Anxiety Treatment eBook – FREE)
About the Author:
Your anxiety will vanish. Your confidence will soar. This simple and great technique will do it:
Medication for Treating your Panic Attack Symptoms
Panic Attacks are an emotional disorder which can completely take over your life. They make you extremely vulnerable, and you constantly question whether another panic attack is on the way. This sometimes results in sufferers being too scared to leave the house, in case they have a panic attack in public. The constant questioning creates fear in your mind, which in turn makes you even more vulnerable to another panic attack.
So what are you able to do to combat this? A relatively quick solution would be to get hold of medications which are known to reduce the panic attack symptoms. Below are just a few:
Beta Blockers
Beta blockers are prescribed to help control rapid heartbeat, trembling and blushing, which are all symptoms of panic attacks. Unlike many other panic attack medications beta blockers do not have too many side effects. Although there can be some, such as, insomnia, short-term memory loss, nightmares, and drowsiness. Like all panic attack medications, beta blockers do not cure the disorder they simply help to easy the symptoms.
Benzodiazepines
Benzodiazepines are used to combat panic attacks and insomnia. With these medications there can be a high risk of addiction, although it is one of the most commonly used to treat panic attacks symptoms. According to some medical professionals Benzodiazepines are successful in over 70% of patients for reducing panic attack symptoms. Benzodiazepines do have a number of possible side effects including drowsiness, decreased mental sharpness, slurred speech, clumsiness, low *** drive, low moods and irritability.
Tricyclic Antidepressants
Tricyclic Antidepressants can be used to treat panic attacks as well as severe depression, and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. Side effects include constipation, difficulty urinating, blurred vision, loss of *** drive, impotence, weight gain, drowsiness, irritation, and disrupted sleep patterns. These medications are only sort term solutions for panic attacks.
If you are experiencing panic attacks, it could be helpful for you to try some kind of medication. However you need to remember that these medications will not cure panic attacks, they only help to reduce the symptoms. Please consult your physician for advice.
By: Paul Simpson (Download Natural Treatment for Anxiety Now!)
About the Author:
Paul Simpson has his own informative website on panic attacks. He is even giving away a FREE report explaining how he won his 10 year battle against panic attacks, which can be found here:
Panic Attacks
Stress Can Cause Anxiety
Anxiety is a normal reaction to stress and it also helps you cope in tense situations.
Everyone knows what it feels like to be anxious- you feel butterflies in your stomach your actions become topsy-turvy, you can almost hear your heart beat right next to your ears, and you are sweating like you are jogging. These are what you go through usually if you have stage fright and you are required to speak in public, or during your first date (who knows when was that!). These, among other feelings (feelings of anxiety) are normal reactions to stress.
Anxiety stirs you up in action. It helps you deal with a tense situation like focusing on a speech that you are about to give, studying harder for an exam, or staying interesting on your first date to make it to the second, and all that. In general, it helps you deal with any situation that is normally terrifying, especially if you are doing it the first time. I, for one, have many times been in this kind of situation and I can tell you it is only passing. But, if it elevates to excessive, irrational fear of everyday situations, now it has become an immobilizing disorder.
Anxiety disorder can cause you to be filled with fearfulness and ambiguity which maybe felt briefly only. However some anxiety disorder last at least 6 months and has the tendency to get worse if not treated immediately. Anxiety disorders usually occur along with other psychological or physical sickness, including alcohol or drug abuse, which can actually worsen the situation.
If you think you have anxiety disorder, don’t hesitate to seek information about it and find treatment right away before it gets into you. There are effective therapies out there and recent research reveals new treatments that can help most people with this condition lead fruitful and fulfilling lives.
There are five major types of anxiety disorders; general anxiety disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), panics disorder, posttraumatic disorder (PST), specific phobias, and social phobia or social anxiety disorder. Each of the anxiety disorder has different symptoms, but all the symptoms come together around excessive and irrational fear or dread.
Every normal thinking person is expected to feel anxious in certain areas of his/her life, especially when he/she feels out of control of a situation. There are many reasons that anxiety creeps to your life but if it triggers you to some positive action, then you are handling it the best way. Stop worrying too much after you have done the best you can on any life situation or responsibility. Let things be, if things are meant to happen, they will happen. Enjoy life for there are many reasons to be happy, so why worry?
By: Jocelyn Snider (Download Natural Treatment for Anxiety Now!)
About the Author:
Find tips about social anxiety treatment and how to control anxiety at the Health And Nutrition website.
Anxiety- Best Way to Cure
Anxiety Disorder is a real illness, and is the most common mental health problem in the United States. According to the American Psychiatric Association, more than 25 million Americans suffer from these disorders. Children as well as adults are afflicted. There are several types of anxiety disorders such as Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Panic Disorder, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), and Phobias.
Anxiety creates stress for all of us, at some time, to varying degrees, but it becomes a disorder when it can no longer be seen as rational, or it is adversely affecting someone’s life. Individuals suffer extreme worry, anxiety, panic, or an overwhelming fear of losing control as well as physical symptoms. Anxiety disorders hinder people from living their daily life, let alone enjoying it to the fullest.
If you, or anyone you know, suffer from the following symptoms of anxiety disorder , it is advisable to encourage and/or seek out medical attention. Here is a list of the more common symptoms of the above anxiety disorders:
PTSD
- Overwhelming feeling of panic or fear
- Flashback/reliving of traumatic event
- Nightmares
- Insomnia
Generalized Anxiety Disorder
- Uncontrollable worrisome thoughts about everyday things, without just cause, often exaggerated, lasting for six months.
Although, treatment may be warranted earlier
- Irritability
- Trouble falling or staying asleep
Panic Disorder
- Overwhelming feeling of panic
- Avoidance of people or places
- Fear of losing control
OCD
- Obsessive thoughts, such as germ contamination
- Repetitive actions, such as washing hands or checking if
windows are locked
- Repeating phrases, numbers etc…
Phobias
- Fear that triggers intense anxiety
Many physical symptoms add to the difficulty of anxiety disorders. The following anxiety disorder symptoms spread across much of the disorders. Many people feel nauseous, or their heart races so fast that they feel like they cannot breathe. They often have headaches, feel dizzy, sweat or have chills. Shaking or trembling as well as heavy tension and achy muscles are part of the regular regimen. As well, for someone with an anxiety disorder, chronic sleep problems plague him or her. It becomes a vicious cycle.
Sleep is an essential requirement for good health, both mental and physical. Not getting enough sleep can result in poor work or school performance, impaired judgment and decreased attentiveness, which could result in injury. In addition, some medications given to treat anxiety can cause insomnia, thus the cycle continues.
Often treatment is avoided due to the stigma attached to mental illness. People try to deal with matters themselves. They hear, “Where’s your willpower?†or “All you need is a kick in the ****.â€
There are many effective anxiety disorder treatments available. The National Institute of Mental Health states some of the antidepressant medications that have been effective in treatment. Psychotherapy is also recommended in the form of Behavioral Therapy and Cognitive-behavioral Therapy. It is a good idea to discuss treatment options with your doctor.
On a last note, we, as fellow human beings, need to support all people. Lift the stigma of mental illness and help others and ourselves. We need to take the time to put ourselves in someone else’s shoes before we judge. We also need to understand that mental illness can happen to anyone, at anytime.
By: Britton (Get FREE Anxiety Treatment)
About the Author:
iampanicked.com is a site that offers comprehensive details on various topics dealing with stress and depression, including anxiety cure and many more. This article has been written by Donna Lamour. She is a freelance writer with special interest in the area of mental illness.
Restore Your Life and Get Panic Puzzle Today !
Native Remedy
Relora Max
Native Remedy
