10 Websites To Help You To Become An Expert In Anxiety Disorders
Anxiety Disorders Symptoms
Everyone experiences anxiety and fears at times - it's a natural part of human nature. If these feelings are persistent and disrupt your daily routine, then you may have anxiety disorder.
A healthcare professional can help you in locating a treatment that is compatible with your symptoms. This may include psychotherapy, antianxiety medications or natural remedies such as exercise, healthy diet, and sleep.
1. Fear and Worry
Every person experiences anxiety and fear at times. It's part of the body's "fight or flight" response to danger. But if the feeling is extreme, doesn't disappear, and it interferes with your daily life, you may have an anxiety disorder. Your doctor can identify anxiety disorders through a conversation with you, a physical exam and urine or blood tests, and inquires about your health history. You may also be provided with questionnaires to fill in that help your doctor evaluate whether you suffer from a specific anxiety disorder.
The different types of anxiety disorders have distinct symptoms. For instance, those with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) have persistent, excessive and irrational worry about their daily routines even though they are aware of no real danger. They also have trouble getting comfortable or falling asleep. Other symptoms include a fast, fluttering or pounding heart (heart palpitations), sweating and trembling. People suffering from panic disorders have frequent episodes of intense terror or fear that reach their peak within minutes. They also have trouble managing their emotions. They usually try to avoid certain activities or places to prevent these attacks from occurring.
People with phobias are very terrified of certain things such as snakes or flying. Other signs include headaches or breathing difficulties. People with PTSD are anxious after witnessing or experiencing traumatizing events, like a war, or car accident. Other symptoms could include flashbacks and nightmares of the traumatic incident.
Other anxiety disorders include ocd (obsessive compulsive disorder) as well as hoarding disorder and social anxiety disorder. These disorders make you feel anxious in social situations. There's also anxiety about an individual health issue, called illness anxiety disorder (formerly known as hypochondria). Other causes of anxiety are stress and an imbalance in the chemical system of your brain. Certain medications can trigger anxiety as a side effect.
2. Panic Attacks
People with anxiety disorders are prone to experiencing recurring sensations of extreme anxiety and fear that are out of proportion to the situation. These feelings can trigger extreme physical reactions such as an intense pulse, a breathing problems, and nausea. You may also feel detached or unreal.
Although anyone can experience panic disorder, it's more common to develop it during childhood, adolescence or in early adulthood. Many factors can cause it, including prolonged or extreme stress that creates chemical imbalances in your brain and nervous system. Trauma, especially in the adolescent years or childhood, can increase the risk of anxiety disorders.
Panic attacks can occur without reason or in response to a specific situation that makes you afraid for example, being in a large crowd. They are different from normal anxiety symptoms because they exhibit more severe symptoms and are usually unexpected. People with anxiety disorders may also experience a mix of expected and unanticipated panic attacks.
Therapy and talk therapy are the most commonly used treatments for anxiety and panic attacks. Talking therapies can help you understand how to manage your fears and get rid of unfounded beliefs that cause anxiety. They can also help you learn to relax by doing exercises like deep breathing and mindfulness. Certain medications, especially SSRIs (such as Prozac and Paxil) and SNRIs (such as duloxetine and venlafaxine) can help to make your anxiety and panic less intense.
It is crucial to see your doctor right away if you experience recurrent panic attacks. Your doctor can check for other health conditions that have similar symptoms and recommend other treatments.
3. Insomnia
When people are anxious they may have difficulty getting to sleep or staying asleep. This is called insomnia. It can be a temporary issue or a longer-term one. Sleep deprivation makes it difficult to make it through the day, and can cause serious health problems. It is more common among women than men and is more prevalent among older adults. It is more common among people with psychiatric conditions.
Many different things can cause insomnia. There are a variety of things that can cause it. Sleep is affected by a variety of temporary illnesses such as colds or headaches or chronic illnesses like acid reflux, Parkinson's disease, arthritis and medicines. Stressful life situations could also be the cause. Around half of people who suffer from chronic insomnia suffer from mental health issues, most often depression or anxiety.
A doctor will first investigate physical causes. They will ask you questions regarding your medical history, as well as the symptoms that make it difficult to sleep. They will also want to know if any of the medications you are taking affect it. They could also conduct a sleep study so they can observe your breathing and heart rate at night.
The most effective method of treating insomnia is behavioral therapy. It helps you overcome the negative thoughts that keep you awake. It also shows you how to unwind before going to bed. There are a variety of methods to do this, including biofeedback, progressive muscle relaxation and meditation. Your doctor can assist you to find a therapist to teach you the techniques. If you are not responding to behavioral therapy there are many medications that can help get better sleep. They include benzodiazepines, that are employed for short-term relief of symptoms and antidepressant or antianxiety medication.
4. Eating Disorders
The most common symptoms of eating disorders are obsessions with body shape, weight and food as well as eating behaviors like restricted eating, binge eating, purging (through vomiting or laxative misuse) and excessive exercise. Many people with an eating disorder experience anxiety. The same holds true for those who also have a mental illness like bipolar disorder or depression. Combined, the two conditions can result in a vicious cycle in which a person's mood issues can exacerbate the symptoms of their eating disorder.
There is a strong link between anxiety and eating disorder severity. More anxiety symptoms are linked to the disorder. In fact those suffering from anorexia nervosa tends to endorse high levels of anxiety symptoms and the same is the case for people suffering from the disorder of binge eating known as bulimia nervosa. In certain cases, anxiety may be the main reason behind an eating disorder. In other cases, it could be an additional symptom of an eating disorder.
Researchers found that the presence of anxiety and depression comorbid symptoms was significantly related to more severe eating disorders among young females. The study team utilized the Patient Health Questionnaire-4 (PHQ-4) which is a four-item measure of core anxiety and depression symptoms. They also assessed the severity of an eating disorder, and asked participants to rate how they cope with anxiety.
The researchers behind the study also looked at three factors that could help explain the connection between eating disorders and anxiety: self-esteem, perfectionism and mood dysregulation. They found that these factors played a role in reducing the connection between anxiety/depression symptoms and eating disorder symptomatology and did differently for different subgroups of the sample. anxiety disorder separation hope that their findings will lead them to more precise and focused treatment for eating disorders.
5. Anxiety-related physical conditions that can be linked to anxiety
The majority of people experience anxiety-related feelings at some time, but it becomes an illness when it becomes severe and affects daily life. Some people might also experience physical symptoms such as stomach pain or chest pain in relation to the type of anxiety they are experiencing.
Finding the right treatment for anxiety disorders can help people feel better and lead happier lives. Many people benefit from psychotherapy or talk therapy. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a very common type. CBT teaches how to identify and overcome negative thoughts that trigger anxiety and anxiety. It also teaches how to confront your fears and take small steps to overcome them.
Medication can also help. Benzodiazepines, like diazepam or Valium can reduce anxiety and panic attacks. Antidepressants, like tricyclic antidepressants and SSRIs are also available for prescription. These medications boost levels of certain brain chemicals that control mood and can be used on their own or in conjunction with other treatments for anxiety disorders.
Anxiety-related medical conditions can be caused by medical conditions and can have the same symptoms as anxiety disorders. Head trauma, for example can cause anxiety and depression. Other conditions that can trigger anxiety include chronic fatigue and pain; some rheumatologic diseases like lupus and a few nutritional deficiencies, like iron deficiency.
Certain factors increase the risk of developing anxiety disorders. These are called risk factors. Some are genetic, for example, an ancestral history of anxiety disorders. Other factors, such as childhood addiction, depression or other mental disorders, as well as an accumulation of stress for a long time can increase the risk of developing anxiety disorders. Because of this, it's important to get a thorough physical exam if you have anxiety.