As life goes on, we experience anxiety in different phases. It is very normal to experience it occasionally. However, if your anxiety intervenes in your day to day activities, then you may have an anxiety disorder.
People may experience insistent, irresistible, and irrepressible anxiety, and if the anxiety is excessive, one should visit a mental health specialist. Anxiety disorders are serious and real medical conditions and referred to as a mental health problem. Like any other physical problem such as lungs disease or diabetes, anxiety disorders should not be taken lightly.
In this world of anarchy, anxiety disorders are one of the most common and prevalent mental health disorders across the world.
Speaking technically, “Anxiety disorder” is referred to as a specific psychiatric disorder that comprises of excessive fear and worry. The person who has an anxiety disorder are aware of how it gets worse with time rather than just going away.
The symptoms of this disorder hinder your regular activities such as relationships, job performance, school/college performances, and much more.
There are different types of anxiety disorders present among people. These anxiety disorders are as follows:
1. Generalized Anxiety Disorder
People who have a generalized anxiety disorder, also known as GAD portray excessive worry or fear regarding a number of things such as social interactions, routine tasks, health, work, and many more. The worry and fear in them can cause them a lot of problems in the different area of their life, which is not at all healthy for them.
Symptoms of GAD
The symptoms of GAD include physical symptoms such as bowel complaints, headaches, muscle tension, easily tired, sleep problems, concentration issues as well as excessive worrying and fear to a point where the daily activities become difficult.
GAD is caused by a lot of factors such as biological factors, psychological factors, family history, and stressful events in life. Being emotional and sensitive can also cause this disorder among people. There are a number of professional experts and therapists available who help people to cope with their anxiety disorders either through psychological treatments or through medication.
2. Social Anxiety
Social anxiety is also referred to as ‘Social Phobia’ where people fear judgment and humiliation in front of other people. It is very normal for people to feel nervous when they might come under the attention of others, such as during a presentation. However, people with a social anxiety disorder or social phobia may fear that they are being judged, or laughed at while doing something in front of others.
Symptoms of Social Anxiety
The general symptoms of social anxiety include physical as well as psychological symptoms. The physical symptoms include trembling, stammering while speaking, nauseous, excessive perspiration, and distress. The physical symptoms cause further anxiety as the person fears that other people will notice.
Social phobia is most prevalent among people who are shy and socially distant by nature, whereas some people develop social anxiety as a result of being poorly treated, humiliated, or bullied at school. The two main effective treatments available to treat social anxiety are psychological and medical treatments.
3. Panic Disorder
When a person experiences recurrent and incapacitating panic attacks, then he/she is said to have a panic disorder. Panic disorder causes significant changes in the behavior of the person experiencing it, such as they worry about the consequences of a panic attack and experiences it more often in an unexpected way. The panic attack may last about 10 minutes to half an hour, leaving the person tired and exhausted. It can occur even while sleeping, causing them to wake up.
Symptoms of Panic Disorder
The symptoms of panic disorder include increased heart rate, excessive perspiration, dizziness, breathing problems, losing control of yourself, and sense of fear. People who suffer from panic disorder may experience ‘de-realization’ which is a sense that the world around is not real.
Panic disorders can be caused due to a number of factors such as biological factors, or some medical conditions, negative experiences, or family history. There are different therapists available who treat panic disorder through either psychological treatments or medication.
Other Types
These are the three major types of anxiety disorders. Other types include obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). There are some specific phobias such as some people feel anxious about traveling in-plane or some feel anxious by looking at a snake or a spider.
How therapists can help?
Anxiety disorders are highly treatable, but only 36.9% of the people suffering from anxiety disorders receive treatment. If taken proper care of and prescribed with proper medications, the person suffering from anxiety disorder can do well on the day to day tasks.
Psychologists and therpists are trained in diagnosing anxiety disorders and teach them a more effective and healthier way to cope up with it. The most well-known psycho-therapy used to treat anxiety disorders is Cogntive Behavioral Therapy through which the psychologists assist patients in identifying and managing the factors that are contributing towards their anxiety. This further helps them to change the thought processes that contribute to their anxiety symptoms.
For people suffering through different anxiety disorders, the treatment differ so does the length of each treatment. It is therefore important to get a diagnosis first before proceeding with the treatment.
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