Anxiety

Anxiety

Read more about anxiety disorders and how to navigate anxiety on mental-md website

Anxiety, what is it? Is it not part of normal life to be anxious?

Many people experience anxiety in the context of daily stressors of life, however, if anxiety continues to worsen and starts to affect job performance, schoolwork, and relationships then it is considered an anxiety disorder. Many people are suffering from anxiety disorders but they have no insight into their mental illness and they are either too embarrassed to seek treatment or they are not aware of their options for treatment.

Here are some examples of how anxiety, especially if left untreated, can affect your life:

– anxiety takes a physical toll on our bodies. It can cause a higher blood pressure, headaches, and stomach problems. Chronic Anxiety could even change the structure of the brain!

– Children also suffer when their parents are suffering from anxiety. It is partly due to genetics, but it is also that children learn what they observe. Anxiety could cause children to be shy and not be able to focus in school.

– Anxiety can affect your fitness as well. Some people binge eat or stop eating when anxious. Stress also increases the hormone known as cortisol which causes fat storage in the abdomen. This can also increase the risk of heart disease and stroke.

– Anxiety can manifest in different ways and cause different kinds of physical symptoms, which overall causes a person to be constantly worried about their health.

– Anxiety can cause relationship problems. People suffering from anxiety are usually irritable and they sometimes withdraw emotionally or excessively cling to their partners.

– Anxiety can interfere with daily activities such as going to work, exercising, or simply leaving the house.

Generalized anxiety disorder is the most common type of anxiety disorder. The symptoms include being worried about everything such as finances, health, relationships, job, school, and so on. Anxiety can affect sleep as well. Patients with generalized anxiety disorder will experience insomnia, which is defined as the persistent problem of falling and staying asleep. Here are some examples of the different types of anxiety disorders: panic disorder, social anxiety disorder, performance anxiety, separation anxiety, agoraphobia and selective mutism.

What is panic disorder?

Panic disorders are defined by panic attacks which are sudden periods of intense anxiety that can last from minutes to Hours. Patient can feel extreme fear and a sense of impending death which can be accompanied with physical symptoms such as heart palpitations and sweating. These attacks could happen due to a trigger or without a trigger. Triggers can be things such as alcohol, caffeine, nicotine, emotional stressors, sexual activity, or even physical exertion.

Treatments of panic attacks:

non-pharmacological treatments of panic attacks include breathing exercises and cognitive behavior therapy. One simple technique is square breathing in which you inhale for 4 seconds, then hold your breath for 4 seconds, and then exhale for 4 seconds. This technique will help you reach a calm moment and could help during a panic attack as well.

Patients who are experiencing a panic attack can misinterpret minor bodily sensations as doom or death. Cognitive behavior therapy will focus on these false beliefs about panic attacks and these misinterpretation of bodily sensations so that the patient can distinguish the difference.

It is important for you to be informed that panic attacks are time limited and they are not life threatening.

Pharmacological treatments of panic attacks include several medications that are used as treatment.

Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors are effective for panic attacks, however, it takes several weeks for it to build up in the system and show its effect.

Rescue agents or other as needed medications are also available which can be taken when you are experiencing symptoms of a panic attack.

https://www.mental-md.com/anxiety/