Anxiety Disorders Symptoms
It's normal to experience anxiety and fear from time time. If these feelings are persistent and disrupt your daily life, then you may have anxiety disorder.
A health professional can help you find an appropriate treatment that matches your needs. This could include antianxiety medications or psychotherapy, as well as natural remedies like exercise, a healthy diet, and sleep.
1. Worry and Fear
Everyone experiences anxiety and fears at times. It's part of the body's "fight or flight" response to danger. If the anxiety is severe and does not go away, or if it interferes with daily life, then you may have anxiety disorder. Your doctor can diagnose anxiety disorders by talking with you and conducting physical examinations by taking urine or blood tests and asking about your previous health. You may also be provided with questionnaires to complete to help your doctor determine whether you have a specific anxiety disorder.
Different types of anxiety disorders exhibit different symptoms. For instance, people suffering from generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) have persistent excessive and irrational anxiety about everyday events, even though they know there is no danger. They also have trouble sleeping or relaxing. Other symptoms include a fast and pounding heart, fluttering, or a thumping (heart palpitations), trembling and sweating. People with panic disorder have frequent periods of intense feelings of terror or fear that rise to a peak within minutes, and they have difficulty managing their emotions. They avoid certain places and activities to avoid attacks.
People who have phobias have strong fears about certain things, such as snakes or flying. They may also experience other symptoms, too like breathing problems or a headache. People suffering from PTSD have anxiety following an experience or witnessing traumatizing events like an accident in a car or a war. Other symptoms include flashbacks and nightmares of the traumatic event.
Other anxiety disorders include the ocd (obsessive compulsive disorder) hoarding disorder, and social anxiety disorder. These disorders make you feel anxious when in social situations. You can also experience anxiety about a particular health issue, which is known as illness anxiety disorder. Other causes of anxiety are stress and an imbalance of chemicals in your brain. Certain medications can cause anxiety as a side-effect.
2. Panic Attacks
While everyone feels anxious or scared at some point, people who suffer from anxiety disorders experience frequent sensations of fear and panic that are not in line with their circumstances. These feelings can trigger extreme physical reactions such as rapid heart rate, shortness in breath and nausea. They can also make you feel unreal or detached from reality.
Although anyone can experience a panic disorder however, it is more common to experience it in childhood, adolescence, or early adulthood. Many factors can cause it, such as prolonged or extreme stress that creates chemical imbalances in your brain and nervous system. Trauma, particularly during the adolescent years or childhood, can increase your risk of anxiety disorders.
Panic attacks can be triggered for no apparent reason or as a result of a specific situation that makes you afraid like being in large numbers of people. They differ from normal feelings of anxiety because they involve much more intense symptoms and are usually unexpected. People with anxiety disorders can also experience a mix of expected and unexpected panic attacks.
The most commonly used treatments for anxiety and panic attacks include medication and talking therapies. Talking therapies can help you manage your fears and eliminate negative thoughts that fuel your anxiety. They can teach relaxation exercises like deep breathing and mindfulness. Some medications -- especially SSRIs (such as Prozac and Paxil) and SNRIs (such as duloxetine and venlafaxine) can help to reduce anxiety and make panic less intense.
If you experience a frequent panic attack, it's important to consult your doctor and get treatment right away. Your doctor can check for other medical illnesses that share similar symptoms and suggest other treatments.
3. Insomnia
When people are stressed they may have difficulty getting to sleep or staying asleep during the night. This is referred to as insomnia. It can be a temporary issue or a long-term. Insomnia can make it difficult to make it through the day, and could cause serious health problems. It is more prevalent in women than men and is more prevalent among older adults. It is more prevalent among those with psychiatric disorders.
Many different things can cause insomnia. Many different things can trigger it. Sleep can be affected by temporary illnesses such as headaches or colds, chronic conditions such as acid reflux, Parkinson's disease, arthritis and medications. Stressful life circumstances can also be a cause. Around half of people who have chronic insomnia also suffer from mental health issues, most often depression or anxiety.
A doctor will first investigate physical causes. They will check your medical history and inquire about the symptoms making it harder to sleep. They will also want to find out if any medications you are taking affect it. They could also conduct an examination of your sleep to check your heart rate and breathing at night.
Behavioral therapy is the most effective treatment for insomnia. It helps you to change the negative thoughts that keep you awake. It also shows you how to relax before going to sleep. There are a variety of methods to do this, including biofeedback, progressive relaxation and meditation. The doctor can assist you to locate a therapist who can teach you these techniques. If behavioral therapy does not work, you can try a variety of medications to help you sleep better. They include benzodiazepines, which can be used to treat symptoms for a short period of time as well as antidepressant or antianxiety medication.
4. Eating Disorders
Eating disorders are characterised by anxiety about weight, body shape and food as well as eating habits like purging, binge eating, vomiting, or misuse of laxatives or exercise. A lot of people who suffer from an eating disorder also have anxiety, as do those who have a mental illness co-occurring with it like bipolar disorder or depression. disorder. Combined, the two conditions can result in a vicious cycle in which a person's mood issues exacerbate the symptoms of their eating disorder.
There is a strong link between anxiety and eating disorder severity. Higher levels of anxiety symptoms are linked to the disorder. Anorexia nervosa patients tend to have high levels of anxiety symptoms. Similar is the case for binge-eating disorders, bulimia or the condition known as bulimia. In certain cases, anxiety can be a direct cause of an eating disorder. In others, it may be a secondary sign of an eating disorder.
Researchers found that the presence of anxiety and depression comorbid symptoms was strongly associated with more severe eating disorders in young females. The research team used a four-item scale known as the Patient Health Questionnaire-4 that evaluates the symptoms of anxiety and depression. They also evaluated the severity of an eating disorder, and asked participants to rate their ability to manage anxiety.
The researchers behind the study also examined three factors that may help explain the connection between eating disorders and anxiety: perfectionism, self-esteem and mood dysregulation. These factors moderated the relationship between depression/anxiety and eating disorders, but in different ways depending on the subgroups. They hope that the findings will lead to more precise and targeted treatment of eating disorders.
5. Anxiety-related physical conditions that can be linked to anxiety
Many people experience anxiety-related feelings at some time, but it becomes a disorder when it's severe and affects daily life. Certain people also experience specific physical symptoms, such as chest pain or stomach upset according to the type of anxiety they have.
The appropriate treatment can help people live more healthy and happier lives. Many people benefit from psychotherapy or talk therapy. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a popular kind. CBT helps you identify and change negative thoughts that trigger anxiety and anxiety. It also helps you confront the fears that scare you and overcome your fears through small steps.
The use of medication can also be beneficial. Benzodiazepines, such as diazepam and Valium can help ease anxiety or panic attacks. Antidepressants, including tricyclic antidepressants or SSRIs, can also be prescribed. These medications boost levels of certain brain chemicals that regulate mood and are able to be used in conjunction together with other treatments to treat anxiety disorders.
Certain medical conditions can trigger anxiety and may exhibit the same symptoms as anxiety disorders. Head trauma, for instance, can lead to anxiety and depression. Other conditions that can trigger anxiety include chronic pain and fatigue disorders; some rheumatologic diseases, such as lupus; and a few nutritional deficiencies, such as iron deficiency.
Certain factors make a person more likely to develop anxiety disorders. These are known as risk factors. Some risk factors are genetic, such as an ancestral history of anxiety or disorders. Other factors such as childhood abuse, depression or other mental disorders, and an accumulation of stress for a long time can increase the risk of anxiety disorders. This is why it's essential to have an accurate physical exam if you suffer from anxiety.