What Is An Anxiety Disorder
What Is Anxiety Disorder?
Anxiety is one of the most common problems, but an anxiety disorder can be a serious mental condition. Stress, phobias, and panic attacks are all symptoms of emotional disorders that fall under the umbrella term "anxiety disorders."
Anxiety Disorders: A type of psychosomatic illness characterized by persistent anxiety during free time or in social situations.
There are several different types of Anxiety Disorder such as Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Panic Disorder, Phobia/Social Phobia, etc. The most common type of these disorders is Social Anxiety Disorder(SAD). SAD is characterized by intense fear caused by anticipation or fear about a future social situation. There are many people who experience public speaking as the greatest nightmare known to man. A good 35%-40% of the population is believed to be affected by some form of anxiety disorder in their lifetime.
The illness can cause moderate or severe impairment if left untreated. People with anxiety disorders are twice as likely as non-sufferers to develop depression or alcoholism, and four times more likely to contemplate suicide. Thankfully, you can learn how to overcome your fears and symptoms through Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) which will be described later on in this post.
What Is Acute Anxiety Disorder?
An acute anxiety disorder is usually a temporary state of being, lasting anywhere from a few minutes to several months. This type of mental illness is quite common and can be caused by many different factors such as environmental factors, stress to the mind, physical injury or trauma. There is more than one type of Anxiety Disorder that falls under the Acute category such as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder(PTSD) which will be described later on in this post. Some people experience an acute anxiety disorder while others experience it at various stages in their lives. At times Acute AD may lead to chronic conditions if not treated properly.
Acute Anxiety Disorders: A short-term mental illness characterized by intense anxiety for less than 6 months during free or social time.
Acute Stress Disorder(ASD)
This disorder is characterized by distress that occurs for at least one week after exposure to an extremely traumatic event. The person will experience three or more symptoms from a list of common characteristics associated with ASD. The most prominent characteristic is the re-experiencing of trauma in the form of nightmares, hallucinations, and anxiety attacks which may initially feel like panic attacks but the difference between them is that people with acute stress disorder don't feel physical symptoms such as fast heartbeat or shortness of breath during these attacks.
Symptoms Of ASD typically include:
1) Intense psychological distress at exposure to internal/external cues that remind you of the original traumatic event (avoidance behaviors). Examples might avoid things that remind you of the event, not wanting to talk about the experience.
2) Physiological reactivity on exposure to internal/external cues that remind you of the original traumatic event (symptoms include: sweating, increased heart rate, or fast heartbeat). Examples might be flashes back(re-experiencing trauma), feeling jumpy or easily startled by loud noises.
3) Duration of symptoms is at least 1 month and occurs in those who have experienced a traumatic event. Symptoms cause significant impairment in your daily functioning.
Causes Of Anxiety Neurosis? (Causes, Risks & Prevention)
While there is no definitive known cause for anxiety neurosis, many studies have been performed to determine the various factors that may be associated with its onset. Causes such as Psychological, Biological, and Environmental are discussed:
Psychological Factors: Some psychological factors which may play a role in the development of anxiety disorders include: genetic predisposition to mental illness; childhood trauma; bipolar disorder(manic depression); recent stressful life events or difficulty handling stress; perfectionism; inappropriate reaction to normal bodily reactions (due to conditioning). On top of all this, we can add personality traits including lack of confidence, low self-esteem, feeling isolated from society, etc.
Biological Factors: Certain biological conditions may lead to the development of anxiety disorder such as hormonal imbalance; dysfunctions in the central nervous system(mainly in the limbic system i.e. amygdala & hippocampus); frontal lobe dysfunction; cardiovascular issues (hypertension, atherosclerosis).
Environmental Factors: Some environmental factors that are related to mental illness include parents with mental health problems, growing up in a dysfunctional family or an abusive household, unemployment or unstable working conditions, nutrition deficiencies, and various other life stressors.
Prevention Tips: Many steps can be performed to reduce your chances of developing an acute anxiety disorder. It is essential to consume healthy food on a daily basis and get enough sleep so that your mind and body are well rested when going through stressful periods. Seek out exposure to new environments and interactions with others, as this brings your psychological defense skills to the surface limiting their potential for repression while at the same time lowering stress levels in general. And finally, always seek professional help if you notice symptoms of an anxiety disorder that are interfering with your life on a daily basis.
Finally, it should be noted that some medical conditions may trigger anxiety issues such as hypoglycemia; Cushing's syndrome; hyperthyroidism; chronic fatigue syndrome; fibromyalgia; irritable bowel syndrome(IBS); Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis; thyroid-related diseases, etc... Also, certain medications can cause or exacerbate the symptoms of anxiety neurosis including alcohol withdrawal from heavy alcohol consumption; beta-blockers (used to treat high blood pressure); benzodiazepines(tranquilizers used for anxiety and sleep disorders); amphetamines; steroids; some antidepressants, etc.
What Is An Acute Anxiety State?
An acute anxiety state is a period of time when an individual feels intense stress, worry, and fear. Anxiety attacks can be very frightening and often occur in situations where there is little or no actual danger. The most common anxiety symptoms are sweaty palms, trembling, stomach upset, dizziness, light-headedness, shortness of breath, feelings of choking, and chest pain.
5 General Symptoms Of An Anxiety Disorder:
Sweaty palms
Trembling
Stomach upset
Dizziness
Shortness of breath
Anxiety-Related Mental Disorders:
There are many anxiety-related mental disorders such as generalized anxiety disorder, social phobia, panic disorder, agoraphobia, post-traumatic stress disorder(PTSD), obsessive-compulsive disorder(OCD), and specific phobias.
What Qualifies As An Anxiety Disorder?
Symptoms must be severe enough to interfere with your social, professional, and/or personal life. This means that you find it hard to take care of yourself or do normal activities on a daily basis. The symptoms must also cause you distress and not be related to what's going on in your life. In other words, anxiety disorder symptoms don't go away after a few weeks or months.
Is Anxiety A Mental Disease?
Though anxiety can be triggered by some kind of mental disease, it is still a natural reaction to certain stimuli and does not necessarily make you mentally ill. This means that an anxiety disorder can occur even after the complete remission of a mental illness or in persons without any diagnosable psychiatric disorders.
Choice Of Life Counseling LLC
410 Ware Blvd. Suite 805
Tampa, FL. 33619
1 (813) 204-0560
