Anxiety Disorders Symptoms
It's normal for people to experience anxiety and fear from time to time. But when these feelings persist and cause problems in your everyday life, you could have an anxiety disorder.
A healthcare professional can help you in locating a solution that will address your symptoms. This could include psychotherapy, antianxiety drugs or natural remedies like exercise, a healthy diet and sleep.
1. Worry and Fear
Everyone experiences feelings of anxiety and fear from time to time. It's a natural part of our body's "fight-or-flight" response to danger. If the feeling is intense, does not disappear and is a hindrance to your daily activities you could be suffering from an anxiety disorder. Your doctor can identify anxiety disorders by speaking to you and performing a physical exam and 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 particular anxiety disorder.
Different types of anxiety disorders exhibit different symptoms. For instance, people suffering from generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) suffer from constant, excessive and irrational worry about everyday events even though they know there is no danger. They also have difficulty relaxing or falling to sleep. Other signs include a rapid heartbeat, fluttering or pounding (heart palpitations) as well as sweating and trembling. People with panic disorders have frequent periods of intense terror or fear that reach their peak in minutes. They also have trouble managing their emotions. They often try to avoid certain activities or places to stop these attacks from occurring.
People who suffer from phobias have intense fears of certain things, like snakes or flying. Other signs include headaches or breathing difficulties. People suffering from PTSD suffer from anxiety after experiencing or witnessing traumatizing events such as an accident in a car or a war. Other symptoms include flashbacks and nightmares of the traumatizing event.
Other anxiety disorders include OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder) as well as hoarding disorder and social anxiety disorder. These disorders cause you to feel anxious when in social situations. You may also experience anxiety due to a specific health issue, which is called illness anxiety disorder. Other causes of anxiety are stress and a chemical imbalance in your brain. Sometimes, anxiety is a side effect of some medicines.
2. Panic Attacks
People with anxiety disorders are prone to experiencing recurring sensations of fear and panic that are insignificant to their situation. These feelings can trigger extreme physical reactions, such as a racing heartbeat or a shortness of breath, as well as nausea. They can also cause you to feel disoriented or disconnected from reality.
Although anyone can suffer from an anxiety attack but you're more likely to develop this type of mental health problem in the early years of childhood, adolescence or early adulthood. It can be caused by many factors that include prolonged or severe stress that causes an imbalance of chemicals in your nervous system and brain. Trauma, particularly during teenage or adolescence, can increase your risk of anxiety disorders.
Panic attacks can occur for no apparent cause or in response to a situation that causes you to be anxious, for example, being in an entire group. They are different from normal anxiety symptoms in that they have more intense symptoms, and are often unexpected. People with anxiety disorders can also experience a mix of expected and unexpected panic attacks.
Therapy and talk therapy are the most common treatments for panic attacks and anxiety. Talking therapies can help you manage your fears and eliminate negative thoughts that fuel your anxiety. They can also teach you to relax by doing exercises like deep breathing and mindfulness. Some medications -- especially SSRIs (such as Prozac and Paxil) and SNRIs (such as duloxetine and venlafaxine) -- can make anxiety and panic less intense.
If you experience a frequent panic attack, it's important to consult your doctor and seek treatment right away. Your doctor will be able to check for other health conditions that have similar symptoms and recommend other treatments.
3. Insomnia
If people are stressed, they may have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep. This is referred to as insomnia. It can last for a short time or it can last a long time. Insomnia can make it difficult to get through the day and can cause serious health problems. It is more prevalent in older adults and is more prevalent in women than men. It is more common among people suffering from psychiatric issues.
A variety of things can cause insomnia. Sleep is affected by illnesses that are temporary such as colds or headaches, chronic conditions such as acid reflux, Parkinson's disease, arthritis and medicines. Stressful life circumstances can also trigger. About half of those with chronic insomnia suffer from a mental illness, the most common being depression or anxiety.
A doctor will first determine physical causes. They will ask you questions about your medical history and the symptoms that make it difficult to sleep. They will also inquire if you are taking any medication that could be affecting your sleep. They might also do a sleep study to ensure they can observe your breathing and heart rate at night.
The most effective way to treat insomnia is to use behavioral therapy. It helps you to change the negative thinking patterns that are keeping you awake. It also teaches ways to relax before going to bed. There are a variety of methods to do this, such as biofeedback, progressive muscle relaxation and meditation. Your doctor can help you find a therapist who can teach you the methods. If behavioral therapy does not work it is possible to explore a range of medications to help you sleep better. These include benzodiazepines which can be used to ease symptoms temporarily and also anti-anxiety and antidepressant medication.
4. Eating Disorders
Eating disorders involve preoccupations with weight, body shape and food, as well as eating behaviors like restricting eating, binge eating, purging (through vomiting or laxative misuse) and excessive exercise. A lot of people who suffer from an eating disorder also suffer from anxiety, as do those who have a co-occurring mental illness like bipolar or depression disorder. The two conditions can result in an unhealthy cycle where the eating disorder symptoms are further aggravated by a person's mood issues.
There is a strong connection between anxiety and eating disorders and eating disorders, with higher levels of anxiety symptoms being linked to greater severity of the disorder. Patients with anorexia nervosa are more likely to suffer from high levels of anxiety-related symptoms. The same is true for binge-eating disorders, bulimia or the condition known as bulimia. In some instances, anxiety could be the primary cause of an eating disorder. In certain cases, anxiety may be a secondary sign of an eating disorder.
Researchers discovered that the presence of comorbid depression and anxiety symptoms was significantly related to more severe eating disorders among young females. The team of researchers used the Patient Health Questionnaire-4 (PHQ-4) which is a four-item measure of core depression and anxiety symptoms. They also evaluated the extent of an eating disorder and asked participants to rate their ability to cope with anxiety.
The researchers of the study also examined three aspects that could explain the relationship between eating disorders and anxiety: self-esteem, perfectionionism and mood dysregulation. These factors influenced the relationship between depression/anxiety and eating disorder symptoms however in different ways based on the subgroups. They hope that the results will help them develop more precise and focused treatment of eating disorders.
5. Physical conditions that are a result of anxiety
The majority of people experience feelings of anxiety at some time, but it becomes an illness when it becomes severe and causes problems with daily living. Some people might also experience physical symptoms such as stomach pain or chest pain, depending on what kind of anxiety they're experiencing.
Finding the best treatment for anxiety disorders can help people feel better and live happier lives. Psychotherapy, or talk therapy, can help many people. The most common type is cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). CBT is a method of helping you identify and alter negative thoughts that cause anxiety and anxiety. It also teaches you to confront the fears that make you anxious and conquer your fears in small steps.
It is also possible to get medication. Benzodiazepines like diazepam or Valium can help ease anxiety and panic attacks. Antidepressants, such as tricyclic antidepressants and SSRIs can also be prescribed. These drugs increase levels of certain brain chemicals that regulate mood and can be used alone or in conjunction with other treatments for anxiety disorders.
Medical conditions can cause anxiety, and they may even exhibit the same symptoms as anxiety disorders. For instance, head trauma, can lead to depression and anxiety. Other conditions that can elicit anxiety include chronic fatigue and chronic pain; some rheumatologic diseases like lupus and a few nutritional deficiencies, such as iron deficiency.
Certain factors make a person more likely to develop an anxiety disorder. These are known as risk factors. Some are genetic, such as an ancestral history of anxiety disorders. Other factors such as childhood addiction, depression or other mental disorders, and a long-term buildup of stress can increase the risk of suffering from anxiety disorders. For these reasons, it's important to get an accurate physical exam if you are suffering from anxiety.