What are anxiety disorders?
One of the most common mental disorders is anxiety, which affects almost 30% of adults at some point in their lives. Anxiety is a normal reaction to stress which can be beneficial in some situations because it can warn us of dangers and help us prepare and pay attention. Anxiety disorders are entirely different from normal feelings of nervousness or anxiety and involve excessive fear or anxiety. But they can be treated with the numerous effective treatments that help most people lead productive daily lives.
How Common Are Anxiety Disorders?
Anxiety mentions anticipation of a future concern and is more associated with muscle tension and avoidance behaviour.
Fear is an emotional response to an immediate threat and is more connected with a fight-or-flight reaction, which implies to either remain and fight or leave to run away from danger. Fear is a reaction that occurs when an immediate threat is perceived.
Anxiety disorder causes people to try to avoid situations that might trigger or worsen their symptoms, affecting their job performance, school work and personal relationships. Generally, for a person who is diagnosed with an anxiety disorder, the fear or anxiety must:
– Be out of proportion to the situation or age-inappropriate.
– Hinder their ability to function normally.
What are the Risk Factors of An Anxiety Disorder?
It is currently unclear what causes anxiety disorders, although it is very probable that a number of elements, including genetic, environmental, psychological, and developmental, all played a role in their development. Anxiety disorders have also been shown to run in families, which suggest that a combination of different genes and environmental factors may be responsible for their development.
How to diagnose and treat the Disorder?
Before beginning treatment for your Disorder, you need to make an appointment with your primary care physician to determine whether or not the symptoms are being caused by a medical condition. And if a mental health expert determines that an anxiety condition is present, they will be able to help you locate the most effective treatment options and work through them with you. The majority of individuals who suffer from anxiety disorders, however, do not seek assistance because they are unaware that there are effective therapies available for the sickness they are suffering from. This is a very bad situation.
Although every type of anxiety disorder has its characteristics, most respond well to two types of treatment: psychotherapy or “talk therapy” or anxiety coaching and medications. These treatments are either given alone or can be in combination. Cognitive behaviour therapy, or CBT, is a type of talk therapy which can help a person to learn various ways of thinking, reacting and behaving to help them feel less anxious. Medications, however, do not cure anxiety disorders but provide significant relief from the symptoms. One of the most commonly used medications is anti-anxiety medications which are generally only prescribed for a short period, and antidepressants. Beta-blockers used for heart conditions are often used to control anxiety’s physical symptoms.
