Overview
Anxiety Disorder is a feeling of fear, dread, uneasiness, or apprehension about what’s to come. It can make you sweat, feel restless and tight, and cause your heart to race. It’s possible that it’s a natural reaction to stress. When confronted with a challenging situation at work, before taking a test, or before making a major choice, you could feel apprehensive.
Anxiety and panic can disrupt everyday tasks, be difficult to regulate, be out of proportion to the real risk, and linger for a long period. To avoid unpleasant sensations, you may avoid certain places or circumstances. Symptoms may appear in childhood or adolescence and persist throughout maturity.
Symptoms of Anxiety Disorders?
- Feeling nervous, restless or tense
- Having a sense of impending danger, panic or doom
- Having an increased heart rate
- Breathing rapidly (hyperventilation)
- Sweating
- Trembling
- Feeling weak or tired
- Trouble concentrating or thinking about anything other than the present worry
- Having trouble sleeping
- Experiencing gastrointestinal (GI) problems
- Having difficulty controlling worry
- Having the urge to avoid things that trigger anxiety
The following are some of the most common anxiety indications and symptoms:
What Are the Types of Anxiety Disorders?
Anxiety has a role in a variety of conditions. These are some of them:
- panic disorder: experiencing recurring panic attacks at unexpected times. A person with panic disorder may live in fear of the next panic attack.
- phobia: excessive fear of a specific object, situation, or activity
- social anxiety disorder: extreme fear of being judged by others in social situations
- obsessive-compulsive disorder: recurring irrational thoughts that lead you to perform specific, repeated behaviors
- separation anxiety disorder: fear of being away from home or loved ones
- illness anxiety disorder: anxiety about your health (formerly called hypochondria)
- post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD): anxiety following a traumatic event
What is an anxiety attack?
An anxiety attack is characterized by intense concern, worry, anguish, or terror. For many people, an anxiety attack develops gradually. As a stressful situation approaches, it may worsen.
Anxiety episodes can vary considerably, and symptoms might fluctuate from person to person. This is due to the fact that not everyone experiences the various symptoms of anxiety, and they might vary over time.
Anxiety attacks are commonly characterized by the following symptoms:
- feeling faint or dizzy
- shortness of breath
- dry mouth
- sweating
- chills or hot flashes
- apprehension and worry
- restlessness
- distress
- fear
- numbness or tingling
Causes
Anxiety may be connected to an underlying health condition in some persons. Anxiety symptoms and indications are sometimes the earliest signals of a medical ailment.
- Heart disease
- Diabetes
- Thyroid problems, such as hyperthyroidism
- Respiratory disorders, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma
- Drug misuse or withdrawal
- Withdrawal from alcohol, anti-anxiety medications (benzodiazepines) or other medications
- Chronic pain or irritable bowel syndrome
- Rare tumors that produce certain fight-or-flight hormones
Complications
Anxiety disorders do more than just make you worry. It can also cause or exacerbate other mental and physical problems, such as:
- Depression (which often occurs with an anxiety disorder) or other mental health disorders
- Substance misuse
- Trouble sleeping (insomnia)
- Digestive or bowel problems
- Headaches and chronic pain
- Social isolation
- Problems functioning at school or work
- Poor quality of life
- Suicide
Prevention
There is no way to forecast what may lead someone to acquire an anxiety disorder, however, there are things you can do to decrease the effect of symptoms if you are anxious:
Get help right away: If you wait, anxiety, like many other mental health issues, can become more difficult to cure.
Continue to be active: Engage in things that you find enjoyable and that help you feel good about yourself. Enjoy social engagement and loving connections, which may help to alleviate your concerns.
Avoid using alcohol or drugs: Anxiety can be caused or exacerbated by the use of alcohol and drugs. Quitting any of these substances might be stressful if you are addicted to them. If you are unable to quit on your own, consult your doctor or join a support group to assist you.
