Anxiety is a normal brain response towards certain conditions like stress or some danger. People get anxious when they face situations like exams, height, etc. Anxiety occurs when your brain is not fully prepared for the situation. Getting anxiety sometimes is normal as you are not a machine. But if you are facing anxiety in daily work, school, or social gatherings; it could be a problem. Anxiety disorder is different from normal anxiety. It is a mental illness that causes anxiety and fear even in normal situations. Anxiety won’t cause any harm to your physique but make your life difficult. People with anxiety disorder often avoid work, family-gathering, etc.
Types of anxiety disorder
There are several types of disorders that a person can face. The type of anxiety depends on its symptoms and causes.
Panic disorder
A person faces sudden intense fear that causes panic attacks. During the attack, a person may feel heavy chest pain and start sweating a lot. The heart starts pounding a lot and feels like choking.
Generalized anxiety disorder
In this disorder, a person faces unrealistic worries without any reason. For example, a person hears about some situation and starts overthinking about it.
Social anxiety disorder
Social anxiety disorder is a condition where the person worries a lot about social situations. They feel like every other person is judging them. Due to this, people often avoid all types of social situations. Living with social phobia is difficult. You should get anxiety treatment New York before you miss lots of opportunities in life.
Agraphobia
It is an intense fear of situations that seems hard to escape. People often get agoraphobia in airplanes, crowded places, public transport, etc.
Separation anxiety
In kids, having separation anxiety is common. They don’t feel safe whenever they see unknown faces. Separation anxiety can occur to anybody. The person gets anxious when his/her loved one is far away.
Medication-induced anxiety
This anxiety occurs due to the overuse of any medication and drugs. When they stop taking the medicines, they start getting anxious. Even the thought of not having the medicines can trigger anxiety.
Selective mutism
This anxiety is often seen in kids who talk at home but stay silent in public. They often don’t answer the teacher’s questions at school.
Specific phobias
Most people have a fear of specific objects, animals, or situations. Many people have Arachnophobia (fear of spiders) and Trypophobia. Phobia from height and water is also very common.
Symptoms of anxiety disorder
The common symptom of anxiety disorder is excessive fear. Some people also face issues in breathing, sleeping, and concentration. The symptoms of anxiety disorder also depend on its type. However, there are also common anxiety disorder symptoms:
- Panic
- Sleep problems
- Unable to stay calm
- Sweaty hands
- Shortness of breath
- Nausea
- Dry mouth
- Tense muscles
- Dizziness
- Unable to concentrate
- Heart palpitations
Anxiety disorder causes and risk factors
Several mental and environmental situations can cause anxiety disorders.
Genetic
Anxiety disorders can run in families. But some research supposes that it may occur due to the behavior the kids see at home.
Environmental stress
Any stressful event can cause anxiety disorder. Common causes for anxiety disorder are mental and physical abuse, the death of loved ones, or witnessing violence.
Medical condition
Conditions related to the heart and lungs can also cause anxiety disorders.
Drug misuse
People often use alcohol or some substance to reduce pain or stress. But overuse of these things can cause anxiety disorder.
Risk factor for anxiety disorder
Several factors increase the rate of getting anxiety disorder. Some of the factors can vary whereas some are constant.
Any mental disorder
A person with mental conditions such as depression or stress may also develop an anxiety disorder.
Trauma
Any drastic event like an accident can cause PTSD that may lead to panic anxiety disorder.
Childhood abuse
Any type of childhood abuse such as physical, mental, or sexual can cause anxiety disorder.
Substance abuse
Drinking lots of alcohol or taking illegal drugs can cause anxiety disorder and other physical illnesses.
Shyness
If a child is extremely shy then he may develop social anxiety as a teenager.
Low self-esteem
Always thinking negatively about your image or living standard can lead to anxiety disorder.
How to overcome anxiety disorder?
Dealing with anxiety is tough. You can’t overcome the anxiety in a few days or weeks. However, overcoming your anxiety disorder is possible. You can use medicines to reduce anxiety symptoms and do therapies to deal with them.
Medication
You can take medicines to reduce the symptoms of anxiety disorder. These medicines are quite helpful to control your anxiety when you are facing these situations. People often take these medicines before they face any anxiety trigger.
Antidepressants
These are the most common drugs for anxiety disorder. Common antidepressants medicines for anxiety are escitalopram and fluoxetine. Bupropion is also a type of antidepressant used to treat people with chronic anxiety.
Benzodiazepines
This drug is prescribed when a person is facing persistent panic or anxiety. It is used to reduce the symptoms such as heart pounding, cold chills, etc. These medicines work instantly but people often get dependent on them.
Beta-bloggers
Beta-blockers are used to reduce physical symptoms during an anxiety attack. These medicines can prevent shaking, heart-pounding, and trembling symptoms.
Dynamic medications
Lots of people prefer natural/dynamic medications for treating anxiety disorders. These medicines are safe and you can take them for a long time without any side effects. Dynamic medications can help to manage your body function whenever you face any anxiety trigger.
Psychotherapy
To overcome your anxiety disorder, psychotherapy is the best treatment. In this therapy, the person learns how to respond to a particular situation. Your therapist will help you manage your anxiety.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
CBT is the most common therapy for all types of mental illnesses. The therapist tries to find the causes and triggers behind the anxiety attack. He will help you to remove the negative thoughts that cause anxiety and fill your mind with positivity.
Therapists may also suggest other things like cutting alcohol and caffeine. Regular exercise is very important to maintain physical symptoms and brain condition. Good sleep is also necessary to maintain your mental health. Your therapist may ask you to do regular meditation to remove negative thoughts and keep the mind and body healthy.