Anxiety is a type of emotion when the brain reacts to any stress or dangerous situations. Getting anxiety about certain situations is common. Anyone can get anxious about a new situation or when he faces any dangerous animal. But an anxiety disorder is different from normal fear. When a person has an anxiety disorder, he gets intensely worried about the situation. The person faces the same anxiety whenever he faces that particular situation. Although this mental disorder is not life-threatening but the person’s life becomes very difficult. Dealing with the same fear every time can cause stress and other problems. People with anxiety start avoiding those situations and that can interfere with their daily activities. Anxiety symptoms usually appear in childhood but a person can also develop anxiety in his teenage or adulthood.
Symptoms of anxiety disorder
The symptoms depend on the type of anxiety disorder. However, some symptoms are common in all types of anxiety disorders.
- Nervousness
- Panic
- Restlessness
- Sweating
- Trembling
- Breathing rapidly
- Increased heart rate
- Trouble in sleeping
- Avoid triggering situations
Common causes behind anxiety disorder
The exact cause of anxiety disorder is unknown. But a person can grow anxiety when he faces any life-threatening or traumatic situation. Some issues in brain chemistry can also cause anxiety.
Genes
Many types of anxieties can run in families. If a person has anxiety disorder then his kids may also have the same disorder. But some research shows that kids or other family members can develop the same anxiety due to the reaction they witness at home.
Environmental stress
Lots of people develop anxiety due to environmental stress they face in their livelihood. Life events like abuse, the death of a loved one, witnessing violence, etc can cause anxiety.
Brain chemistry
A person can face anxiety when some of the brain chemicals are imbalanced. Certain parts of the brain get active and respond to situations. If those parts are hyperactive then the person can face anxiety every time he faces those situations.
Drug abuse
People often use certain drugs to reduce anxiety symptoms. But the condition may get worse if the person misuses those drugs. He may become habitual to those drugs that can worsen the condition.
Medical factors
Certain health issues like lung, heart, and thyroid conditions can cause anxiety disorder. When a person is facing some severe or chronic health issues, he may start panicking a lot or grow anxiety.
Risk factors for anxiety disorder
Several factors can increase the chances of getting anxiety disorder.
Any mental disorder
If a person is already facing a mental disorder like depression or stress, he may also develop anxiety.
Childhood abuse
Children can easily develop anxiety. Any type of emotional, sexual, or physical abuse can lead to anxiety disorder. Bullying at school can also cause anxiety. Nowadays, lots of kids are getting anxiety disorders due to cyberbullying.
Negative life events
Any type of negative experience like losing loved ones can increase the chances of developing anxiety.
Trauma
Witnessing any traumatic event can increase the risk of PTSD which causes panic attacks. Situations that can lead to PTSD are abduction, wars, sexual abuse, etc.
Chronic health condition
When a person is ill, he may start worrying about himself or the people around him. Worry or grief can cause anxiety disorder.
Low-self esteem
A person with low self-esteem can get anxiety disorder. This often occurs when the person has appearance issues according to the social norms like having vitiligo, being albino, having scars, stuttering, etc.
Types of anxiety disorders
Generalized anxiety disorder
In this type of anxiety, a person feels persistent and excessive anxiety about upcoming events or activities. He faces anxiety even in daily life events. The person starts worrying about the situation and faces anxiety symptoms.
Panic disorder
A person can feel a sudden and intense fear known as a panic attack. When the attack occurs, the person starts sweating, getting chest pain, and palpitations. Sometimes the panic disorder feels like a heart attack or choking. You should get an anxiety treatment Pennsylvania before the condition gets worse.
Social anxiety disorder
Social anxiety or social phobia causes extreme worry and self-consciousness in all types of social situations. Facing any type of social situation becomes a huge difficulty for him. A person with social anxiety often avoids all types of social situations such as annual or sports functions, family gatherings, friends get together, etc.
Separation anxiety
Separation anxiety is common in kids. They become anxious when they find themselves away from their parents. But anyone can get separation anxiety disorder. If a person you love or care about is not near you, you start worrying and getting negative thoughts.
Agoraphobia
It is a type of fear that occurs when a person is in a place that seems hard to escape. People with agoraphobia feel anxious in airplanes, public transport, or in long queues.
Medication-induced anxiety
The cases of medication-induced anxiety are increasing a lot. It is a type of anxiety that occurs when a person is running out of certain medicines or drugs. This anxiety usually appears in drug addicts or people who are taking medicines for a long time.
Other than these anxieties, lots of people have specific phobias like an intense fear of flying, height, water, insects (especially spiders), etc.
Treatments for anxiety disorder
Medication
Lots of medication is available to reduce anxiety symptoms. But you should talk to your doctor before taking any drugs for anxiety disorder.
Antidepressants
SSRIs and SNRIs are the common drugs prescribed for anxiety disorders. Common antidepressants are escitalopram, fluoxetine, duloxetine, venlafaxine, etc.
Bupropion
These are antidepressants and are usually prescribed to ease chronic anxiety.
Other antidepressants
Your doctor may prescribe tricyclics and MAOIs to reduce the anxiety symptoms.
Beta-blockers
These medicines are for high blood pressure but can also help in easing physical symptoms of anxiety disorder like a racing heart, shaking, trembling, etc.
Some other medicines for anxiety disorder are benzodiazepines, anticonvulsants, antipsychotics, and buspirone. But most of these medicines have side effects. Instead of depending on medicines, other treatments can be more helpful.
Natural medication
Instead of depending on allopathic medicines, you can try natural medication for treating anxiety disorder. These medicines help to reduce the physical and emotional symptoms of anxiety. Natural medicines are safe to use and do not have any harmful side effects.
Psychotherapy
Anxiety disorder can be fully treated with psychotherapies. Your therapist will listen to your thoughts and feelings regarding the anxiety. He will try to teach new methods to cope with anxiety triggers. The therapies will create a small triggering situation and ask you to tackle it. The therapy may take months or years but provides good results.