Anxiety Disorders
Anxiety can disrupt your life by affecting your work and your relationships. Learn more.
Occasional feelings of anxiety are a part of normal life, but individuals who struggle with anxiety disorders experience more frequent, intense, and persistent feelings of anxiety, worry, and fear that often interfere with everyday life. Sometimes the feelings of anxiety reach a peak in the form of an anxiety attack.
Symptoms
Anxiety often manifests in the following symptoms:
- Feeling anxious, nervous or tense
- A sense of impending danger
- Increased heart rate
- Fast rate of breathing
- Sweating
- Shaking
- Feeling tired
- Difficulty focusing
- Trouble sleeping
- Stomach issues
Causes of Anxiety
A few possible causes of anxiety may include:
1. Underlying Health Issues:
Individuals who have heart disease, diabetes, respiratory disease, chronic pain, irritable bowel syndrome or thyroid problems may experience anxiety as a secondary symptom
2. Side effects of Medication:
Some medications result in feelings of anxiety as a side effect
3. Withdrawal:
Anxiety may be induced by withdrawal from alcohol, drugs, and/or anti-anxiety medications
4. Genetics:
Individuals with immediate family members who struggle with anxiety are more likely to struggle with anxiety themself
Additional risk factors for anxiety disorders include:
1. Trauma:
Those who have experienced or witnessed trauma, particularly in childhood, are at an increased risk to develop anxiety disorders.
2. Health issues:
Stress caused by other medical conditions may lead to worry about the future
3. Stressful situations:
Experiencing a buildup of stressful life circumstances may trigger anxiety
Treatment
Treatments for anxiety disorders may including the following:
- Psychotherapy is often used to reduce anxiety symptoms. Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) is often utilized to learn specific skills to cope with anxiety and may include exposure therapy to gradually encounter the source of anxiety and learn to cope in the situation.
- Prescription Medications may be used to relieve symptoms. Antidepressants and anti-anxiety medication are common choices.
