Anxiety Disorders

Imagine being stood in front of a high speed locomotive and you are frozen solid to the spot. Unable to move, knowing what is about to happen, and can do NOTHING to help yourself escape.

Now imagine being plunged into this scenario several times A DAY.

This is what it feels like for an Anxiety Disorder sufferer. Or as close as it can be described. The only difference is, there is no speeding train barreling towards you. It’s unseen. And comes from out of no where. Without warning. Crippling you in utter fear.

Sound intense?

It IS.

The ‘official’ ‘unofficial’ description of Anxiety is a disorder in which the individual afflicted feels an intense, irrational fear and an impending sense of doom or dread.

What this means is that, in ‘layman’s terms’, if you suffer from Anxiety Disorder, or any form of it, that you will be confronted with paralyzing fear for no apparent reason that will make you feel as if there is no possible way out of it. And you can experience this unprovoked fear at any time within the course of a day.

In addition to suffering from Anxiety Disorder, an individual may also have other common disorders that go hand-in-hand with it such as Depression, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Agoraphobia, or any other number of Phobias that make it all the more important to seek treatment for.

People who you would never suspect in a million years! In fact, Anxiety is such a widespread disorder that virtually ANYONE can suffer from it. Your uncle Buddy, your Grandma Jean, your sister Annie, your neighbor Joe, your best friend Patti, or your brother George.

But, because Anxiety is one of those ’sweep it under the carpet’, “embarrassment-type-I-think-I-might-be-going-crazy” disorders, people don’t like to talk about it. Or admit they are long time sufferers.

Especially if you are someone always in the public eye, such as Kim Basinger. Kim had a long, difficult struggle with Anxiety disorder, and kept it a secret for quite a good portion of her life. You would never guess it to see her up on the ’silver screen’ though would you? But she in fact has spoken out publicly about her battle with Anxiety in the
hopes that this may raise awareness of this dreaded disorder. And it has. She is one brave soul to expose a huge portion of her private life like this. Kudos to you Kim!

Let us not forget also that Anxiety is believed to be an inherited disorder, although your mom or pop may not show the outward symptoms of it. Remember, this is an embarrassment disorder, or one that makes the sufferer believe they are, or are going, crazy. However, not every person who has experienced an Anxiety attack will develop a full blown disorder, but don’t discount the fact that potentially they COULD.

Here’s an interesting statistical fact for you. According to NIMH(National Institute of Mental Health) approximately 2.4 MILLION adult Americans suffer from some form of Anxiety or Panic Disorder. That’s about 40 Million! And, it is twice as common in women as it is in men. Hmmm. . .Maybe this could be a contributing factor in why women worry so much about things?

Coincidentally, the major reason for people not knowing what is happening to them, or that they are suffering from Anxiety or Panic Disorder COULD be attributed to the fact that many cases reported began in adolescence. Therefore, a child may not be as affluent in describing what they are experiencing compared to the ability of that of an adult.

The key here is to LISTEN TO YOUR CHILDREN!! You would NOT want them to
endure a childhood full of suffering and not even know the reason for it.

Another interesting fact to be aware of is that Anxiety attacks don’t only happen when a person is awake! They can, and often do, happen while sleeping. How scary do you think that may be to wake up to? Indescribable would be putting it MILDLY.

Anorexia nervosa is actually a condition that stems from low self esteem and depression and can be considered an anxiety disorder. A person with this condition has the delusion that they are fat, even though they are rail thin. They continue to starve themselves. Singer Karen Carpenter suffered from this disease that eventually ended up killing her. After the starvation, the body can no longer take the strain and the heart gives out.

Anorexia is all about control, as are other eating disorders. A person suffering from this disorder usually feels things spinning out of control and looks for something she can control. Most of the people who suffer from anorexia are young women, college or high school aged. They usually start out a little overweight and someone makes a remark about it. This does not do much for their self esteem which is usually already fragile because they also suffer from depression. They diet a little because of the hurtful remark and lose some weight. Viola! They are in control of something! So they continue to diet.

Most psychiatrists will say that anorexia is a separate disorder, but it has roots in anxiety and depression as well. Anxiety and depression can usually be found in anyone with a mental disorder. They are pretty much the parents of all mental health issues, but different issues are more serious than others and the anxiety and depression manifest themselves differently.

According to Dr. John Bolton of Palos Park, Illinois, depression and anxiety usually are the result of low self esteem. A person who suffers from these disorders sees themselves as worthless. The feeling of low self esteem makes them feel powerless and causes depression. The constant need for some sort of control over their environment and feeling of being powerless to help themselves causes the anxiety. They are afraid most of the time and cling to a certain fear in order to feel safe. The fear, or phobia, is usually something that is imagined in their head and in many cases, does not even exist.

Sigmund Freud, who is considered the father of modern Psychiatry, felt that depression was the result of stifled creativity. Freud noted that many depressed individuals were also highly creative. There are those who agree with Freud’s theory and those who take issue.

Today, the feeling is that people who suffer from depression have a chemical imbalance in their brains that can be cured with artificial serotonin that is given in pill dosage. People who have anxiety are usually treated with tranquilizers by the medical community as well as therapy. Most doctors today subscribe to the theory that people with depression and anxiety have a physical illness that is due to a chemical imbalance in their brain. They also believe there may be a genetic link. Others disagree with this theory and believe it is the result of low self esteem or problems in childhood. Still others blame society and poverty for people feeling depressed.

In short, medical science has a lot of theories about why so many people suffer from anxiety and depression, but no clear cut answers. But there is one thing that you will rarely hear a doctor say, and that is I don’t know.

Anxiety is a hot topic in the mental health profession today. With more than 40 million adults in America suffering from one related disorder or another, this particular classification of mental illness takes its toll on people’s lives physically, emotionally and financially. Generalized anxiety disorder is one class of this condition that impacts the lives of many people.

Unlike other anxiety disorders where a very specified source of anxiety is found, generalized anxiety disorder tends to plague people with a host of concerns. Generalized anxiety disorder is characterized by an overly exaggerated sense of worry and fear about everyday, normal events and activities. For people who suffer from this condition, everything from family health to upcoming tests can cause extreme strife. Rather than react with a normal amount of apprehension about little problems and even big ones, people with the disorder tend to make mountains out of mole hills. In the process, they can work themselves up to a rather agitated state and even experience physical symptoms in the process.

If generalized anxiety disorder is particular severe, patients might find themselves with a life that has been completely sidelined. In this case, the fears about money, work, health and so on overshadow everything else. Before too long, a sufferer might find him or herself unable to function in everyday activities.

The symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder do tend to vary from person to person a bit. In many cases, however, symptoms of the disorder might include such things as excessive tension and worry, a rather unrealistic fear about problems, restlessness, crankiness, inability to sleep, headaches and more.

The precise causes of generalized anxiety disorder are not completely understood. Some factors seem to play a role in its development, however. These include such things as genetic predisposition, brain chemistry and even outside stimulus that can give rise to natural anxiety, such as the loss of a loved one. When “normal” fears and concerns overshadow life and make functioning difficult, there is a reasonable chance that generalized anxiety disorder is present.

Depending on the cause of the disorder, a patient has a number of treatment options. Therapy is almost always advised to get at the root of the problem if it is caused by an outside source. In addition, medications can help alleviate some of the symptoms that make functioning and concentrating in everyday life difficult.

Generalized anxiety disorder affects more than 6 million people in America alone. This condition can lead to minor problems, or it might even completely waylay a person from enjoying life. When the symptoms are severe and the ramifications are serious, help should almost always be sought out.

Anxiety disorders are gaining a lot of attention as of late as American public service campaigns call on friends to stick close to their acquaintances with mental illness. The commercials that air on national television touch on the isolating patterns that often develop with anxiety disorders and urge people to seek help for and maintain a level of support for the person suffering.

But, just how prevalent are anxiety disorders in the U.S. and what forms can they take on? According to the Anxiety Disorders Association of America, this collective condition affects some 40 million Americans. With a number of different forms, anxiety disorder can range from rather generalized presentations to very precise fears and phobias.

The different anxiety disorders are:

Generalized - Affecting some 6.8 million Americans age 18 or older, this form of the condition is characterized by paralyzing worry over everyday things. People with this condition can find themselves blocked off from life by fears that grow from justified to irrational. Depending on the severity of the symptoms, people might actually think they are dying while in the midst of a panic attack.

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder - With some 2.2 million Americans impacted by this form of the condition, it is the least prevalent of the disorders. This condition is characterized by a compulsion to perform repetitive acts in almost a ritualistic manner. Hand washing or wringing is a common behavior in this condition.

Panic Disorder - This form of the condition involves fears of panic attacks themselves. It strikes some 6 million people and can be rather debilitating. Since panic attacks mimic heart attacks and other serious conditions, people quite often literally believe they are dying while in their throes. In some cases, anything that has triggered a panic attack in the past will be avoided at all costs. For example, driving, eating out in public and other routine things.

Posttraumatic Stress - This particular disorder is believed to impact about 7.7 million people. It is brought on by extreme trauma, such as rape, abuse or witnessing a violent act.

Social Anxiety - With 15 million people suffering from this form of anxiety, the condition is considered quite severe. In fact, this is the form of anxiety targeted by the public service campaigns on American television. In its worst form, people with this condition avoid public situations at virtually all costs.

Phobias - An irrational fear of heights, spiders, snakes and other such things can cause a person to suffer from severe anxiety. This condition strikes an estimated 19 million people and covers a host of different phobias.

Anxiety disorders are more common than many people realize. When the symptoms are strong and they sideline a person from everyday activities, help should be sought. Medical doctors, psychologists and other therapists can assist patients in a variety of ways.