What is Anxiety Disorder

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What is Anxiety Disorder

Everyone experiences anxiety, whether it's dreading tomorrow's math test or fearing a dangerous situation. However, anxiety disorders cause the level of anxiety to be out of proportion to the situation and interfere with normal, daily activities.

Anxiety disorders are the most prevalent group of psychiatric disorders in the United States. Approximately 27 million Americans--nearly 15 percent of the population--will suffer from an anxiety disorder at some point in their lives.

Anxiety disorders are most often characterized as having an element of fearfulness involved. According to Dr. Steve Dager, University of Washington associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Harborview Medical Center, these disorders come about as a kind of impairment or over-reactivity of the normal "flight or fight" response.

Although these disorders are amenable to treatment, the majority of sufferers don't receive appropriate care. Most often, people with anxiety disorders will seek relief from the physical symptoms, such as rapid heart rate, respiratory distress or nausea, and may not be aware or may not want to admit that there are emotional causes for the symptoms.

"People worry about being labeled 'crackpots' if they admit to overwhelming anxiety or fear," says Dager. "But there is evidence that these symptoms are the result of healthy coping mechanisms gone awry. And worrying about them tends to exaggerate their effects."

There are several different types of anxiety disorders. The most common are:

Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD), exaggerated tension without apparent cause, can be debilitating but doesn't usually cause people to avoid certain situations. People with GAD often seem unable to relax or fall asleep and may experience lightheadedness, shortness of breath, nausea, trembling, muscle tension, headaches, irritability, or sweating.
Panic Disorder (PD) causes people to feel terror suddenly and unpredictably. PD can become disabling when people avoid situations they fear may bring on an attack. Panic attack symptoms include rapid pulse, chest pains, shortness of breath, dizziness, nausea, numbness, trembling, and a fear of going crazy or dying. Depression or alcoholism often accompanies PD. Panic disorder is probably the best studied and understood of the anxiety disorders.
Agoraphobia, the most disabling anxiety disorder, is diagnosed when panic attacks cause people to increasingly refrain from normal activities. As such people avoid situations where they fear an attack may occur -- in crowds and stores and on bridges and public transportation -- they become so restricted, they may not leave their homes.
Social Phobia (SP), an intense fear of humiliation in social settings, may cause sufferers to avoid parties, public speaking, eating out, or even signing a check in public. Unlike shyness, those with SP can feel at ease around others, yet particular situations, like walking down an aisle, cause intense anxiety. SP disrupts relationships and careers as sufferers avoid certain situations.
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is characterized by rituals, such as washing hands or checking things repeatedly (compulsions), or persistent, unwelcome thoughts, such as fears of committing violent acts, of performing sexual acts repugnant to the person, or of thoughts contrary to the person's religious beliefs (obsessions). Compulsive activities consume an hour or more each day and interfere with daily life.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) can result after a terrifying event, causing sufferers frightening thoughts and memories. Anniversaries of the incident can be difficult and ordinary events can trigger flashbacks or intrusive images. Sufferers may become easily irritated or have violent outbursts. Depression, substance abuse, or anxiety may accompany PTSD.

If you feel that your life is being ruled by anxiety and fear, and that your symptoms are having an impact on your relationships and daily life, you can find help. There's no need to live in fear.

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Anxiety disorders are usually treated with a combination of medications and behavior therapy. Treatment is usually individualized for each patient, depending on the severity of the symptoms and level of function. Common medications for anxiety disorders include selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors, such as Prozac; tricyclic antidepressants; benzodiazepines or monamine oxidase inhibitors.

If you think you're suffering from an anxiety disorder, talk candidly to your physician about not only your physical symptoms, but also the emotional context in which they occur. Your doctor will be able to provide better treatment and/or refer you to specialists who can show you how to cope with, and gain relief from, these disorders.

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