What Is Anxiety And Do I Have It?

 

Of course, everyone has anxiety. Anxiety is a vague word meaning any one of several unpleasant emotions, usually involving the anticipation of some misfortune to come. Stress, as well legitimate worries about every day live, bring about anxiety.

However, there is a difference between regular anxiety and an anxiety disorder. Whereas anxiety is simply a negative emotion, an anxiety disorder involves chronic anxiety, usually approaching extreme levels. Such extreme levels might see an otherwise healthy and normal person become suddenly and irrationally afraid of something, or nervous and irritable, or may cause mild to severe panic attacks. Panic attacks are simply a peak of anxiety and do not necessarily mean a person is developing a panic disorder, though it is a probability.

A person may also develop an unnatural fear of public places, other people or of specific phobias. They may constantly feel the need to escape, and feel quite agitated if they feel they are trapped in a situation. This is linked to agoraphobia, once of many types of anxiety related phobias that can develop.

Anxiety disorders can easily lead to physical symptoms as well as mental and emotional ones. People suffering from chronic and intense anxiety may also experience nausea, trembling, chills, and lightheadness. In addition, severe symptoms like chest pains, numbness and a shortness of breath might appear, thus scaring someone into believing they are having a heart attack or even dying.

What causes an anxiety disorder to develop? Anxiety, of course but from what source? It could due to external surroundings; stress and difficult living situations can be traumatic and can cause a person to feel very anxious throughout the day for a long period of time. There is also evidence that genetics can cause anxiety disorder to be inherited.

If you feel that you may have an anxiety disorder then there is cause for concern-the fact that you feel anxious enough to question your wellbeing, means either you are under a lot of stress or feel you may be developing an unnatural fear or reluctance in every day life. The best thing to do is to consult a family physician. He or she will give you a physical examination and rule out any physical factors that might be bringing on your symptoms. If there’s no problem there then the doctor could refer you to a mental health specialist who will conduct a further evaluation.

Traditional medication may be recommended, or psychotherapy could be suggested as an alternative. One mistake people make is to put off going for an examination because they don’t want to be put on medication. Understandably, since there are many risks involved in potentially addictive antidepressants and anti-anxiety pills, not to mention the rising cost of pharmaceutical drugs. However, the doctor will work with you and may be willing to treat the problem without medication. Aside from herbal remedies or self-help techniques psychotherapy has proven successful in many cases.

Avoidance is another symptom of anxiety disorder. But avoiding a professional examination may be too much of a risk to take, considering that your mental and physical health could be at stake.

Anxiety Articles

Types Of Anxiety Disorders Specific Phobias

  Among types of anxiety disorders there are also phobias, which are specific fears that a person develops, which may be intense and are often irrational. Common phobias may include closed in spaces, a fear of heights, driving, water, flying, spiders and blood. What’s the difference between having a healthy fear of something and having [...]

Types Of Anxiety Disorders Social Anxiety Disorder

  Most people in general are uncomfortable being the center of attention-especially if it’s in front of a large group of people and something extraordinary is expected. Polls show that more people are afraid of speaking in front of groups than they are of death. So the evaluation of others always remains a sensitive issue [...]

Types Of Anxiety Disorders Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

  Anxiety disorders usually develop due to an inherited condition or some form of trauma. Very traumatic events in a person’s life, particularly ones involving emotional or physical violence, can damage a person and cause a recurring problem with anxiety for years to come. In the case of children who suffered trauma, the situation is [...]

Types Of Anxiety Disorders Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

Obsessive compulsive disorder starts with a thought, perhaps an upsetting thought or merely a reminder. In order to control the thought process, a person will use rituals, or compulsions, to satisfy the uncertainty in their mind. However, the rituals and the obsessive thoughts will eventually start to control them. Common fixations include the fear of [...]

Types Of Anxiety Disorders Generalized Anxiety Disorder

This type of anxiety disorder may be generalized, but it is still intense and one of the most difficult conditions to live with. Whereas people with specific phobias can avoid the object of distress, general things that easily stress and worry them to extreme levels surround people who suffer from GAD. This anxiety will often [...]

Types Of Anxiety Disorders:

  Types Of Anxiety Disorders Generalized Anxiety Disorder. Types Of Anxiety Disorders Obsessive Compulsive Disorder Types Of Anxiety Disorders Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Types Of Anxiety Disorders Social Anxiety Disorder Types Of Anxiety Disorders Specific Phobias Sufferers of panic disorder describe an attack as a very scary and even violent experience. They may feel disconnected [...]

Treatment of Anxiety Disorders

  What is the best way to treat anxiety disorders? After an official diagnosis, a psychiatrist prescribes usually traditional medication or a licensed therapist employs specific types of psychotherapy. Some doctors will also suggest a combination of both medication and progressive therapy. Who decides the best form of treatment? Usually the condition itself will merit [...]

What is anxiety?

  1. Symptoms of Anxiety Anxiety attacks and panic attacks often can go hand in hand, and if they or something like them has happened to you recently and you didn’t know what it was, here is a quick run down of what some of the symptoms are. Anxiety attacks manifest themselves in three different [...]

The attack of anxiety

  The war can commence at any time; the onslaught of anxiety can catch many innocent civilians off guard. Anxiety has a tendency to take over people, who have a lot of stress in their life, this stress can be the cause of relationship problems, financial worry, work related stress, losing a loved one or [...]

The Definition Of Agoraphobia Anxiety

  Agoraphobia is a type of phobia linked with anxiety disorder. It is often misunderstood as merely a fear of crowds or of wide-open spaces. But it is actually a more complex type of phobia in which a person feels fear because of the absence of a comfortable escape in any given situation. The person [...]

Teen Anxiety

  Adults are not the only ones who cope with anxiety. In fact, teenagers are arguably more susceptible to anxiety and panic attacks, given the atmosphere of high school, concerns about popularity and academic achievement as well as the fact that their mind is constantly learning and changing. Once you reach adulthood, life does get [...]

Techniques for Reducing Anxiety

  There are a number of different exercises that can be performed to aid relaxation and avoid/remedy anxiety. Also don’t forget that talking to a friend about your worries and exercising to release all the tensions and stress are very important in your daily life. Focusing Choose an object that is personal to you, one [...]

Systematic Desensitization In Anxiety Treatment

  Systematic desensitization refers to a form of psychotherapy used to treat anxiety disorders and phobias in patients. It was pioneered by a South African psychiatrist named Joseph Wolpe. This type of therapy sees a doctor cautiously exposing a patient to various stimuli that the patient initially fears. The theory is that the more desensitized [...]

Social anxiety disorder

  Social anxiety disorder is a kind of anxiety people feel when they have excessive self-consciousness in the arena of everyday life. Those who have social anxiety disorder have serious problems carrying out simple tasks in a social setting because they have an over whelming and intense feeling that people are watching their every move, [...]

Seeking Medication For Panic Attacks

  Panic attacks are hard to get through. They can feel like bad heart or lung problems at times and it can be very frustrating when it comes to figuring out where they are coming from, and why. Approximately 19 million people in the United States are panic attack sufferers and they experience a variety [...]

Physical And Emotional Symptoms Of Anxiety Disorders

  How do you know if you have an anxiety disorder? Doesn’t everyone suffer from anxiety? Yes, they do. However, people who have developed an anxiety disorder chronically suffer from extreme levels of anxiety. If you are living with a stressful situation then you might be having an anxiety attack, or even a panic attack. [...]

Panic Attacks Are Terrifying!

  One third of all the adults will experience some type of panic attack , whether it is a single event or part of an ongoing condition. Panic attacks are terrifying; ask one of those people, they will surely agree with that. Panic attacks are periods of extreme, disabling fear or anxiety that is brought [...]

Lesser-Known Types Of Anxiety

The most common forms of anxiety disorders are general anxiety disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, social phobia and other phobias, panic disorder and separation anxiety disorder. These disorders are all attributable to past traumatic events or genetics, as most anxiety disorders are. Very rare is it that anxiety problems appear for no apparent reason whatsoever, though [...]

Leading A Normal Life Even Though You Have Panic Attacks

  If you have ever experienced a panic attack, even a little one, you probably understand how it can be difficult for those who frequently experience panic attacks to lead normal lives. They are characterized by moments of extreme fear or panic, usually for an unexplained reason, that can make a person sick. Symptoms of [...]

Is Psychotherapy More Effective Than Medicine In Treating Anxiety?

  Sigmund Freud, the originator of psychotherapy, believed that chronic anxiety in a person was caused by past traumas, and that certain stimulus would make us relive that trauma therefore creating feelings of anxiety. However, avoiding the anxiety through various means was thought to be counter-productive; so as long as the anxious feelings were there, [...]

Is It Anxiety Or An Anxiety Disorder?

  Anxiety by definition affects everybody—even the happy and perfectly content person. Therefore, you cannot assume because you are having a bad day or are unusually anxious on a given night that you are developing an anxiety attack, nor that you have an anxiety disorder. Anxiety is an emotion. An anxiety attack might also be [...]

How To Get Help For Anxiety Disorders

  If you believe you or someone you know is exhibiting symptoms of an anxiety disorder then the best place to start is with the family doctor. What he or she can do is help you determine if you are suffering from an actual anxiety disorder, normal stress because of your circumstances or even a [...]

How Does Self Esteem Affect Anxiety?

  Anxiety problems are usually directly related to a person’s self esteem. Low self esteem, or poor self image, contribute to many different personality disorders. A person’s self-worth, however he or she sees himself, will ultimately define what that person feels and even accomplishes in life. If you are hard on yourself and constantly criticize [...]

How Does Psychotherapy Treat Anxiety Disorders?

  Psychotherapy is a popular alternative to traditional medication, though some doctors recommend both forms of treatment in certain cases. Psychotherapy involves talking to a trained professional, such as a psychologist or licensed therapist, and working together to discover the source of the anxiety. From there a patient learns how to better cope with the [...]

How Does Medication Treat Anxiety Disorders?

  When a person suffers from an anxiety disorder, it is far beyond the regular anxiety that everyone suffers from day to day. This form of anxiety can be chronic, recurring and extreme to the point of being unbearable. Therefore many doctors will recommended prescription medication to help treat the problem. Some people will not [...]

Are Herbal Treatments Effective Treating Anxiety?

  When you realize you have a real problem with anxiety is scary looking for medical help, usually the first step is trying some herbal tratments to treat anxiety. Many people fear seeking traditional medication for the treatment of anxiety disorders. While it’s not necessarily true in every case, prescription medications have been known to [...]

Five Notes Before You Take Medication For Anxiety

  Before you take medication for anxiety disorders there are a few things you should know about it. 1. Just because someone is anxious doesn’t mean they have developed a serious anxiety disorder. Everybody gets anxious, especially under stressful or brand new situations. An anxiety disorder is a serious condition—one of a chronic and intense [...]

Do I Have An Anxiety Disorder?

  It may seem difficult to differentiate between everyday anxiety, which affects everybody, and an anxiety disorder by clinical definition. What is the difference? Of course, you will only be diagnosed with anxiety disorder if a doctor evaluates you and makes the official distinction. But you could still be suffering from the symptoms of an [...]

Different Ways To Cope With Anxiety

  If you suffer from anxiety then don’t assume you have to consult a psychiatrist and start shelling out hundreds of dollars for Xanax prescriptions. It’s always possible that medicine will be the only effective treatment, but it’s actually not always the best treatment. You may not appreciate the thought of psychotherapy either, since it [...]

Different Types Of Anxiety Disorders

There are different types of anxiety disorders, and each one is far beyond the general anxieties everyone faces in life due to negative stimuli. The term anxiety disorder is actually a very general one that could allude to several forms of anxieties. There are varying degrees of these conditions, some being merely phobias over a [...]

Did you know there are three types of anxiety?

  Medical professionals can, not only diagnose someone with anxiety, with a little probing they can actually categorize the anxiety into one of three groups, these are general anxiety, phobia disorder and panic disorder. Within these three groups there are other conditions or disorders that you may hear of, these conditions fit the “guidelines” of [...]

Child Anxiety

  Children are not exempt from anxiety or even a major anxiety disorder. Yes, adults have all the responsibilities and teens have all the pressure; but children can also worry to an excessive degree about a number of issues. All of the major anxiety disorders that affect adults and teenagers can likewise affect children. These [...]

Behavioral Therapy and Panic Attacks

While panic attacks can be devastating to your sense of reality and your sense of self, luckily there are treatment options that can help to ease the stress you’re feeling. One of the ways you can ease the anxiety that you are feeling when you are going through a panic attack or you feel one [...]

Are you suffering with anxiety?

Nearly one in sixty people in the western world suffer with anxiety at some point in their life, but what causes anxiety? And what are the symptoms? Causes of anxiety Many different things in this day and age can cause anxiety, the present time has shown the most amounts of anxiety sufferers since records began, [...]

Alternative Treatments For Anxiety

  In addition to psychotherapy, prescription medication and herbal supplements, there is also alternative treatment available for anxiety worth looking into, including self-help, relaxation or holistic techniques. What are some of these techniques? In terms of holistic healing, acupressure, originally from Chinese medicine, has been listed by some as an effective way to reduce anxiety, [...]

All about social anxiety

  Anxiety is a term that represents numerous conditions. There is test anxiety, stranger anxiety, performance anxiety, and many other types of anxiety, but one that can be particularly crippling to one’s quality of life is social anxiety. Social anxiety is a condition that is trademarked by a general fear of social situations. People who [...]

All about anxiety

  There are many problems that you have to take under consideration when you are trying to take care of your health. There are many things that can go wrong with your body physically that you have to be on the lookout for. Another thing that you need to be concerned about, however, is your [...]

Alcohol The Worst Treatment For Anxiety

  Many sufferers of anxiety unwisely seek the “treatment” of alcohol as a temporary solution to anxiety. However, this is the worst solution to a common problem that an individual can seek. One reason alcohol is a popular solution is because people correctly believe that minor stress, unlike anxiety disorder, can be lived with without [...]