Anxiety – Digging into the Details 

Anxiety is the feeling of uneasiness, dread, and fear. It might make a person feel restless and tense and even cause excessive sweating and rapid heartbeat. Anxiety can also be a person’s normal reaction to stress. 

For example, it is likely for you to feel anxious when facing a problematic situation in life or a problem at work. You might also feel anxious before sitting for an examination or making a crucial decision.

Anxiety can help a person cope with fear and boost the energy required to focus in certain situations. But for individuals with anxiety disorders, it is not a temporary issue and can also be overwhelming.

Understanding Anxiety Disorders

An anxiety disorder is when anxiety does not go away on its own and gets worse with time. Symptoms of anxiety disorders can disturb regular activities like schoolwork, job performance, and relationships.

Anxiety disorders are mental health problems leading to excessive fear, nervousness, worry, and apprehension. The disorders change how individuals process emotions and behave, resulting in different physical symptoms. Mild anxiety can be unsettling and vague, but severe anxiety can affect regular life seriously.

In the US, almost 40 million people or even more are affected by anxiety disorders, making anxiety the most common mental illness. It is also worth noting that just 36.9% of these individuals receive proper treatment.

It is normal to experience occasional anxiety, but people suffering from anxiety disorders frequently have persistent, excessive, and intense fear and worry of everyday situations. Such disorders often involve repeated episodes of intense terror and fear that peak in just a few moments. And these are called panic attacks.

The feelings of panic and anxiety interfere with regular activities and are difficult to control. They get out of proportion and become an actual danger that can last for a very long time. People with such feelings can avoid situations or places causing these feelings. Also, note that the symptoms of anxiety disorders can start during childhood or teenage and continue till adulthood and even in middle age.

Anxiety is among the most common forms of emotional disorders affecting anyone at any age. As per the American Psychiatric Association, women have higher chances of suffering from an anxiety disorder than men. 

Different Varieties of Anxiety Disorders

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Health Disorders: 5th Edition presents different varieties of anxiety disorders. There are various anxiety disorders, with the most common ones being social anxiety disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, separation anxiety disorder, and specific phobias.An individual might suffer from more than one anxiety disorder. Not to mention, some anxiety disorders result from specific medical problems that require proper treatment. Regardless of the type of anxiety you are suffering from, proper treatment can always be of good help. 

The different types of anxiety disorders are as follows:

• GAD or Generalized Anxiety Disorder: People with this anxiety disorder worry about normal problems like work, health, money, and family. They have excessive worries regularly for a minimum of six months.
• Phobias: Individuals with phobias have an intense fear of certain things that do not pose any threat or danger. Such individuals might fear spiders, visiting crowded places, flying, and being in different social situations.Phobias result in panic attacks in people.
• Panic Disorder: An individual with panic disorders experiences repeated and sudden periods of non-dangerous fear called panic attacks. These attacks come suddenly and can last for a few minutes or even more.
• Agoraphobia is an anxiety disorder where people fear and avoid situations and places that can cause panic and make the person feel helpless, embarrassed, or trapped.
• Anxiety can also be caused by a certain physical health condition, including extreme panic and anxiety symptoms.
• Selective Mutism: This condition is generally found in children. The kids with this condition find it difficult to speak in specific situations, like school. And even if they speak in other situations, like at home with close family members, they do not speak in public. Selective Mutism in children can interfere with social functioning, work, and school performance.
• Separation Anxiety Disorder: This is a childhood disorder causing excessive anxiety that hampers the developmental level of a child. It is caused due to the stress that a child suffers due to separation from parents or other individuals playing parental roles.
• Substance-Induced Anxiety Disorder: This condition is characterized by the signs of intense panic or anxiety directly resulting from the misuse of drugs, exposure to toxic substances, drug withdrawal, and taking different medicines.

There are other varieties of both specified and unspecified anxiety disorders that do not meet the criteria to be considered anxiety disorders. However, they are significant enough to be disruptive and distressing. In any given year, the estimated percentage of US adults suffering from different anxiety disorders is as follows:

• Social anxiety disorder: 7%
• Specific phobia: 8% to 12%
• Agoraphobia: 1% to 2.9% in adults and adolescents 
• Panic disorder: 2% to 3%
• Generalized Anxiety Disorder: 2%
• Separation Anxiety Disorder: 0.9% to 1.9%

Symptoms of Anxiety

Anxiety is a different feeling in different people. People’s anxious feelings can range from as normal as butterflies in the stomach to serious ones like a racing heart. People experiencing anxiety might feel entirely out of control, like there is a significant disconnection between their body and mind.

There are various other ways people suffer from anxiety, including panic attacks, nightmares, and painful memories or thoughts that cannot be controlled. People can also have a general feeling of worry and fear, and they might also fear a specific event or place.

Common symptoms of anxiety are as follows:

• Rapid breathing or hyperventilation
• Increased heart rate
• Sleeplessness
• Restlessness
• Nervousness and tension
• Trouble concentrating
• Trembling
• Sweating
• Having a sense of forthcoming doom, panic, or danger
• Feeling tired or weak
• Experiencing gastrointestinal problems
• Trouble concentrating on other things or constantly thinking of a present worry
• Having issues in controlling worry
• Having the longing to avoid things that can lead to anxiety
• Your signs of anxiety can be completely different from those of anxiety in someone else.  herefore, you must understand how this condition can manifest itself.

Causes of Anxiety

Experts have been researching a lot to know the exact cause of anxiety but of no use. But they are still not sure of the exact causes of anxiety. Nevertheless, they believe that it is a blend of different factors like environmental and genetic, with brain chemistry also playing an important role here. Additionally, researchers believe that those areas of the brain that control fear in people might also be impacted. Current studies and research on anxiety take an in-depth look at those parts of the brain that directly link with anxiety.

As per research, some common causes of anxiety are as follows:

• Genetics: Anxiety disorder can be a genetic problem running in families.
• Environmental Stress: Different stressful events that a person has lived through or seen in life can also be the cause of anxiety. Life events c nnected to anxiety disorders include the death of a loved one, childhood neglect or abuse, seeing violence, and being attacked.
• Brain Chemistry: As per research, an anxiety disorder can also be associated with faulty circuits in the brain responsible for controlling emotions and fear.
• Drug Misuse or Withdrawal: Certain drugs are used to decrease or hide the signs of anxiety. Even such drugs can lead to anxiety problems. Experts also believe that anxiety and substance or alcohol abuse go hand in hand.
• Medical Problems: Different medical issues like those of the lungs, heart, and thyroid can result in signs similar to those of anxiety disorders, or they can even worsen the symptoms of anxiety disorder in people. Therefore, it is essential to get a complete physical examination done to rule out the chances of other medical conditions causing anxiety.

Anxiety Risk Factors

Certain things can also increase your chances of developing anxiety, known as risk factors. The best thing about risk factors is that there are some that you can change, but the bad news is that you cannot change several risk factors leading to anxiety. The greatest risk factors for anxiety are as follows:

• Childhood sexual abuse: Sexual, emotional, and physical abuse during childhood and even childhood neglect can be associated with a person developing anxiety disorder later in life.
• Trauma: People who live through a certain traumatic event have higher chances of suffering from PTSD or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, resulting in panic attacks.
• History of Mental Health Problem: People with other mental health issues, such as depression, might be at a higher risk of anxiety disorder.
• Negative Events in Life: Negative or stressful life events, such as losing one’s parents quite early in life, can also increase the risk of anxiety disorder in a person.
• Substance Abuse: Excessive use of illegal drugs and alcohol can increase your chances of getting anxiety disorder. However, some individuals use alcohol and even illegal drugs to hide or erase the signs of anxiety.
• Chronic Health Problem or Serious Illness: Constantly worrying about your own health or the health of your loved one or taking care of someone seriously sick can make you feel anxious and overwhelmed.
• Low Self-Esteem: Thinking low about oneself or having negative perceptions about yourself can make you suffer from a social anxiety disorder.
• Being Shy as a Kid: Withdrawal from unfamiliar places and people and shyness during childhood are associated with social anxiety in adults and teenagers.

Complications of Anxiety Disorder

Anxiety is not only about worrying and being stressed. It can also result in worsening other physical and mental conditions, like:

• Substance misuse
• Depression often occurs with anxiety or with other mental health problems.
• Social isolation
• Insomnia or trouble sleeping
• Bowel or digestive problems
• Chronic pain and headaches
• Suicide
• Problems with proper functioning at work or school
• Poor life quality

Diagnosing Anxiety:

No specific test can diagnose anxiety. Instead, the diagnosis of anxiety requires a lengthy procedure of mental health evaluations, psychological questionnaires, and physical examinations.

Doctors might also conduct physical examinations, including urine and blood work, to rule out underlying medical problems resulting in the symptoms you are experiencing. Doctors also use a number of anxiety scales and tests for assessing the anxiety levels you are experiencing.

The United States Preventive Service Task Force suggests screening for anxiety symptoms in adolescents and children between ages 8 and 18. The task force also recommends screening for MDD or Major Depressive Disorder in adolescents aged between 12 and 18.

Treatment for Anxiety Disorder

There are several treatments for reducing the signs of anxiety, with the most common ones being counseling and taking medicines. Major treatments for anxiety disorders of all kinds include:

Medicines

Different varieties of medicines are used for treating anxiety disorders. You must consult your psychiatrist or doctor about the benefits and drawbacks of each medicine and then decide on the suitable one for your condition and health. The common medications used for treating anxiety are as follows:

• Antidepressants: SNRIs and SSRIs are modern antidepressants and the first drugs prescribed to individuals with anxiety problems. SNRIs include venlafaxine and duloxetine, while SSRIs are fluoxetine and escitalopram. Bupropion is another antidepressant used commonly for treating chronic anxiety. It works differently than SNRIs and SSRIs.
• Other antidepressants like monoamine oxidase inhibitors or MAOIs and tricyclics are less commonly used for treating anxiety. They are not used commonly because of their side effects like dry mouth, low blood pressure, urinary retention, and blurry vision. They can be unsafe and unpleasant for many individuals.
• Benzodiazepines: These drugs are prescribed to individuals experiencing persistent anxiety and panicky feelings. Benzodiazepines work very quickly in lowering anxiety, but they come with the risk of dependency. Good examples of these medicines are clonazepam and alprazolam.
•  Beta-Blockers: These are high blood pressure medicines prescribed to make a person feel better if he or she is experiencing physical signs of anxiety, like trembling, racing heart, and shaking. Beta-blockers can help you in relaxing during an acute anxiety attack.
• Antipsychotics and anticonvulsants: Low doses of antipsychotics are used to make the other treatments work better, while anticonvulsants are used to prevent seizures in individuals with epilepsy. These medicines can also relieve the signs of anxiety disorders.
• BuSpar or Buspirone: This anti-anxiety drug is less commonly used to treat chronic anxiety.

Psychotherapy

Psychotherapy is counseling that can help you learn how your emotions impact your behaviors. This kind of therapy is also known as talk therapy, where trained mental health experts listen to your problems and talk to you about your feelings and thoughts. Finally, they suggest different ways of understanding and managing your anxiety disorder.

CBT or Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

This is a common form of psychotherapy that teaches you to turn panic-causing and negative behaviors and thoughts into positive ones. You get to learn different ways of approaching and managing worrisome and fearful situations carefully without anxiety.

Home Remedies for Treating Anxiety

One of the most effective ways of relieving anxiety and coping with the stress you experience every day is making crucial lifestyle changes. Natural remedies for treating anxiety generally entail taking care of your own body, eliminating unhealthy habits, and participating in different healthy activities. Major lifestyle changes that can help youdo away with anxiety to a considerable extent are:

• Meditating
• Getting sufficient sleep
• Staying active
• Working out regularly
• Eating a balanced and healthy diet
• Avoiding alcohol and caffeine
• Quitting smoking

Talk therapy, medicines, and lifestyle changes, such as regular exercise and enough sleep, can help eliminate anxiety. But research suggests that certain foods can also benefit your brain if you are experiencing anxiety frequently. These foods are:

• Dark chocolate
• Salmon
• Turmeric
• Chamomile
• Green tea
• Yogurt

All these foods are effective in boosting brain health and lowering anxiety.

Prevention of Anxiety

There is no particular way of predicting what will cause anxiety disorder in a person. But you always have the option of taking a few steps that can help reduce the effect of anxiety symptoms, and these steps are:

• Get help as early as possible because it can become more challenging to treat anxiety in its later stages.
• Try to stay as active as possible. Take part in activities you like and the ones that make you feel good about yourself. Get into caring relationships and social interactions that will help you lessen your worries.
• Avoid the use of drugs and alcohol if you do not want to worsen your anxiety.

The Bottom Line

Living with anxiety can both be frustrating and challenging, and constant fear and worry can make you feel scared and tired. If you have already started consulting a mental health specialist, you have taken that first step toward letting go of your worry. Of course, it will take you time to find the perfect treatment that actually works, but you must know that anxiety is curable even in severe cases. It will not completely disappear, but you can always learn to manage it and live a healthy and happy life.