Mental Health
Did you know that there are several subgroups of Anxiety Disorders, each having different causes?
Indeed anxiety disorders are a serious social and financial concern to the American economy because as research shows, they cost the country more than $42 billion a year in healthcare costs and lost productivity.
Here is a list of anxiety disorders and their symptoms:
GAD
Generalized Anxiety Disorder shows an excessive, unrealistic and uncontrollable worry about everyday events which affects daily functioning and brings physical symptoms.
GAD can also occur with other anxiety disorders, depressive disorders, or substance abuse. Sad to say, it is prone to being misdiagnosed since it lacks some of the dramatic symptoms like unprovoked attacks of panic, which are normally seen with other anxiety disorders.
Symptoms:
Nevertheless, you can also observe some physical symptoms such as muscle tension, sweating, gastrointestinal symptoms (diarrhea), nausea, cold and clammy palms, the feeling of having a “lump in the throat”, difficulty in swallowing, irritability, getting tired easily and insomnia.
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder is oftentimes characterized by persistent and recurring thoughts (obsessions), including worry about being contaminated or fears of behaving improperly or acting violently.
Symptoms:
These obsessions can lead the person to perform rituals or routines in order to relieve the anxiety temporarily such as excessive hand washing, excessive checking on the appliances, repeating phrases or hoarding.
Panic Disorder
Those who have panic disorder oftentimes suffer severe acute attacks of panic for no apparent reason. They may feel they are having a heart attack or they are losing their minds. This particular disorder is oftentimes accompanied by agoraphobia, which is the fear of public places, since they are afraid of having their bout of panic attack publicly. Oftentimes, they become so afraid that they don’t leave the safety of their controlled home environment.
Symptoms:
Symptoms of panic disorder includes heart palpitations, chest pain or discomfort, sweating, trembling, tingling sensations, feeling of choking, fear of dying, fear of losing control, and feelings of unreality.
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder oftentimes follows a traumatic event such as a sexual or physical assault, witnessing the death of a loved one, or a natural disaster.
There are three main symptoms that are associated with PTSD:
a) “reliving” of the traumatic event (such as flashbacks and nightmares);
b) “avoidance” behavior (avoiding places and other reminders which is related to the trauma) and emotional numbing (detachment from others);
c) physiological arousal characterized by difficulty of sleeping, irritability or poor concentration.
Social Anxiety Disorder
Social Anxiety Disorder is oftentimes characterized by severe anxiety about being judged by others or behaving in a way that might bring ridicule or embarrassment to oneself which may lead to extreme shyness and avoidance of social situations.
Symptoms:
Physical symptoms include faintness, heart palpitations, blushing and profuse sweating and can also bring about specific phobias, an intense and unreasonable fear of specific objects or situations, such as spiders, dogs, or heights.
Though there many causes of anxiety disorders, the treatment for all of them includes support groups, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), exposure therapy, anxiety management and relaxation techniques, and psychotherapy. Physicians can also medicate drugs such as benzodiazepines, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), tricyclic antidepressants, monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs) and beta-blockers.