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Broberg Ernst posted an update 7 months, 2 weeks ago
Anxiety Disorders Symptoms
It’s normal to feel anxiety and fear from time the time. However, if these feelings become constant and become a problem in the daily routine, you could have an anxiety disorder.
A health professional can assist you in finding a treatment that fits your symptoms. This can include psychotherapy, antianxiety medications or natural remedies such as exercise, a healthy diet and sleep.
1. Fear and Worry
Every person experiences anxiety and fear at times. It’s part of the body’s “fight or fight” response to danger. If the feeling is extreme, doesn’t disappear, and it interferes with your daily activities, you may have an anxiety disorder. Your doctor can identify anxiety disorders through a conversation with you, a physical exam, blood or urine tests, and inquiries regarding your past health. You might be asked to fill out questionnaires that help your doctor determine if you suffer from anxiety disorders.
Different types of anxiety disorders exhibit distinct symptoms. People with generalized anxiety disorder, for instance are constantly worried and irrationally about everyday situations even though there is no real threat. They also have trouble getting comfortable or falling asleep. Other symptoms include a fast or racing heart (heart beating) as well as trembling and sweating. People suffering from panic disorders are prone to experiencing frequent episodes of intense terror or fear that reach their peak in minutes. They also have trouble managing their emotions. They usually try to avoid certain activities or places to avoid these attacks occurring.
People with phobias have very intense fears of certain things, like snakes or flying. Other symptoms may include headaches or difficulty breathing. People with PTSD suffer from anxiety after experiencing or witnessing an event that is traumatic like a car accident or war. They might have other symptoms too, like nightmares and flashbacks of the traumatizing incident.
Other anxiety disorders include OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder), hoarding disorder, and social anxiety disorder. These disorders cause you to feel anxious in social situations. There’s also anxiety about an individual health issue, called illness anxiety disorder (formerly known as hypochondria). Other causes of anxiety are stress and a chemical imbalance in your brain. Certain medications can trigger anxiety as a side effect.
2. Panic Attacks
People with anxiety disorders have recurring feelings of extreme panic and fear that are out of proportion to their circumstances. These feelings can trigger extreme physical reactions such as an intense pulse, a shortness in breath and nausea. They may also make you feel unreal or detached from reality.
While anyone can have panic attacks but you’re more likely to suffer from this type of mental health condition in the early years of childhood, adolescence, or adulthood. It can be caused by many factors that include prolonged or severe stress that triggers a chemical imbalance in your nervous system and brain. Severe trauma, particularly in the adolescent years can also increase your risk of developing an anxiety disorder.
Panic attacks can occur for no apparent cause or in response to a circumstance that causes you to feel afraid, like being around a large number of people. They are different from normal anxiety symptoms since they have more intense symptoms and are often unavoidable. People suffering from anxiety disorders might also experience a mixture of expected and unanticipated panic attacks.
The most common treatments for anxiety and panic attacks include talking therapies and medication. Talking therapies can help you manage your fears and eliminate unfounded thoughts that cause anxiety. They can also teach you to relax by doing exercises like deep breathing and mindfulness. Certain medications, like SSRIs and SNRIs like duloxetine and venlafaxine, may help to reduce anxiety and anxiety.
It is essential to consult your doctor right away if you experience recurrent panic attacks. Your doctor will be able to check for any other health illnesses that share similar symptoms and suggest other treatments.
3. Insomnia
If people are stressed they may have trouble getting to sleep or staying asleep during the night. This is known as insomnia. It can be a temporary issue or a longer-term one. Sleep deprivation can make it difficult to get through the day and can cause serious health issues. It is more prevalent in older adults and is more common in women than men. It is more common in people suffering from psychiatric issues.
Sleepiness can be caused by many different factors. Sleep can be affected by a variety of temporary illnesses such as headaches or colds or chronic illnesses like acid reflux, Parkinson’s disease, arthritis and medication. Stressful life circumstances can also contribute to it. Around half of people suffering from chronic insomnia suffer from a mental illness, most commonly anxiety or depression.
A doctor will first determine physical causes. They will ask you questions regarding your medical history, as well as the symptoms that make it difficult to sleep. They will also ask whether you are taking any medication that might affect your sleep. They can also conduct a sleep study to monitor your heart rate and breathing at night.
Behavioral therapy is the most effective treatment for insomnia. It assists you in changing the negative thought patterns that keep you awake. It also teaches you ways to relax before sleep. There are methods for doing this, like progressive muscle relaxation, biofeedback and meditation. The doctor can assist you to find a therapist to teach you these methods. If you find that behavioral therapy does not work then you can try a variety of drugs to help you sleep better. These include benzodiazepines that can be used to relieve symptoms temporarily and can also be used as an antidepressant and antianxiety medications.
4. Eating Disorders
Eating disorders are defined by a preoccupation with body shape, weight, and food as well as eating habits like eating excessively, purging frequently vomiting, abuse of laxatives, and compulsive exercising. Many people who have an eating disorder also have anxiety as do those who have a mental illness co-occurring with it such as depression or bipolar disorder. Combined, the two conditions can result in a vicious cycle in which a person’s mood issues exacerbate the symptoms of their eating disorder.
There is a strong link between anxiety and the severity of eating disorders. More anxiety symptoms are linked to the disorder. Anorexia nervosa sufferers tend to have high levels of anxiety symptoms. The same is true for binge-eating disorders, bulimia, or bulimia. In some instances, anxiety could be the direct reason behind an eating disorder. In certain instances anxiety can be a supplementary indicator of an eating disorder.
Researchers discovered that the presence of anxiety and depression comorbid symptoms was strongly associated with more severe eating disorders among young females. The researchers employed an assessment of four items known as the Patient Health Questionnaire-4 that measures depression and anxiety symptoms. They also evaluated the severity of an eating disorder, and asked participants to rate how they deal with anxiety.
The authors of the study also looked at three factors that could help explain the relationship between eating disorders and anxiety: self-esteem, perfectionionism and mood dysregulation. They found that these factors affected the relationship between depression and anxiety symptoms and eating disorder symptomatology, and that they did so in different ways for different subgroups of the sample. They hope that their findings will lead to more specific and targeted treatment for eating disorders.
5. Physical conditions that are a result of anxiety
The majority of people experience anxiety at some moment in their lives but it can become an illness if it becomes severe and causes problems in daily life. Some people also have specific physical symptoms, such as stomach discomfort or chest pain, depending on the type of anxiety they suffer from.
Finding the right treatment for anxiety disorders can make people feel better and lead happier lives. Many people benefit from psychotherapy or talk therapy. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a very common kind. CBT helps you recognize and change negative thoughts which trigger anxiety and anxiety. It also helps you face your fears and take small steps to overcome them.
The use of medication can also be beneficial. Benzodiazepines like diazepam or Valium, can ease anxiety and panic attacks. Antidepressants like SSRIs and tricyclic antidepressants are also prescribed. These drugs increase levels of certain brain chemicals that regulate mood, and they can be used alone or in conjunction with other treatments for anxiety disorders.
Medical conditions can cause anxiety, and they may even exhibit the same symptoms as anxiety disorders . Head trauma can cause depression and anxiety for instance. Other conditions that can cause anxiety include chronic pain, fatigue disorders as well as rheumatologic diseases such as Lupus, and a few nutritional deficiencies.
Certain factors increase the risk of developing an anxiety disorder. These are called risk factors. Certain risk factors are genetic, such as the family history or anxiety disorders. Other factors, like sexual abuse in childhood or a history of depression or other mental health issues or a buildup of stress over a long time, can increase the risk of developing anxiety disorders. Because of this, it is essential to undergo a thorough physical exam if you think you suffer from anxiety.