Anxiety

In some cases, excessive anxiety leads to phobia and panic disorders. A phobia is an excessive fear or danger posed by a particular object or situation. People with phobias realize that their fear is unrealistic. Yet they feel that they cannot cope with it and avoid its source.

While in panic disorder the person experiences recurrent, sudden, and often inexplicable attacks. Panic attacks occur frequently, perhaps once weekly or more often. They usually last minutes, rarely hours, and they are sometimes linked to specifics situations.

Symptoms

People having anxiety disorder experience sleep disturbances, sustained muscle tension and excessive sweating. Impatience, irritability and angry outbursts are also common in such individuals.

The physical symptoms include: sweating, flushing, pounding heart, upset stomach, diarrhea, frequent urination, cold, clammy hands, dry mouth, a lump in the throat, shortness of breath. These symptoms are frequent and reflect hyperactivity of the autonomic nervous system (ANS).

The patient is easily startled, fidgety, restless, and sighs often. The state of mind of such people is generally apprehensive. They often imagine and worry about impending setbacks. They imagine things like having health problems or their loved one has had an accident.

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Causes

There are various theories that propagate different causes of anxiety.
Psychoanalysts suggest that anxiety stems from unconscious conflicts. Individuals may experience impulses, which are not expressed as they may lead to punishment. And since the source of the anxiety is unconscious, the person experiences apprehension and distress without knowing the reason.

Some theorists believe that anxiety is a learned behavior. Observing fearful behaviours of others and in an attempt to model them usually children learn anxiety reactions.

Studies show that biochemical imbalances can also lead to anxiety disorders. Moreover, individuals can inherit a biological susceptibility to anxiety disorders. Events in childhood may lead to certain fears that develop into a full-blown anxiety disorder over a period of time. Studies show that anxiety disorders run in families.

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Treatment

Therapy for anxiety disorders often involves medication and/or specific forms of psychotherapy. Though medication does not fully cures anxiety, it is very effective at relieving anxiety symptoms.

Anxiety patients usually find relief with mild tranquilizers. But it does not help in modifying their basic life style. On the other hand, psychotherapy enables the affected persons to discriminate between real and imagined fears. It helps them to learn effective methods of coping with stressful situations.

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