What Is Anxiety Disorder?

Anxiety disorder is a real condition with real causes. The truth is that a disorder is not a sign of weakness. Neither is it a result of a character flaw, or even poor upbringing. There is enough ongoing scientific research to show that the disorder is caused by numerous factors that can converge on the individual. These can include brain changes, genetics, and stresses directly related to a person’s environment. There are enough scientific studies to show that prolonged stress can alter the brain’s circuitry that controls mood and memory. It has also been proven that anxiety can run in the family and that anxiety disorder can be passed down from other family members.

Anxiety happens to be the body’s natural defense in response to perceived danger. It is like an alarm that suddenly goes off when there is a threatening situation that arises. As long as anxiety is in moderation, it can be considered a good thing. It is when it passes the threshold of normal that it can interfere with work, relationships, and one’s social life. When this happens, it is no longer functional or desirable.

There are seven symptoms that may indicate a true anxiety disorder:

• A person is constantly tense, on edge, even worried about things all the time. They are worried about things for no logical reason.
• The person’s anxiety has reached a level where work, family relationships, school, and other areas of life are compromised. The individual’s interaction with life changes on all levels.
• Irrational fears begin to take over. The individual knows that something is off but they cannot put their finger on the cause.
• Everyday activities, like taking a walk in the neighborhood, or even driving a car are all of a sudden now suspect.
• Heart-pounding panic attacks have become the norm, and they are happening with more frequency.
• There is a hidden catastrophe around every corner waiting to happen that will ruin that person’s life.

The Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA) provides a number of shocking statistics about the disease. It is considered to be one of the most common US illnesses, and affects more than 40 million adults aged 18 and older. The good news is that it is highly treatable. The unfortunate reality is that only a third of those suffering may ever be diagnosed and properly treated.

Anxiety Disorder Treatment: Treating the Silent Epidemic

Given its great expansion in the world, anxiety disorder provides a cold fact: 28.8% of the population in the world suffers from anxiety at one point in life. This proves to be alarming because it is estimated that in the United States alone, 18% of the population may be affected with anguish. The word anxiety is a derivative of the Latin word anxieta, which means anguish, or sadness. When facing anxiety disorder, a person can have an altered life condition that can extend to the point of being considered continuous or solely episodic. This depends on the factor that detonates the disorder within the person’s mind. It is attributed not only to pathology and genetics, as stress also causes the disorder. Anxiety disorder is difficult to control and can even affect children, while at the same time, it is proven to be more common in women than men due to abuse or rape.

Unlike the term phobia, which focuses its fear on concepts or things that are obvious, palpable and isolated, anxiety has uncertain sources or sometimes no cause at all. Its symptoms are the presence of worry or tension that extend for long periods of time, which can be months or more, and can fluctuate suddenly from one problem to another, whether the problem comes in the form of family, work, money, health, relationships, or unknown reasons. Moreover, there is no examination that provides an explicit diagnosis, as only symptoms are what manifest anxiety disorder.

Symptoms can include:

• Irritability
• Feeling overwhelmed
• Fatigue
• Insomnia
• Sweating
• Tense muscles
• Difficulty breathing

Treatment for Anxiety Disorder

The most reliable treatment is through professional, clinical care. Many patients will respond to treatment in just several weeks, while it may take months, even a year, for others to adjust to their treatment. If there is a co-occurring disorder such as a drug or alcohol addiction, it can complicate anxiety disorder treatment. This necessitates the need to tailor a treatment plan for each individual. Treatment plans may include therapy, medications, complementary or alternative treatments, and transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS).

Medications

There are medications, such as Celex or Paxil, that are used to treat the disorder. Medications and treatments will vary. Patients may discuss treatment methods with their doctor who can make the proper recommendations with the patient’s approval. An anxiety treatment center, for best results, will conduct a thorough assessment.

Psychotherapy

Psychotherapy is an effective type of counseling that helps patients to work with clinicians to identify, discuss, and resolve the patient’s emotional response to their illness.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

Cognitive behavioral therapy has proven to be an extremely effective method of teaching patients to make the connection between their thoughts and actions. Different thinking will yield better, and hopefully, positive results. Patient also learn to own the consequences of their actions.

CBT is a proven method that is widely used to treat anxiety disorders. Anxiety disorder treatment centers will utilize this method religiously. Once patients learn to manage their stress and anxiety, they naturally move to a personal level where life offers up unexpected results. The great thing about what patients learn during rehab, or counseling, is that their knowledge and skills can be utilized over a lifetime. What they have learned is what everyone needs to know and should be exposed to. So, there are no downsides to seeking and receiving help.

Finding Purpose

One of the biggest gifts of counseling is that it teaches patients the importance of finding purpose in life. With respect to counseling and one’s own self-help efforts, purpose can drive an individual to greatness. Examine the life of everyone who accomplishes and they have a clear purpose of achieving something specific in life. Life is not always easy, even for those who seem to have things handed to them on a silver platter.

Everyone has stresses, and anxiety disorder is never a respecter of wealth, race, income, social status, gender, or age.

Treatment for anxiety disorder can place an individual’s feet on the path to recovery, but it is up to that person to put forth the will and effort to take their place in the world. If recovering from an addiction, and an anxiety disorder, the road back may be especially tough—but the victory can be fought and won. If there is a loved one in the crosshairs of addiction, find them help. A life is a terrible thing to waste.

How is Anxiety Disorder Diagnosed

Diagnosis often begins with a medical evaluation when a doctor is present. Questions may be asked about one’s personal medical history along with a follow-up exam. At that time, an evaluation will also be made to determine if there are other co-occurring disorders such as drug or alcohol addiction. Treatment for anxiety disorder takes all these things into account.

Anxiety Disorder Treatment - Recognizing the Signs

It is normal enough to feel anxious at times, like when taking a test or meeting someone for the first time, or going on a long-anticipated date. When those worries and butterflies get to a point where they take over your daily life of not being able to function, then it is a sign that professional help may be needed to put things back to normal.

Home to over 30 military bases, California boasts the largest population of military personnel with over 190,000 active duty and reserve members. Over 70 percent of military personnel have experienced some type of traumatic event during a deployment and 20 percent will develop Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) as a result. PTSD is a form of an anxiety disorder that, left untreated, can negatively affect every aspect of life. Luckily, California’s anxiety disorder treatment centers offer programs for service members and veterans who may be suffering from PTSD or other forms of anxiety.

According to PTSD United, “it was once considered a psychological condition of combat veterans who were ‘shocked’ by and unable to face their experiences on the battlefield. Soldiers with symptoms of PTSD often faced rejection by their military peers and were feared by society in general. Those with PTSD symptoms were often labeled as ‘weak’ and [...] sometimes discharged from military service”. Like all mental health disorders, there is a social stigma centered around PTSD and receiving treatment. Because of the social stigma, a lot of people do not seek treatment and continue to suffer from the symptoms.

Those who suffer from PTSD will experience four different kinds of symptoms, such as:

• Re-experiencing symptoms:These symptoms are characterized by flashbacks, bad dreams and frightening thoughts. They negatively affect the ability to complete or participate in everyday activities
• Avoidance symptoms: People who experience avoidance symptoms stay away from places or objects that remind them of their traumatic experience. They also try to avoid thoughts and feelings that are related to the event.
• Arousal and reactivity symptoms: Constantly feeling stressed and angry are characteristics of the arousal and reactivity symptoms. They do not need to be triggered, these are feelings that just occur at all times. People feel tense, have difficulty sleeping or are easily startled.
• Cognition and mood symptoms: These symptoms begin or become worse after the experience. They are characterized by trouble remembering, negative thoughts, feelings of guilt and loss of interest.

The symptoms will continually get worse if PTSD is left untreated. People may experience hallucinations, eating disorders, difficulty regulating emotions, nightmares, social phobia, inability to maintain stable relationships and suicidal thoughts. Like all anxiety disorders, PTSD can and should be treated at an anxiety disorder treatment center.