Anxiety Disorders – Which One(s) Do You Have?

Friday, February 3rd, 2012 at 6:58 pm

Advertising (Invisible Brief) – Men’s Mental Health

Anxiety disorders are not to be taken lightly as they are medically serious illnesses that impact the lives of millions of people around the world. The people who suffer with these disorders are consumed by irrational, yet overpowering fears and anxiety. Everyone experiences a certain level of anxiety in everyday life, as an example a young couple facing their first date. Yes they will be excited, but along with that excitement comes some anxiety too. The major difference between this type of anxiety and anxiety disorders is that the disorders are more permanent or ongoing and keep getting exponentially worse if no attention is paid to them. We do not want this to be you so here we will look into the different types of anxiety disorders so that you can understand them and see if you can relate to any of them, then take action.

If you do happen to have one of these anxiety disorders, do not freak out, there are options for you aside from only using prescription medication. I know many of you do not like the thought of having to take prescription drugs so know that there are also effective natural treatments for these conditions and there is ever expanding research on new and better treatments that can help you cope with your condition and lead a healthy, normal life. Get all the information you need to understand which anxiety disorders you have and then learn everything you can about treating them.

Here is the breakdown of anxiety disorders;

1. Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) – inability to stop worrying, fatigue, headaches,inability to relax, muscle aches,trouble swallowing,irritability,sleeping problems, trouble concentrating, lightheadedness, racing or pounding heart, missing work as a result of anxiety. These are just some of the symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder. This condition is far greater than the normal anxiety people feel daily. This is chronic anxiety that consumes your day with worry and tension, even without any logical reason. When you suffer with GAD you are always expecting a disaster to take place, you tend to constantly worry about your health, finances, your family and their health, and your job. What’s worse is that at times it’s difficult to focus in on what your source of worries is, you’re just so overwhelmed and concerned about being able to make it through the day.

GAD does not usually appear alone so you will find that, in most cases, you will have GAD as well as one of the other anxiety disorders, perhaps depression and alcohol or other substance abuse. Treatment needs to take into account everything that is going on with the patient, and not only the GAD.

2. Depression – as mentioned above often people with anxiety disorders also suffer with depression so this also has to be treated. When you suffer with depression you usually have feelings of hopelessness, loss of energy, difficulty concentrating, irregular sleep and eating patterns, as well as a feeling of sadness. There are prescription drugs usually given to treat depression, counseling is another way of helping someone through this. There are also natural supplements that can be used to help boost your mood and get you through depression. My recommendation is to explore all avenues available to you.

3. Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) – this disorder involves excessive and irrational thoughts and behaviors, relative to situations that you do not seem to be able to control. The most common explanation of OCD used is the person who is washing their hands over and over for, what seems like, a ridiculous amount of times because they have a nagging fear of germs. Others constantly doubt themselves so keep checking to see if they locked the car doors or the door to their home. Did you ever see the movie “As Good As It Gets”? Do you remember Jack Nicholson with the door locks? Over and over and over.

Here is how I had this explained to me at which point it made a lot more sense; The irrational and disturbing thoughts or images created in your mind are called obsessions, and the rituals, or repetitive behavior, that you do to try to prevent or get rid of them are called compulsions. the only benefit you get from performing these rituals is a release of some of the anxiety that builds in you if you do not carry out these behaviors.

4. Panic Disorder – this is a pretty scary disorder as it can happen suddenly and repeatedly, with no prior warning. People with this disorder suffer with feelings of extreme terror, made worse by the fact that they do not know when the next attack will take place so feel helpless to prevent them. Your symptoms will usually be a pounding heart, unusual sweatiness, chest pain at times, feeling faint or dizzy, fear of impending doom, sense of tingling or numbness in your hands, feeling that what you are experiencing is unreal. Some people think that they are having a heart attack and going to die. Many such people go to the emergency room only to be sent home being told that it is a panic attack they are having.

Have you ever been awoken by a panic attack? yes, they can happen in your sleep as well. Some people become housebound eventually after having severe panic attacks away from home. This is one of the most treatable of the anxiety disorders though so at least there’s a bit of good news.

5. Social Phobia aka (Social Anxiety Disorder) - this condition involves excessive self-consciousness in routine social situations. People suffering with this phobia feel like others are constantly watching and judging them and this terrifies them. They are hypersensitive to their own actions and often feel humiliated or embarrassed by them. At times this fear can be so intense that the person is unable to have a normal school or work life. Some fear simple tasks like doing grocery shopping and avoid it whenever possible. Many with this condition recognize that it is irrational, yet are powerless to overcome it.

Someone with social anxiety disorder may get themselves all hyped up weeks in advance of a situation as they worry about what could potentially happen. Some of the causes of this phobia are speaking in front of people (large or small group), eating, drinking or writing in front of others can also be terrifying. For those with a severe case of social phobia they may fear being around people in any circumstance. You can see why someone with this issue would have a hard time making friends wouldn’t you? Sadly that only leads to further isolation.

6. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) – this can also be a very debilitating condition and is associated with someone who has experienced a traumatic life event. It used to be thought of only as something that soldiers at war had to contend with but now is associated with any type of life trauma. Victims of rape,kidnapping, or of being robbed at gunpoint are some other examples that could suffer with PTSD. Even child abuse, car accidents, natural disasters, things like this can bring on PTSD.

Whatever initiated the problem, many with PTSD often relive the traumatic event in their dreams and sometimes in recollections during the day as well. Things that remind them of their traumatic experience can be very upsetting and this can lead the victim to avoid certain areas or situations to avoid having to relive that painful experience. Luckily not everyone who experiences a traumatic event gets PTSD. For those who do get this it usually shows up within a few months of the trauma and can last for many years.

7. Phobias for specific things – some people have a terrible fear of flying for example, others fear bugs, snakes and so on. I have a fear of heights as do many others. Some fear elevators or closed in spaces (claustrophobia). Do you have a specific phobia? They are defined as intense fears of something that usually is of little or no real danger. Those who cannot swim may have a fear of water. You may not need any treatment if you are able to avoid the object of your fears, however if you find yourself making major life decisions around your phobia you may need to pay a little more attention to it and get some help. These types of phobias are usually treated
with psychotherapy.

So there you have the anxiety disorders all broken down for you. Take the time to self-evaluate (also recommend you discuss this with your doctor) and find your treatment. You do not have to continue to suffer without help.