Anxiety Treatment
What is an Anxiety Disorder?
Anxiety is the body’s natural reaction to stress, and is used as a general term for several mental health disorders that cause fear, nervousness, apprehension, or worry. It’s a sense of foreboding about what’s to come. Anxiety disorders have an impact on how you feel and act, and can bring upon physical symptoms. Mild anxiety can be annoying, but severe anxiety can be crippling and have a significant impact on one’s life. Anxiety is a common occurrence in everyone’s lives. Most people experience anxiety on the first day of school, at a new job, or when giving a speech. However, if your anxiety is severe, lasts longer than a few months, and is interfering with your life, you may have an anxiety disorder and should seek therapy at an anxiety disorder treatment center.
Anxiety disorders affect an estimated 40 million persons (18%) in the United States. Treatment focuses on generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, and social anxiety disorder, among other anxiety disorders.
Different Anxiety Disorders
Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) involves excessive, unrealistic, anxiety or worry about everyday things for months. Irritability, muscle tension, difficulties managing concern, difficulty concentrating, sleep issues, and restlessness are some of the symptoms. GAD sufferers frequently expect the worse, even when there is no need to be afraid. Even the prospect of getting through the day can generate anxiety.
Panic disorder is characterized by repeated panic attacks, which are brief bursts of acute dread accompanied by rapid heartbeat, sweating, shaking, shortness of breath, palpitations, and a sense of impending doom. Symptoms of Panic Disorder include rapid and recurring experiences of severe terror, feelings of being out of control, intense worries about the next panic attack, and fear or avoidance of situations where panic attacks have previously occurred.
Social anxiety disorder, sometimes known as social phobia, is characterized by a strong fear of being judged, embarrassed, afraid of offending others, or rejected in social circumstances or performance situations.
Signs of Anxiety Disorder
- Uncontrollable sense of worry
- Rapid breathing and increased heart rate
- An impending sense of doom, danger, or panic
- An urge to avoid conflict
- Trouble falling asleep or sleep disturbances
- Trouble concentrating or worrying about the furture
- Trembling, sweating, or a feeling of weekness
