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| General Info about Anxiety Disorder |
Anxiety is the abnormal fear or reaction, towards any stress which the person can normally handle. Generalized anxiety involves excessive worry about actual circumstances, events or conflicts. The patient is anxious or apprehensive and may show signs like sweating, palpitation, dry mouth, dizziness, nausea, loss of appetite, frequent urination, difficulty in swallowing.
Anxiety is a thin stream of fear trickling through the mind. If encouraged, it cuts a channel into which all other thoughts are drained.
-Arthur Somers Roche
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 What are the causes of Anxiety Disorder ? |
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| How can we diagnose Anxiety Disorder ? |
The presence of feelings of doom, fear, agitation along with symptoms like sweating, palpitation, rapid and increased breathing, wringing of the hands etc. are the clinical pointers.
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| How can Anxiety Disorder be treated ? |
 Simple listening is an efficient way of reducing anxiety.
Enriching the patient's relationship with friends and relatives is likely to help.
Graded exposure - which starts with exposure to the least threatening stress and slowly increasing the levels of stress that can be handled by the patient.
Anxiolytics may be indicated along with counseling.
Progressive relaxation training - tensing and relaxing individual muscle groups, deep breathing exercises may also be employed.
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| More Valuable information about Anxiety Disorder... |
Several types of Anxiety disorders exist:
Generalized Anxiety Disorder
A generalized anxiety disorder manifests in a vague, uncontrollable form of worry, distress, uneasiness and apprehension. The patient may feel restless, on edge or all keyed up. He or she may harbor inexplicable feelings of approaching doom or menace.
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
People who suffer from obsessive-compulsive disorder get caught up in uncontrollable rituals like washing the hands many times or cleaning the table often.
Panic Disorders
A fear or discomfort in which sudden rushes of fearfulness are accompanied by physical symptoms such as rapid and increased breathing, rapid heart beat (palpitations) and dizziness.
Phobia
A phobia is a persistent, excessive, unrealistic fear of an object, person, animal, activity or situation.
Post traumatic Stress Disorders
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a collection of psychological, emotional and behavioral symptoms that sometimes occur in a person who has been exposed to extreme trauma.
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| Frequently asked questions about Anxiety Disorder... |
Which specialist should I see if I have anxiety disorder?
You should consult a Psychiatrist.
I am a person who gets anxious about deadlines and exams, should I take treatment?
Anxiety is a heightened state of awareness that makes us efficient in what we do and is not unusual in most people. If it interferes in your normal functioning, it needs to be treated.
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| Glossary |
Anxiolytics - A drug that relieves anxiety.
Fatigability - Feeling weak.
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