Anxiety is a complex combination of negative emotions (such as fear and worrying) and their respective physical sensations (such as nausea, perspiration, fast and irregular heart beats, chest pains and shortness of breath).
There is really nothing wrong about being anxious, as it is a normal process that a person goes through in order to protect the well-being of the body or its interests, and is an important mechanism for survival. However, when the problem persists for a long period of time and is triggered by unexplainably small or invariable reason, then it becomes a problem.
Common Kinds of Anxiety
There are many kinds of anxiety, but the most common are general anxiety disorder, panic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder and phobia.
General anxiety disorder (GAD) is an excessive and uncontrollable worry about everyday things. GAD may lead the person to constantly and uncontrollably worry about either big things or simple things. GAD is hard to diagnose because it lacks more visible and obvious symptoms as compared to the other kinds of anxiety; for a diagnosis to be made, worrying must be present during 6 months with more days with it than without it.
Panic attacks come when the person encounters situations of extreme fear or discomfort, such as life-or-death situations. Panic disorder is a kind of anxiety that stays for about one month after a person has been hit with a panic attack. Panic disorders can lead the person to be constantly worrying about safety, and this may lead him/her to avoid going places or doing things that’s not within the normal routine. Agoraphobia may follow, which is the fear or not being able to escape when panic strikes.
Obsessive-compulsive disorder is when a person is excessively worried if he/she does not give in to unreasonable obsessions or compulsions. The person must succumb to it nonetheless to avoid getting worried or anxious. However, the anxiety will only go away for a short period of time, and comes back. An example of an obsession is cleaning the house repeatedly for fear of contamination,
Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) strikes people who have been exposed to major trauma, such as a disaster or the loss of a loved one. When the aftermath of this event interferes with normal functions, then PTSD is present. Symptoms of PTSD involve intrusive recollections of the event, avoidance of the things that are somehow related to the event, detachment from the surroundings and hypersensitivity.
Phobias are excessive fears towards certain objects or situations, and if exposure to it will lead to a panic attack. The person will recognize that this fear is unreasonable but they are still unable to control it. They will usually anticipate and avoid these fears whenever possible.
Treatment and Medication
Acute anxiety is often treated with both cognitive-behavioral therapy and physical medication. Cognitive-behavioral therapy is used to help the person develop coping skills with the anxiety and to decrease avoidance behavior. Physical medication that may be prescribed to the patient includes benzodiazepines, such as diazepam. However, benzodiazepines are known to be very addictive and they are prone to substance abuse, and the intake of such must be carefully monitored by the patient’s physician.
