Anxiety disorders

Introduction

There are many problems in the medical and psychiatric fields and, anxiety disorder is in the listing of the most prevalent disorders. Experts have termed anxiety as a syndrome of having excessive worry, stress, worry and anxious thoughts that are unnecessary and inappropriate. Researchers assert that feeling anxious is a normal human emotion that happens when faced with the challenges and problems of life. The presence of nervousness in the lives of people at any level is a significant life hazard, and therefore, this research paper seeks to enquire about anxiety and determine the kinds of anxiety, causes, symptoms, diagnosis, effects, management and treatment.

Anxiety Disorders

There are different types of anxiety disorders. One is the Social anxiety disorder resulting from crippling worry and self-consciousness about social settings (Keeley & Storch, 2009). Fear of being judged and the possible embarrassment that accompanies certain conduct causes social anxiety. Another common type of disorder is the panic attack disorder that hits quickly with little or no warning. According to Keenly & Storch (2009), the occurrence of events that remind one of any previous shocking disasters, such as the death of a relative or a car accident is the cause of panic attacks. Specific phobias, such as fear of heights, is another form of anxious behavior which results from the fear of possible tragedy that could occur in risky situations like planes crashes (Keeley & Storch, 2009). Finally, the most common type of disorder is the general anxiety which is a feeling of excessive and baseless worry which is often a creation of the mind (Keeley & Storch, 2009).

Causes and Symptoms

According to research conducted by medical practitioners, the exact cause of anxiety disorders in not know but, further research shows that a combination of different factors influenced by mental conditions and the environment lead to stress (Hoge, Ivkovic & Fricchione, 2012). Further studies show that certain disorders such as phobias can be inherited. There are numerous symptoms of anxiety disorders which form the basis of diagnosis during treatment. The symptoms are feelings of fear, sweating, choking, heart palpitations, shortness of breath, dry mouth, numbness, nausea, and dizziness, inability to keep calm, muscle tension, and sleeping problems among others (Hoge, Ivkovic & Fricchione, 2012).

Effects of Anxiety Disorders

The effects of anxiety disorders are unique to a particular type of anxiety, but most effects are evident in all victims (Kendall, Cape, Chan & Taylor, 2011). For example, phobias cause people to avoid the daily events of a normal life such as taking a flight due to fear of flying or taking the elevator due to fear of heights. Researchers have figured that persons with anxious conditions have poor medical care outcomes that lead to depression in at least 25% of the cases. According to Kendall, Cape, Chan & Taylor (2011), a comparison between anxious and non-anxious people show that worried people refuse to comply with medical recommendations for treatment and management because of the lack of confidence in the efficacy of therapy, based on paranoia, which is another symptom of anxiety. Anxiety constraint relationships, finances and deals a blow of the self-esteemed of victims.

Management and Treatment

Proper therapeutic management and medical treatment are employed to eliminate the anxious behavior. Psychiatrists opine that management is preferred to treatment because its efficiency equals that of cognitive behavior therapy (Kendall, Cape, Chan & Taylor, 2011). In the case where treatment is preferable, medicine such as antidepressants and kava are useful but often causes adverse clinical side effects and, users abuse antidepressants as drugs.

Conclusion

Anxiety disorders are just like any other medical conditions and cannot attribute it to personal traits such as weakness, childhood training or defects in character. Anxious people have difficulties leading a healthy smooth life and, are often unreliable to perform certain functions due to the perceived danger of undertaking such functions. However, upon realization of anxiety through the many symptoms, anxiety disorders can be treated or managed to eliminate any fear.

References

Gale, C. K., Oakley-Browne, M.  (2003). Generalized Anxiety Disorder. British Medical Journal.

Jan 2003. 67(1):135-8. Web.

Hoge, E. A., Ivkovic, A., Fricchione, G. L. (2012). Generalised Anxiety Disorder: Diagnosis andTreatment. PubMed. Nov 2012; 345:e7500.

Keeley, M. L., Storch, E. A. Anxiety Disorders in Youth. Journal of Pediatric Nursing. Feb 2009;24(1):26-40.

Kendall, T., Cape, J., Chan, M., Taylor, C. (2011). Management of Anxiety Disorder in Adults.Guideline Development Group. Jan 2001; 342:c7460.