Anxiety Disorders
What is Anxiety Disorder?
Fear and anxiety are a normal part of human life. You might feel anxious before taking an important exam, going to a job interview, and walking down an alley at night. This type of anxiety makes evolutional sense in protecting you, by making you more vigilant and careful. It is usually short-term and ends as soon as situation that caused it is over. However, for thousands of people, daily anxiety does not go away and gets worse over time. Some experience chest pain, nightmares, constant feeling of worry, fear to leave their home, or intense fear of specific object or situation. Those people might be suffering from anxiety disorders that include:
· Panic Disorder
· Social Anxiety
· Separation Anxiety
· Generalized Anxiety Disorder
· Specific Phobia
Evaluation for an anxiety disorder often begins with a visit to a primary care provider. Some physical health conditions, such as an overactive thyroid or low blood sugar, as well as taking certain medications, can imitate or worsen an anxiety disorder. A thorough mental health evaluation is also helpful, because anxiety disorders often co-exist with other related conditions, such as depression or obsessive-compulsive disorder. (Source: National Institute of Mental Health, https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/anxiety-disorders/index.shtml ).
Here is some information on most common anxiety disorders, see if you recognize any of the indicators in yourself.
Panic Disorder and Agoraphobia
You experience sudden, terrifying panic attacks that seem to come out of nowhere. Your heart is pounding, you have hard time breathing, you feel dizzy or like you are about to pass out, and your body trembles. You think you are about to die or go crazy. You constantly worry when will another panic attack occur.
You may be afraid of being away from home alone, because you think something awful will happen and there won’t be anyone to help you. You may fear crowds, bridges, driving, standing in line at the grocery store, or eating at the restaurant.
You want your life the way it used to be before panic attacks and/or agoraphobia!
Social Anxiety Disorder
You feel anxious in any social situation. In fact, you start feeling fearful just thinking about attending a social event. You do everything to avoid going to social gatherings. When you walk into a room full of people, you start sweating, turn red, and feel like everyone is looking at you and judging you. Instead of enjoying time with others, you keep to yourself and feel embarrassed.
You wish you could feel relaxed, confident, and have fun like everybody else!
Phobias
Phobia is defined as a strong irrational fear of something that poses little or no real danger. Phobias usually start in children or teens, and continue into adulthood. The causes of specific phobias are not known, but they sometimes run in families (Source: MedlinePlus, https://medlineplus.gov/phobias.html).
There are many specific phobias.
You may be afraid of heights, blood, needles, elevators, driving, various types of insects and animals, storms, bridges, darkness, pain, or being trapped in closed spaces.
You try to avoid what you are afraid of. If you cannot, you may experience
· Panic and fear
· Rapid heartbeat
· Shortness of breath
· Trembling
· A strong desire to get away
You want to defeat those fears for good!
You can change the way you feel!
How Can I Help You
I utilize Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) in my work with clients experiencing anxiety disorders. CBT is the most-researched modality that was found to be very effective in treatment of anxiety disorders in general, and panic disorder in particular. Treatment usually lasts 10 to16 sessions and incorporates relaxation training, behavioral activation, thought restructuring, graded exposure, assertiveness training, and social skills training. CBT is “action-driven” therapy and thus helps people feel better fairly quickly. However, you will need to commit to completing weekly assignments in order to ensure successful outcome and bring about change.
