Anxiety Disorders: Understanding, Causes, and Management
Introduction
Anxiety is a natural human response to stress — a feeling of fear, apprehension, or nervousness that prepares the body to deal with challenges. However, when anxiety becomes excessive, persistent, and interferes with daily life, it may indicate an anxiety disorder. These are among the most common mental health conditions, affecting millions worldwide.
If you have an anxiety disorder, you may respond to certain things and situations with fear and dread. You may also experience physical signs of anxiety, such as a pounding heart and sweating.
It’s normal to have some anxiety. You may feel anxious or nervous if you have to tackle a problem at work, go to an interview, take a test or make an important decision. Some anxiety can even be beneficial — it helps us notice dangerous situations and focuses our attention so we stay safe.
But an anxiety disorder goes beyond the regular nervousness and slight fear you may feel from time to time. An anxiety disorder happens when:
• Anxiety interferes with your ability to function.
• Your reactions are often out of proportion to situations (overreactions).
• You can’t control your responses to situations.
Children, adolescents and adults can experience anxiety disorders. Women are about twice as likely as men to have one.
Anxiety disorders can make it difficult to get through the day. Fortunately, there are several effective treatments for these conditions.
Types of Anxiety Disorders
1. Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD): This condition causes persistent and excessive worry about everyday situations, often accompanied by restlessness, fatigue, and difficulty in concentrating.
2. Panic Disorder: This condition is characterised by recurrent panic attacks — sudden, intense episodes of fear with symptoms such as rapid heartbeat, sweating, and shortness of breath. A main feature of the condition is that the attacks usually happen without warning and aren’t due to another mental health or physical condition.
3. Social Anxiety Disorder (Social Phobia): This condition (formerly known as social phobia) happens when you experience intense and ongoing fear of being judged negatively and/or watched by others.
4. Specific Phobias: A phobia is when something causes you to feel fear or anxiety that’s so severe it consistently and overwhelmingly disrupts your life. There are hundreds of different types of phobias, and there’s one diagnosis for almost all of them: specific phobia. Only one phobia, agoraphobia, is a distinct diagnosis.
5. Agoraphobia: This condition causes an intense fear of becoming overwhelmed or unable to escape or get help. People with agoraphobia often avoid new places and unfamiliar situations, like large, open areas or enclosed spaces, crowds and places outside of their homes.
6. Separation Anxiety Disorder: This condition happens when you feel excessive anxiety when you’re separated from a loved one, like a primary caregiver. While separation anxiety in babies and toddlers is a normal stage of development, separation anxiety disorder can affect children and adults.
7. Selective Mutism: This condition happens when you don’t talk in certain situations because of fear or anxiety. It usually affects young children, but it can also affect adolescents and adults.
Other mental health conditions share features with anxiety disorders. These include post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), acute stress disorder and obsessivecompulsive disorder (OCD).
Causes:
Like other types of mental health conditions, researchers don’t know exactly what causes anxiety disorders. But they think a combination of factors plays a role:
• Chemical imbalances: Several neurotransmitters and hormones play a role in anxiety, including norepinephrine, serotonin, dopamine and gammaaminobutyric acid (GABA). Imbalances in these chemicals can contribute to an anxiety disorder.
• Brain changes: A part of your brain called the amygdala plays an important role in managing fear and anxiety. Studies show that people with anxiety disorders show increased amygdala activity in response to anxiety cues.
• Genetics: Anxiety disorders tend to run in biological families. This suggests that genetics may play a role. You may be at an increased risk of developing one if you have a first-degree relative (biological parent or sibling) with an anxiety disorder.
• Environmental factors: Severe or long-lasting stress can change the balance of neurotransmitters that control your mood. Experiencing a lot of stress over a long period can contribute to an anxiety disorder. Experiencing a traumatic event can also trigger anxiety disorders.
Symptoms:
Symptoms of anxiety disorders vary depending on the type.
Psychological symptoms may include:
• Feeling panic, fear, dread and uneasiness.
• Feeling on edge or irritable.
• Uncontrollable, obsessive thoughts.
• Difficulty concentrating.
Physical symptoms may include:
• Restlessness.
• Heart palpitations.
• Shortness of breath.
• Muscle tension.
• Cold or sweaty hands.
• Dry mouth.
• Nausea.
• Numbness or tingling in your hands or feet.
• Difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep (insomnia).
Management and Treatment: How are anxiety disorders treated?
An anxiety disorder is like any other health condition that requires treatment. You can’t will it away. It’s not a matter of self-discipline or attitude. Researchers have made a lot of progress in the last few decades in treating mental health conditions. Your plan may include a combination of medication and psychotherapy (talk therapy).
Psychotherapy for anxiety disorders
“Psychotherapy,” also called talk therapy, is a term for a variety of treatment techniques that aim to help you identify and change unhealthy emotions, thoughts and behaviours. A mental health provider talks through strategies to help you better understand and manage an anxiety disorder. Approaches include:
• Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT): This is the most common type of psychotherapy to help manage anxiety disorders. CBT for anxiety teaches you to recognise and identify thought patterns and behaviours that lead to troublesome feelings. You then work on changing the thoughts and your reactions to triggering situations.
• Exposure therapy: This is a type of therapy in which a mental health provider creates a safe environment to expose you to your fears. Fears may be things, situations and/or activities. Exposure therapy helps show you that you’re capable of confronting your fears. You’ll learn to attach new, more realistic beliefs to the things you’re afraid of. You’ll become more comfortable with the experience of fear.
Prognosis:
What is the prognosis for people with anxiety disorders? Left untreated, anxiety disorders can lead to serious complications, including: • Difficulty with social situations and decreased quality of life. • Substance use disorders, including alcohol use disorder. • Major depressive disorder. • Suicide (in cases of severe anxiety). Constant anxiety also increases your risk of cardiac events, like a heart attack.
This is why it’s crucial to seek help if you have an anxiety disorder. Treatment is effective. The right treatment can help improve your quality of life, relationships and productivity. It can also support your overall well-being.
Prevention: Can I prevent developing an anxiety disorder?
Currently, there’s no known way to prevent anxiety disorders. But you can lessen many of the related issues with treatment. Seeking help as soon as symptoms appear can help decrease the disruption to your life.
Living With: How can I take care of myself if I have an anxiety disorder?
Aside from seeking professional medical help and treatment, certain strategies can help you manage an anxiety disorder and make treatment more effective. They include:
• Stress management: Chronic or intense stress worsens anxiety disorders. Explore stress management techniques, like meditation, breathing exercises, mindfulness and regular exercise.
• Support groups: Participating in a support group for people with anxiety — inperson or online — can provide opportunities to relate to others, share experiences and learn different coping strategies.
• Education: Learning more about your condition and educating loved ones can help you and them better understand the condition and offer support.
• Limiting or avoiding caffeine: Caffeine can make the physical symptoms of anxiety worse. Talk to your healthcare provider if you’re concerned about your level of caffeine consumption.
Conclusion:
Anxiety disorders are highly treatable, yet many people delay or avoid seeking help due to stigma or misunderstanding. Recognising the symptoms, understanding the causes, and exploring available treatments can make a significant difference. With the right support, individuals can lead fulfilling, productive lives despite their anxiety.
Dr.Arathy AR
Counseling Psychologist/Family Therapist
Well said 👍🏻