Panic Attacks And Panic Disorder
Panic disorder is characterized by repeated, unexpected panic attacks, as well as fear of experiencing another episode. Agoraphobia, the fear of being somewhere where escape or help would be difficult in the event of a panic attack, may also accompany a panic disorder. If you have agoraphobia, you are likely to avoid public places such as shopping malls, or confined spaces such as an airplane.
What Is Almost Anxious And How Can You Handle It
As anxiety moves along the spectrum from normal to clinical, a gray area in the middle may still have a negative impact on your life: the almost anxious region. When the level of anxiety you experience is no longer adaptive or helpful to your performance and becomes a barrier to your enjoyment of life, but does not yet meet the diagnostic threshold for an anxiety disorder, you are almost anxious. You might find yourself struggling to focus your attention on tasks, distracted by negative thoughts, fear, or unpleasant body sensations. For example, someone who is almost anxious may sit at their desk all day, making minimal progress on an assignment due to constant worries and tightness in the stomach. While anxiety did not make it impossible to come to work, the level of anxiety experienced is making it hard to function. Using this concept of almost anxious can help you catch anxiety before it becomes too extreme, and target it using evidence-based strategies that help move anxiety back along the spectrum to an adaptive level.
When you find yourself feeling too anxious, try evidence-based techniques highlighted in the book Almost Anxious to bring your anxiety levels back to normal. Here are a few tools to try:
Stranger Social And Intergroup Anxiety
Humans generally require social acceptance and thus sometimes dread the disapproval of others. Apprehension of being judged by others may cause anxiety in social environments.
Anxiety during social interactions, particularly between strangers, is common among young people. It may persist into adulthood and become social anxiety or social phobia. “Stranger anxiety” in small children is not considered a phobia. In adults, an excessive fear of other people is not a developmentally common stage it is called social anxiety. According to Cutting, social phobics do not fear the crowd but the fact that they may be judged negatively.
Social anxiety varies in degree and severity. For some people, it is characterized by experiencing discomfort or awkwardness during physical social contact , while in other cases it can lead to a fear of interacting with unfamiliar people altogether. Those suffering from this condition may restrict their lifestyles to accommodate the anxiety, minimizing social interaction whenever possible. Social anxiety also forms a core aspect of certain personality disorders, including avoidant personality disorder.
Read Also: How To Calm Yourself Down With Anxiety
Bridging The Gap Between Antiquity And Modern Medicine
Between classical antiquity and modem psychiatry, there was an interval of centuries when the concept of anxiety as an illness seems to have disappeared from written records. Patients with anxiety did exist, but they were diagnosed with other diagnostic terms. The last and most successful of these new diagnoses was Beard’s neurasthenia.
In the 18th century, medical authors published clinical descriptions of panic attacks, but they did not label them as a separate illness. Rather, symptoms of panic attacks were often considered to be symptoms of melancholia. Coste and Granger22 analyzed more than 2000 reports of consultations of French physicians, written during the 16th to 18th centuries. Retrospective diagnosis was attempted on the basis ofDSM-IV criteria. The authors report the typical example of a man, seen in 1743, who shows typical symptoms of panic attacks, but whose contemporary diagnosis is vapors and melancholia .23 According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the word vapors as a term for a nervous disorder was most common around 1665 to 1750. This clinical case offers one more proof that the term melancholia, in its long history, could refer to symptoms of both depression and anxiety.
What Do Anxiety And Fear Do
Fear and anxiety tell us that there is some kind of danger present, and all the bodily sensations that go along with fear and anxiety are essentially designed to help us respond to that danger.
Anxiety and fear are preparing us to flee, freeze, or to fight. They are part of our body’s built-in “fight-or-flight” response.
This alarm system has been around for a long time. We likely would not have made it as a human race without it. Because it has worked so well for such a long time, it is very developed and works fast with little effort. It is, in many ways, an automatic response.
We don’t have to think about this response. We don’t have to deliberately set it off. If we detect or perceive a threat, this response can be immediately activated whether we want it to or not.
Also Check: What To Do To Distract Yourself From Anxiety
What Is The Best Therapy For Anxiety
The first-line treatment for anxiety is some form of cognitive behavioral therapy. Practical and present-oriented, therapy helps people recognize the cognitive distortion that anxiety forces on them, helps them confront their fears safely, and provides techniques for reversing reactivity.
Like all treatment, the goal is to restore calm. But it does much more. It helps people regain control over themselves when worry threatens to overtake them.
Therapy has the added value of taking place in the presence of a real human being. As social creatures, we have nervous systems exquisitely attuned to the influence of others. The presence of a helpful person constitutes a powerful signal of safety, directly and deeply countermanding the alarms of threat that define the disorder of anxiety.
For more see Therapy for Anxiety
How Is Irritable Bowel Syndrome Related To Anxiety Disorders
Some people feel the effects of stress in their stomachs. People with IBS have uncomfortable problems with digestion, including stomach pain, constipation and diarrhea. They also frequently have anxiety and depression, which can make symptoms worse.
The connection between IBS and anxiety comes from the nervous system partly controlling the colon. The nervous systems response to stress may affect the stomach. Among people who get treated for IBS, anywhere from 50% to 90% may also have an anxiety disorder or depression. Treatment for IBS may include stress management and psychotherapy to relieve symptoms.
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Finding The Right Mental Healthcare Provider
Youll know your mental healthcare provider is right for you if you feel comfortable talking with them about your anxiety. Youll need to see a psychiatrist if its determined that you need medication to help control your anxiety. Its sufficient for you to see a psychologist if your mental healthcare provider determines your anxiety is treatable with talk therapy alone.
Remember that it takes time to start seeing results of treatment for anxiety. Be patient and follow the directions of your mental healthcare provider for the best outcome. But also know that if you feel uneasy with your mental healthcare provider or dont think youre making enough progress, you can always seek treatment elsewhere. Ask your primary care doctor to give you referrals to other mental healthcare providers in your area.
Digging Deeper Into The Cause
With 40 million people experiencing anxiety disorders in any given year, you may wonder where does all the anxiety comes from? There are many root causes, and most of the time, they have to do with our sense of self.
Perhaps you are anxious in the workplace because you dont trust that youll succeed in your goals. Or maybe youre worrying about final exams because you dont think youre capable of pulling off a good grade. Maybe you were raised to be independent and self-sufficient, so that when you encounter a problem at home, work or school, you feel you cant ask for help. As a result, you try to do it all yourself, even if youre crumbling inside.
Determining the root cause of anxiety isnt easy because its not always obvious and it often can creep up on us, says PsychCentral. As a result, you may start to feel overwhelmed and exhausted, with an inability to focus or even get a good nights sleep. You, therefore, begin to focus solely on the physical symptoms and sensations of your anxiety rather than exploring the psychological symptoms.
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When Should I Go To The Emergency Room For An Anxiety Disorder
Symptoms of an anxiety disorder can resemble symptoms of a heart attack or another health emergency. If youre experiencing an anxiety attack for the first time, or youre concerned in any way about your health, call 911 or head to the nearest ER. A healthcare provider will check you for serious or life-threatening conditions.
If youre having an anxiety attack and unsure whether you should head to an ER or not, its better to go. Healthcare professionals can make sure youre OK and give you any necessary treatment.
When Is Anxiety An Illness
Occasional bouts of anxiety are entirely normal and one of the unavoidable costs of beingand stayingalive. However, sometimes worries get out of control.
They may arise for no discernible reason, or be disproportionate to the situation, or last beyond moves to solve any possible problem. Or the worry or physical symptoms prompt you to avoid situations that may trigger discomfort. Anxiety becomes a disorder when it consumes too much mental activity or interferes with activities and performance.
For more see Anxiety: Is It an Illness?
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Find Out What Could Be Making Your Anxiety Worse
Everyone gets anxious, restless, and frazzled but if you constantly feel worried, tense, or on edge, you may have an anxiety disorder. Anxiety disorders involve more than temporary worry or fear. For a person with an anxiety disorder, the anxiety does not go away and can get worse over time.
Doctors make a diagnosis of generalized anxiety disorder when patients have anxiety symptoms for more than six months.
Examples of other anxiety disorders include:
- Specific phobias
According to the Mayo Clinic, you can have more than one anxiety disorder.
Research shows that a combination of environmental and genetic factors likely increase a persons risk for developing an anxiety disorder, notes the National Institute of Mental Health. Like so many health conditions, anxiety appears to run in families.
In addition to underlying disorders, anxiety may be caused by stress, whether from a major life event or the accumulated effect of small everyday stressors. Anxiety can also come with a medical condition such as heart disease, diabetes, asthma, or thyroid disorders that need treatment. Theres a clear link between caffeine and anxiety and alcohol and anxiety. And certain medications may cause anxiety. In this case, avoiding caffeine and alcohol or changing medications may reduce the anxiety. Its important to note that while all these things can cause anxious feelings, this type of anxiety is distinct from a psychiatric diagnosis of an anxiety disorder.
What Else Should I Ask My Healthcare Provider
If you have an anxiety disorder, ask your provider:
- Whats the best treatment for me?
- Do I need medication? What type?
- How long should I take medication?
- What type of psychotherapy will work best?
- What else can I do to manage my symptoms?
- What other conditions am I at risk for?
A note from Cleveland Clinic
An anxiety disorder can make it difficult to get through your day. Anxiety disorder symptoms include feelings of nervousness, panic and fear. You may also have physical symptoms such as sweating and a rapid heartbeat. But you dont need to live like this. Several effective anxiety disorder treatments are available. Talk to your healthcare provider to figure out your diagnosis and the best treatment plan. Often, treatment combines medications and therapy. Anti-anxiety medications and antidepressants, together with CBT, can help you feel your best.
Last reviewed by a Cleveland Clinic medical professional on 12/17/2020.
References
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Excretory And Digestive Systems
Anxiety also affects your excretory and digestive systems. You may have stomachaches, nausea, diarrhea, and other digestive issues. Loss of appetite can also occur.
There may be a connection between anxiety disorders and the development of irritable bowel syndrome after a bowel infection. IBS can cause vomiting, diarrhea, or constipation.
What Are Some Coping Methods You Recommend For Anxiety
If you have an idea of where anxiety is coming from, or have been able to identify that you have anxiety, you can get help. The first step, and the hardest, is reaching out, Lily points out.
During their first appointment, often called an intake appointment, she says a lot of people really just unload. From there, you can begin to learn skills to help manage your anxiety.
Therapy for anxiety starts with stabilization, which means the therapist will teach you coping skills, grounding skills, and mindfulness. While it may seem simple, knowing how to stabilize yourself is important for anxious people because anxiety is anticipation, so we want to be able to ground clients in the present moment.
When you learn the skills, and practice using them, they can have an impact all the way down to your nervous system. In fact, theyre an intervention for relaxing and soothing the nervous system.
Some of Lilys favorite anxiety coping methods are:
Although these are often go-tos for Lily, there are more client specific activities based on the severity of someones anxiety.
Many of these coping activities can also work for people who have anxiety and depression, which are two biggest concerns that people come in with. Lily explains that anxiety is definitely comorbid with depression which means they can occur at the same time, often because the symptoms overlap.
Lily estimates that probably well over half have both anxiety and depression.
Also Check: How To Know You Have Anxiety
The Anxiety Disorder Spectrum
Anxiety in itself is not bad. Normal levels of anxiety lie on one end of a spectrum and may present as low levels of fear or apprehension, mild sensations of muscle tightness and sweating, or doubts about your ability to complete a task. Importantly, symptoms of normal anxiety do not negatively interfere with daily functioning. They may actually improve your attention and problem-solving, motivate you to work harder toward a goal, or warn you about a potential threat. For example, anxiety about an upcoming exam will likely drive you to prepare fully, and the anxiety a hiker might experience when encountering a bear allows the hiker to run away to safety. These examples demonstrate how normal levels of anxiety can be adaptive and helpful to your everyday life.
Clinical levels of anxiety fall toward the other end of the spectrum. Diagnosable anxiety disorders occur when anxiety levels rise enough to rapidly decrease performance and cause impairment.
How would you know if you have crossed over into the zone of a full-blown anxiety disorder? Anxiety disorders are characterized by severe, persistent worry that is excessive for the situation, and extreme avoidance of anxiety-provoking situations. These symptoms cause distress, impair daily functioning, and occur for a significant period. For instance, a person who needs to stay home from work several days in a row due to panic attacks is likely suffering from an anxiety disorder.