Anxiety Disorders

Anxiety disorders run the gamut of feeling a little nervous when exposed to stress to not being able to breathe when exposed to stress. Anxiety is a natural response to stress however it becomes a disorder when the response to stress leaves a person with negative feelings or when it interrupts their lifestyle.

There are several anxiety disorders that are covered by the term “anxiety disorders”:

• Specific Phobias
• Social Anxiety
• General Anxiety Disorder
• Panic Disorder

Specific phobias like a fear of blood injections, dogs, cats, spiders, leaving the house fall into the anxiety phobia range of mental illness. Social anxiety is also a anxiety disorder but like specific phobia it is brought about by a particular event (social situations).

General Anxiety Disorder is an anxiety disorder that is not relative to any particular situation it can occur over stress that refreshes old memories. Panic disorder is the extreme of the anxiety disorders. Panic disorder can cause a full litany of physical responses and can render the person that suffers from it incapable of performing daily tasks.

The Symptoms

A lot of people that suffer with anxiety disorders initially do not realize that they have a disorder, they realize that something is wrong but do not realize that it is a mental illness that they are dealing with. The symptoms of anxiety disorders largely depend on what type of disorder you are dealing with.

For instance if it is specific phobias that is causing the anxiety than the trigger will be when you are exposed to that particular stimulant. In generalized anxiety disorder it is a little harder to pinpoint the triggers.

The symptoms can range from an increased heart rate to a stomach issues to a tightness in the chest to hyperventilating. The symptoms can be very upsetting and take on a life of their own. Suffering from anxiety disorders can really impact the sufferers life.

The Duration

The inability to process stress is something that can take time to master. Understanding that there is a problem is the first step. The duration of the anxiety disorder can range from months to years. The duration is dependent on the intensity of the treatment and the commitment to the treatment.

Treatment

In most all cases of anxiety disorders medication and therapy is the best treatment protocol.