Anxiety: A Natural Part of Living
Anxiety is a natural part of living. It is probably the most basic of all emotions. Not only is it experienced by all humans, but responses have been found in all species of animals. Experiences vary tremendously in their severity from mild uneasiness to extreme terror and panic. Everyday we experience a certain amount of uneasiness. Everybody knows how it feels to be uptight.
Take for example the time when you go out on your first date and feel weak-kneed or when your exams are coming up and it makes you scared or when you have to give a speech before a huge crowd and feel butterflies in your stomach. This sort of anxiety arouses you to action. It gears you up to take up the situation and is characterized by an adrenalin rush. These incidents are common place.
However many times, such experiences can be harrowing and terrifying. They may be persistent and may interfere with normal functioning. This situation is caused by anxiety disorders. An estimated 19 million Americans suffer from this. Celebrities include Nicolas Cage, Alanis Morisette, Courtney Love, Sigmund Freud and Naomi Campbell.
A psychiatric definition of this is: a state of apprehension, uncertainty, and fear resulting from the anticipation of a realistic or fantasized threatening event or situation, often impairing physical and psychological functioning. In contrast to fear it often involves an unconscious threat. Fear involves actual danger but anxiety involves a threat we are not aware of.
It is a response to danger or threat. Scientifically, immediate or short term anxiety is termed the fight/flight response. It is so named because all of its effects are aimed toward either fighting or fleeing the danger. Thus, the number one purpose for anxiety is to protect the organism. This serves many functions, but two main ones are:-
1) It helps prepare our body for action, make us more alert, ready to fight or flee from any threat to our body. This is related to the direct symptoms such as fast heartbeat, rapid pulse, rapid breathing, nervous behavior, trembling etc.
2) It causes us to plan ahead for any imminent dangers and how to tackle them. The unfortunate effect of this is that we can get uptight just thinking about situations.
It expresses itself through three separate systems and it is important to identify these systems. The three systems are:
1) Mental System:
The actual feelings of nervousness and panic and includes thoughts such as "there is something wrong to exist in such a system.
2) Physical System
This includes all the physical symptoms such as dizziness, sweating, palpitations, chest pain, and breathlessness
3) Behavioral System
This includes the actual activities such as pacing, foot tapping and avoidance
It can however be a disorder if its effects are long lasting. Generally these disorders can be grouped into:
1) Generalized Disorders
2) Panic Disorders
3) Social Disorders
4) Phobias
5) Post traumatic Stress Disorders
6) Obsessive Compulsive Disorders
Anxiety, hence maybe a normal occurrence or may become a disorder. The importance is to determine which of the two cases it falls under. The former requires no treatment, the latter is treatable.
Below are links to more information articles on this subject:
Age of Anxiety
People began to experience the hardships of the busy life. Competition and struggle become the necessities for survival. These problems instigated anxiety. During this the people witnessed a number of distressful events like the rise of dictatorship, the Vietnam War, the Cambodian starvation, the environmental deterioration and many other such tribulations....more
Alcohol Related
Alcohol triggers panic attacks and acute depression. Alcohol depresses the central nervous system causing fatigue, agitation and anxiety. Drinking alcohol produces physiological stress, that is, some of the body’s responses to alcohol are similar to other stressors. Yet, individuals also drink to relieve stress. It is a paradox that people engage in an activity that produces effects similar to those that they are trying to relieve....more
Alprazolam
Alprazolam or generic xanax medication chemically enhances the action of human body. Alprazolam is in a class of drugs called benzodiazepines. Alprazolam affects chemicals in the brain that may become unbalanced and cause anxiety....more
Attacks
The attacks that occur out of fear are panic disorders, like the feeling of having a heart attack. Many people have a fear of exposure in public and people fear the social implications and try their best to avoid them. If a person has witnessed an event that has left a major impact on the mind of the person then the event might trouble the person by the means of dreams and imaginations leading to a mental turmoil....more
Blood Pressure
It may be hard for some people to believe, but over 70% cases of high blood pressure are related to emotional problems arising out of anxiety. This condition should not be taken lightly. It is capable of causing great damage and extreme physical suffering. This problem, if ignored could turn fatal....more
Chest Pain
The symptoms of this kind of a chest pain are similar to the symptoms of heart attack. Usually anxiety chest pains are experienced with heavy breathing, which can be termed as hyperventilation, profuse sweating and shortness of breath. The person may feel weak and fall to the floor. The patient is then carried to the emergency room for the panic attack is mistaken for a heart attack....more
Children
First day of school is an important milestone in the life of any child. It a turn of events when he gets out of the home environment for the first time and enters into the outside world. Some children are brave and are able to face the social world more boldly than others who are reserved and timid. These children are not able to socialize very well and detest the very thought of going to school. They often complain about stomachaches or other such imaginary problems to avoid school.This is the starting point of anxiety....more
Depression
You might at times feel like crying, moaning and a lot frustrated. You feel like running away from the situation, well you just entered the depression world. The way to face it is to ‘Fight it out’. Staying with people optimistic people can change your outlook....more
Disorders
Experts believe that they are caused by biological and environmental factors such as genetics, brain chemistry, life experiences, etc.
Anxiety disorders maybe broadly classified into 6 groups:....more
Disorder Tests
The disorder prevents an individual from reaching his or her maximum potential in all spheres of life. Consequently the sense of helplessness we feel when we fail at overcoming these problems
Only adds to the patient’s anxiety. This situation makes an anxiety disorder test all the more needed....more
Drugs
Some of the anxiety drugs are given below.
• Doxepin : is a common drug with regular side effect incase of over dosage. Common side effects like nausea and vomiting
• Clomipramine: over dosage can toxicity to the individual.
• Amoxipine: it comes along with the general instructions of how to use the drugs and the common side effects.
• Ziprasidone: is another kind to monitor anxious behavior.
• Moclobemide: this is taken to regulate the mental functioning....more
Iritable Bowel
At the time of consumption of food we hardly tend to think on the process of digestion as it is taken for granted. But the matter of worries starts when there is a problem in the digestive process of the person and the cause of the problem is worrying and anxiousness due to problems....more
Medication
The broad-spectrum activity of most antidepressants provides effectiveness in anxiety disorders as well as depression. The first medication specifically approved for use in the treatment of OCD. Some of the so used medications are mentioned below:
(1) Tricyclic antidepressant clomipramine (Anafranil)
(2) The SSRIs, fluoxetine (Prozac)
(3) Fluvoxamine (Luvox), paroxetine (Paxil)
(4) Sertraline (Zoloft),br>
....more
Pills
The results of one study conducted in 1993 showed that valerian and hops are calming to the central nervous system and reduce depression and anxiety. In fact, the herbs were reported to work faster than the prescription drugs. Hops and valerian worked in only two weeks, as opposed to a longer period required for conventional drugs. The herbs also caused far fewer side effects....more
Pregnancy
If there is feeling of loneliness and because of that mother tends to feel stressed and depressed. Most of workingwomen have the feeling of being trapped in the house, as there is a sudden change in the routine of work. Unplanned pregnancies can relate to this kind of problems for the mother. If there is a lack of emotional support and support from the family then the problem becomes complex....more
Relaxation
Some researchers have documented that relaxation techniques, sometimes supplemented with other yoga techniques and meditation, can be used as an alternative or a supplement to traditional treatment for people who suffer from, anxiety....more
Relief
Anxiety is an unpleasant emotion that is felt at the time of stress, fear and the problems arising out of daily life. There are a variety of self-help techniques that should be used to cure anxious behavior....more
Stress
Stress is an emotionally disruptive or upsetting condition occurring in response to adverse external influences and capable of affecting physical health which can be characterized by increased heart rate, a rise in blood pressure, muscular tension, irritability and depression. Stress does not cause migraine but can be a migraine "trigger". Stress and anxiety are basically similar conditions that have similar causes, symptoms and consequences....more
Symptoms
Anxiety affects one’s state of mind and hence its psychological effects are drastic. It causes a number of mental illnesses. More often than less the physical symptoms don’t show themselves and hence it is important to be aware of the psychological signs. Some of its psychological symptoms are:....more Related Links Stress Relief
Relagen is an 100% all natural product that effectively addresses the diverse and debilitating symptoms of STRESS, ANXIETY, and DEPRESSION.
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