A Guide To Anxiety - What is
Anxiety and Anxiety
Disorder?
Worrying about everyday life
events is known as Generalized Anxiety Disorder
or GAD. People suffering from this kind of
disorder always feel that something disastrous
is going to happen, and they cannot stop
themselves from worrying about money, health,
work, family, college or friends. This worry is
unrealistic, making the life a constant state
of fear, dread and worry.
The anxiety starts dominating
the person’s perception, and starts interfering with the
daily functioning such as studies, work, relationships or
social activities.
Symptoms of
Anxiety
Anxiety affects the thinking process of a
person, and it can lead to various physical symptoms
including irritability, sweating, headaches, restlessness,
nausea, difficulty in concentrating, tiredness, trembling,
trouble falling asleep, frequent urination and getting
easily startled.
Causes of anxiety are not known fully, but
there are various factors that contribute to its
development, and these factors are brain chemistry, genetics
and environmental stress. People with family history of
anxiety are more likely to suffer from it. GAD has been
linked with abnormal levels of neurotransmitters in the
brain. These are the chemical messengers passing the
information between nerve cells, and when they get out of
balance, the brain does not receive messages properly. This
alters the brain’s reaction to certain situations, causing
anxiety.
Certain unpleasant events, trauma,
divorce, death of a loved one, or job stress may cause
anxiety, and it becomes worse if there is high level of
stress.
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Treatment of
Anxiety
Anxiety is treated by psychologist,
psychiatrist, or a mental health professionals. These
professional are trained to diagnose and treat any kind of
mental illnesses. Anxiety treatment includes the combination
of cognitive-behavioral anxiety therapy and medications. If
the anxiety has started to interfere with daily functioning,
medicines available for GAD can be very helpful. These
medicines are also called tranquillizers, as they make the
person relaxed and calm by reducing the physical symptoms of
anxiety.
Cognitive-behavioral therapy helps people
by recognizing the factors that cause the troubled feelings,
and then change the thought and behavior patterns to deal
with them. The therapy helps by having a realistic approach
towards worries, and limiting the distorted
thinking.
GAD cannot be prevented, but there are
some things that can be done to lessen or control the
symptoms. This includes reducing the consumption of caffeine
containing products such as tea, coffee, chocolate and cola.
Talk to your pharmacist or doctor before taking any over the
counter herbal remedies or medicines, as they may contain
the chemicals that increase the anxiety symptoms. Eat a
well-balanced diet, and exercise regularly. If you have
suffered a disturbing or traumatic experience, talk to a
counselor and seek support.