« Anxiety Therapy – CBT For Anxiety Disorders | Home | Lower Back Pain And Sciatica »
Panic And Anxiety – What Are These Disorders
By Spa guru | August 30, 2010
A few million Americans are expected to deal with panic anxiety symptoms during their lifetime. Symptoms start before the age of 25, with some patients experiencing symptoms during childhood, and continue well into old age without intervention.
Anxiety disorders have many forms, among them is panic disorder. Aside from panic disorder, other forms of anxiety disorder include OCD or obsessive-compulsive disorder, separation anxiety, generalized anxiety disorder or GAD, and phobic fears.
The symptoms of the conditions mentioned above differ from one another. All of them, however, are characterized by irrational extreme and often disabling fear, anxiety and worry in connection to the object of fear or anxiety. In the majority of cases, patients recognize that their fears are irrational. Still, they can’t manage their symptoms, much less to eliminate them completely without intervention.
{Causes}
The causes of these conditions are still to be identified although evidence strongly suggest that their development may be blamed to genes. Most researchers suggested that these are pure psychological problems. As it turned out, genetic factors, abrupt or extreme changes in the brain signals, and activities as well as body chemistry all contribute to the development and worsening of the conditions.
Anxiety is a mechanism that allows a person to move into action in relation to a threatening situation. In general anxiety and panic are caused by irregularities in one of the body’s evolutionary fight-and-flight mechanism, anxiety that is. In patients of anxiety disorders, this mechanism is provoked even without any real threat. It is not always necessary that there should always be a physical cause to triggering this mechanism. All it needs is that the person ‘perceives’ or ‘thinks’ that such harm is present.
{Signs and Symptoms}
Each form of anxiety disorder has different sets of symptom. Nevertheless there are a handful symptoms commonly reported by patients of anxiety disorders.
• {Muscle tension with or without muscle twitching}
• {Fatigue}
• {Intense wave of dread, fear, stress or anxiety}
• {Irrational and extreme fear and irritability and confusion}
• {Inability to relax or stay relaxed}
• {Inability to concentrate or poor concentration}
On top of some of the previously mentioned symptoms, people with panic disorder experience the following symptoms as they undergo panic attacks:
• {Faster heartbeat or racing heart}
• {Increased sweating}
• {Trembling}
• {Pain or discomfort in the chest}
• {Shortness of breath or sensations of smothering or choking}
• {Lightheadedness, faint, or dizziness}
• {Sensations of losing track of time}
• {Feeling the need to escape or find escape}
• {Derealization or detachment from the reality}
• {Depersonalization}
{Treatment options for Anxiety and Panic Disorders}
Treatments for panic anxiety range from psychological therapies to medications and self-help strategies. Medications are usually very helpful for short-term treatment, although there are types of panic and anxiety medications that are designed for long-term treatment. Meanwhile, psychological therapies are the primary choice of treatment for all patients of anxiety and panic disorders.
Topics: Best Spa Vacations | No Comments »