What is Anxiety?
Anxiety is a common human emotion characterized by feelings of tension, worried thoughts, and physical changes like increased blood pressure. Nearly everyone experiences some anxiety in their life.
Anxiety disorders, however, 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. The symptoms can interfere with daily activities such as job performance, school work, and relationships.
There are several types of anxiety disorders:
- Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) involves persistent and excessive worry about many different things. People with GAD may anticipate disaster and may be overly concerned about money, health, family, work, or other issues.
- Social anxiety disorder involves overwhelming worry and self-consciousness about everyday social situations. People with this disorder fear things like meeting new people, dating, speaking in public, or using public restrooms.
- Specific phobias involve intense fear of a specific object or situation, such as heights, flying, animals, needles, or seeing blood.
- Panic disorder involves repeated episodes of sudden feelings of intense anxiety and terror that reach a peak within minutes. These panic attacks cause physical symptoms like a racing heartbeat, shortness of breath, dizziness, or trembling.
Researchers believe the cause of anxiety disorders is likely a combination of factors which may include:
- Brain chemistry - Some substances called neurotransmitters transmit messages between brain cells to regulate mood and response to fear. If levels of these chemicals are out of balance, anxiety disorders may result.
- Life experiences - Trauma during childhood or bad interpersonal experiences can set a person up to have an anxiety disorder.
- Genetics - Anxiety disorders seem to run in families, suggesting they have a genetic component.
Treatment for anxiety disorders may involve medications, psychotherapy, or both. Some psychotherapies that have been found effective are cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and exposure therapy. Reducing or avoiding alcohol and caffeine consumption can also help manage anxiety symptoms for some people.
I tried to provide an overview of what anxiety disorders are, the most common types, potential causes, and a high-level look at treatment options. Let me know if you need any clarification or have additional questions!