Anxiety and Anxiety Disorders – Symptoms, Treatment, Self-care, and General Information
Anxiety and Anxiety Disorders – Symptoms, Treatment, Self-care, and General Information
Anxiety is a common feeling and symptom that everyone can experience at some point in their life. Anxiety often involves intense worry. Anxiety is harmful if the symptoms persist for a long time.
Anxiety and anxiety disorders in brief
- Anxiety can manifest in many ways, such as constant worry, fear, or panic attacks.
- It can also affect sleep quality and concentration, making everyday tasks overwhelming.
- Physical symptoms may include heart palpitations, sweating, stomach issues, or muscle tension.
- Key treatments for anxiety disorders include psychotherapy and medication. Additionally, lifestyle changes like regular exercise, sufficient sleep, and a healthy diet can help manage anxiety symptoms.
What is anxiety?
Anxiety is characterized by the constant presence of worrying thoughts. It often includes a feeling of not knowing the source of anxious thoughts and symptoms. A person may not immediately know what is causing their anxiety.
Anxiety does not always indicate a disease. Sometimes anxiety can be beneficial, as it can help one act correctly in a situation for survival. In these cases, anxiety is usually short-lived.
Prolonged anxiety
If anxiety persists for a long time, it can become harmful. Prolonged anxiety can:
- impair learning ability
- impair memory
- hinder functioning
- lead to depression.
Anxiety disorder
Anxiety can be related to a stressful life phase. However, if the situation is not a temporary phase and continues for a long time, anxiety can be classified as a disorder. In such cases, anxiety does not usually resolve on its own over time, and professional help is often needed.
Anxiety disorder and social anxiety
Social anxiety is one form of anxiety. It refers to abnormal nervousness, which can affect anyone at some point in life. This fear can manifest in public speaking situations, social gatherings, or even everyday interactions.
Is anxiety disorder hereditary?
Many factors influence anxiety disorders. Biological, psychological, and social factors all play a role. Anxiety disorders often run in families, with a heritability of about 30 percent.
Anxiety symptoms
Anxiety can involve various symptoms, thoughts, and feelings, such as:
- Accelerated heart rate
- Rapid breathing
- Shortness of breath
- Muscle tension
- Stomach symptoms
- Sweating
- Elevated blood pressure
- Dry mouth
- Loss of appetite
- Trembling or dizziness
- Dilated pupils
- Persistent anxious thoughts
- Irritability
- Feeling that life is out of control
- Sleep difficulties
- Difficulty concentrating and calming down
- Negative thoughts
- Fatigue and exhaustion
- Increased worries about finances or health
- Limited life (e.g., social anxiety)
- Other phobias
- Avoidance of certain situations (e.g., public places)
- Panic attacks
- Headaches
- Lump in the throat feeling
- Stress
- Difficulty identifying the source of anxious feelings
- Reduced functioning
If you have symptoms, seek medical attention. The symptoms listed above may also be related to another condition or illness.
What conditions can anxiety be related to?
Anxiety appears as a symptom in almost all psychiatric disorders.
Anxiety can be a symptom in many somatic diseases:
- Various heart diseases
- Diabetes
- Hyperthyroidism
- Hypothyroidism
- Asthma
Anxiety can also be caused by loneliness, a sense of purposelessness, and fear of death, especially in the elderly.
Anxiety is a significant cause and consequence of substance use.
Certain medications can cause anxiety as a side effect.
How are anxiety disorders treated?
There are many effective treatments for anxiety disorders.
Key treatments for anxiety disorders include psychotherapy and medication. They can also be combined.
- In adults, various psychotherapies are central to treating anxiety disorders. Antidepressants are primarily used as medication. In severe anxiety disorders, better treatment results are achieved by combining both psychotherapy and medication.
- In young people, the treatment of anxiety disorders aims to support their development. Mild to moderate anxiety disorders in young people are treated with psychotherapy. If the chosen treatment method does not work, antidepressants can be tried alongside psychotherapy.
Self-care for anxiety disorders
An anxious person can take care of their lifestyle and ensure sufficient sleep and rest. Relaxation and exercise are important. Additionally, the anxious person can explore online self-care programs for anxiety.
