Why Anxiety debilitates you ?
Most of us experience anxiety on many occasions in life. A student experiences anxiety before examination. A business man experiences anxiety about the ever changing economic conditions. People experience anxiety when some of his near and dear fall sick. Even the most seasoned speakers experience anxiety before a huge gathering. The list goes on.
Such moments of anxiety will not last for a long time. The anxiety causing factors disappear, the moment the anxiety causing actors cease. That’s why such temporary anxiety cannot be termed as a disease.
But, in some people, anxiety causing factors remain for a longer time or stay permanently which lead to anxiety related ailments known as ‘Anxiety disorders.’
Anxiety disorders.
Anxiety disorders, unlike temporary disorders that will not last for long time are mental related disorders which cause a plethora of physical and mental problems. Most of the mental patients are afflicted by anxiety disorders.
Effects of Anxiety disorders.
Anxiety disorders throw the victims in to a sea of fear. They make you worry and create tension. Most of them are though unrealistic. Victims of anxiety disorders are scared of their own shadows. They upset their concentration. Some of the other effects of anxiety disorders are nausea, tiredness, sleeplessness, hot flashes to name a few.
There are 5 varieties of anxiety disorders.
GAD, generalized anxiety disorders.
Phobic disorders.
Obsessive compulsive disorders.
Panic disorders.
Post – traumatic disorders.
GAD, generalized anxiety disorders.
When temporary anxiety stays for a long time and recurs time and again, it becomes chronic. If the anxiety remains in a person for more than 6 months, such disorder is known as Generalized anxiety disorder. The thoughts of the victims of this generalized disorder revolve around either money or health or family or their work. If not any of the above, their thoughts will revolve around baseless, irrelevant and meaningless thoughts.
They cannot stay with stability at one place. They become restless. More importantly they suffer from insomnia, sleeplessness. Even an insignificant matter creates waves of panic in them. This condition leads to immense pressure. Palpitation increases.
They feel pain in the chest. Fatigue overwhelms them. Digestive disorders start appearing in the victims.
Causes for the GAD.
Among many causes for the anxiety disorders, psycho dynamic, psycho analytic, behavioral, cognitive and genetic reasons are important. In addition to these some studies say hereditary has a role in causing generalized anxiety disorders. Psychologists are of the opinion that the anxiety disorders start in the teenage. And takes firm roots gradually. It’s of utmost importance to find out the intensity and the reasons before thinking of a cure for anxiety. The characteristics vary from individual to individual. In this regard it is advisable to consult a a doctor.
Fortunately owing to intensive researches and studies conducted by different eminent researchers many effective methods and medicines are at our disposal.To treat Generalized anxiety disorder it is necessary to use behavioral and cognitive – behavioral treatments along with anxiety preventive medicines.
Behavioral treatment.
Some special relaxing methods that help reduce the anxiety are employed in Behavioral therapy. As an example a method in which a slow inhalation of breath is widely used. Because GAD victims have the trait of inhaling fast those results in increasing the heart beat. Increased heart beat leads to a plethora of complex health problems. In another method employed to cure the victims of GAD is to subject the victim to those fears facing which the victim fears. This method effectively drives away the embedded fears and makes the victim free from GAD.
Cognitive behavioral therapy.
The crux of this therapy is , the victims are taught to change their attitude towards those conditions and factors making them unstable with fears.
Phobic disorders.
Out of all the anxiety disorder groups, the victims under this group are more in number. The victims of Phobic disorders fear everything. First day in the office, getting ready for a distant journey, a visit to a doctor, attending a social gathering, trembling before a platform speech, going to restaurants - anything and everything scares them. Typical symptoms of victims of Phobic disorders are, hand sweating and increasing palpitation.
These phobias will not allow them even to do their day to day chores normally. They cannot enjoy the life. They see everything under a magnifying glass.
Phobias are of three kinds.
There are some specific fears which cause panic in the victims. They know that these specific fears due to some kinds of insects and some animals are harmless. Still, they run away out of fear far from these fear causing sources. Same type of fears can be seen in some people when they are in high places. These fears generally creep in during teen age.
Social phobias are related to fears that crop up during social events like a get together, a marriage function or a birthday bash etc. People affected by social phobias experience anxiety and fear amidst a gathering. They fear that they will be ridiculed and heckled.
Psychologists say social phobias are one of the most important reasons for inferiority complex. And of course inferiority complex leads to scores of other evils like depression. And the depression in turn makes them slaves to the drugs and other hazardous habits. Even a small mistake will be viewed and imagined in gigantic proportions and subject themselves to imaginary fears and consequences. Another characteristic in the victims of Social phobias is the feeling that all the people are watching them.
Next in the list of phobias is Agoraphobia. The victims of Agoraphobia fear the vast openness and places which are crowded. They will fear that there is a danger lurking in the crowded places waiting for them to pounce and cause harm.When they are on the road, a crowd that gathered for whatever reason will make them panic. They immediately get away from such places. The victim makes all possible efforts to leave the place. And in some cases, the victim stops moving out from his house.
Some more Phobias in detail
Aerophobia
People who are afraid of flying experience an enormous anxiety. Restlessness, sweating out before a flight. And this will be there during the flight also. It was revealed by the researchers that more than 18 % of Americans are afflicted by Aerophobia, though they are well aware that air travel is one of the safest travel mode.
Acrophobia.
The victims of Acrophobia are scared of heights. And this fear of heights impede their day to day life significantly. And in some cases, the fear is so intense that the victims swoon. Any place above the ground level like elevators, high structures will grip them with fear. According to a scientific study about 2- 5 percent of the people are afflicted with Acrophobia. But with an appropriate therapy it can be cured.
Arachnophobia.
Any member of arachnids like spiders will cause intense fear in the victims of Arachnophobia. And extreme fear may lead to fainting. Like other victims of the other phobias, there will be a marked increase in the breathing of the victims. A proper therapy will cure the victims.
Claustrophobia.
Victims of claustrophobia are scared of small places. For them they create a feeling of breathlessness and suffocation. They fear that the walls are closing on them. Sweating and nausea are some more symptoms one can find in the victims of Claustrophobia. Psychotherapy is a proved way of curing the victims of claustrophobia.
Ophidiophobia.
The fear of snakes in certain people is known as Ophidiophobia. This fear is irrational. Like any other phobia, the victim becomes panic when he sees a snake or snake like thing; even a rope will make him or her jump with panic. They inhale and exhale rapidly, sweating profusely. Nausea is another symptom in the victims of Ophidiophobia. This phobia can be treated successfully by an expert therapist.
Entomophobia.
Misconceptions about certain kind of insects will make the victims of Entomophobia panic. Generally some people who have never seen, even a very common household insect will cause a panic. The symptoms of Entomophobia are the same as any other phobias. There are very good number of specialist therapists who can cure the victim of Entomophobia successfully.
Necrophobia.
This phobia is related with fear of death, one of the most common phobias prevalent in humans. The victims experience a severe anxiety and an abnormal fear which hamper their daily activities. This phobia is linked with some past traumatic and painful events happening to their near and dear ones. A right kind of counseling and an appropriate therapy will give the victims a lot of relief.
Blood-Injury-Injection Phobia
Just seeing a drop of blood is enough for the victims to get panic. The general symptoms in the victims of this phobia is quickened heart rate and blood pressure. If the symptoms are excessive, may lead to fainting. Like other phobias it can be treated successfully by a specialist therapist.
Obsessive Compulsive disorders.
The typical characteristics in a victim of Obsessive Compulsive disorders are doing the same job repetitively. We see some people wash their hands for hours together all the time checking and rechecking their hands repeatedly to confirm that their hands are free from disease causing germs.
The reason for this disorder is they are gripped by the fear that the entire world is filled with disease causing germs. Or a constant fear that the world is not a safe place to live.
Another habit is, some people while locking their doors before going out would pull 100 times to check whether the door is properly locked or not. An advanced version of this habit is one of my friend with whom I went for an outing suddenly remembered that his door was not properly locked and his TV switch was not shut. Suddenly he turned the car and went back covering almost 100 Kms only to find that he locked the door properly and the TV switch was made off.
The question is what makes the victims of Obsessive Compulsive disorders do such repetitive acts ? The answer is the fears that gripped them makes them to do acts which they think are the only way to survive. So far so good. There is nothing wrong to be cautious. But the restlessness that is caused by Obsessive Compulsive disorders drives them to the extremities. They will not be satisfied with what they are doing. The more the intensity of Obsessive Compulsive disorders, the more their repetitive actions are. Their weakness is so strong that it compels them to do such repetitive actions.
Scientific studies attribute to the fluctuations of “Neurotransmitters “ in the brain for the Obsessive Compulsive disorders. It is not all, Obsessive Compulsive disorders may come along with disorders like ADHD. Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, eating disorder and other disorders. In such cases treatment takes more time.
There are several treatments and medicines available for the effective treatment of Obsessive Compulsive disorders. If the victim has the strong will to get cured and with the cooperation with the doctor or psychiatrist, Obsessive Compulsive disorders can be effectively cured.
Panic disorders.
There is a lot of difference between Panic disorders and Phobic disorders. Phobic disorders are mental disorders, where as Panic disorders are caused by a fear that suddenly enters the mind of the victim. And this fear recurs. Besides fear, Panic disorders cause physical illnesses like pain in the chest, fast heartbeat, fast respiration and head reeling. They look like the symptoms of heart attack.Panic disorders lead to severe depression in the victims.
The main causes for panic disorders are heredity, earlier incidents associated with severe anxiety and certain biological causes. Scientific studies say, when “The suffocation alarm mechanism “in the brain is activated , fear is caused and this fear leads to panic disorders.
Fortunately there are very effective medical treatments within the reach of all. Many victims of panic disorders were cured availing these treatments.
Post – traumatic disorders.
After a painful incident the mental tranquility gets disturbed. The waves of pain and trauma thus created lead to immense pressure on the mind. A tsunami, an earth quake, an assault by the extremists, wars, terrible accidents, rapes and all such incidents come under the category of traumatic incidents that trigger a wave of mental shock. Such incidents are the cause behind Post – traumatic disorders.
Symptoms of Post – traumatic disorders.
Recalling and thinking about those painful incidents again and again and subjecting body and mind to immense pressure.
Imagining behind every incident and moment there lurks a danger.
Suspecting everybody around and undergoing mental turbulence .
Getting in to bad habits like drug addiction and alcohol consumption.
Feeling suffocation or breathlessness.
Anxiety disorders are not incurable.
There are several therapies available to free one’s self from Anxiety disorders. Its wise on the part of the victim to avail them and get away from the clutches of these debilitating ailments.
Anxiety, phobias, social phobias.
Anxiety in limits is not uncommon. Everyone of us must have suffered from anxiety one time or other in our life. But if irrationality dominates a person, he will become a victim of different kinds of phobias that debilitates his life.
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