The Trigger of Panic
Sometimes we come across individuals or at times we ourselves get entangled in a sudden wave of worry and nervousness which is a result of our unpleasant thoughts. It generates an abrupt fear in us, stalls us momentarily or for a prolonged period. We are kind of entrapped in a bubble of restlessness, panic, stress and strain resulting into very uncanny reactions. At times, it sets off such a fright in us that we simply lose control of ourselves and our behavior changes erratically. This sort of mental condition what we go through is known as anxiety disorder. It is a kind of psychological disorder which many a time’s goes unnoticed, but it affects our mental health very gravely. It is normally characterized as extreme or excessive rumination, worrying, uneasiness, apprehension and fear about future uncertainties either based on real or anticipated events, which may affect both physical and psychological health.
Understanding and Acknowledging the Problem
Anxiety in general terms is the body’s natural reaction to danger, an automatic alarm that goes off when you feel threatened, under pressure or facing a stressful situation. It usually isn’t a bad thing as it is a normal human condition to have some of it. As a matter of fact, anxiety helps you to stay focused, have a quick reaction, spur you to action and encourage you to solve problems. But when anxiety steps over the line and starts interfering in your daily chores, relationships, activities and overwhelmingly remain constant, that is from where the problem turns into a critical form. An anxiety disorder can be related to group of multiple conditions or a singular disorder. It may vary from person to person, depending on the mental state. An anxiety attack can strike anywhere, anytime without warning. It may be due to several reasons such as the thought of mingling at a party, public appearance, disabling fear of driving or uncontrollable, intrusive thoughts. Regardless of their diverse forms, all anxiety disorders share one major symptom that is unrelenting or severe fear or worry in situations where most people wouldn’t feel threatened.
Anxiety and its symptoms
The symptoms can be distinguished in two different forms, that is the emotional form and the physical form. The emotional symptoms primarily put up irrational and excessive fear and worry. Apart from these, there are other behavioral symptoms of anxiety which includes feeling of constant apprehension or dread, petulance, acute restlessness, having trouble with concentration, feeling jumpy, anticipating worse, negative feeling, watching for signs of danger and feeling like the mind’s gone blank.
Anxiety has its effect on the body too, as during anxiety disorder or attack; the body also undergoes severe pressure along with the brain. It is more than just a feeling. As a product of the body’s fight-or-flight response, anxiety involves a broad range of corporeal symptoms. Because of the various physical warning signs, anxiety sufferers often mistake their disorder for a medical illness. During anxiety, a person sweats profusely; his heart beats at a pounding rate, feels out of breathe, experiences tremors and twitches, and at times has severe headaches. Extreme anxiety also results in fatigue, insomnia and stomach upset or dizziness.
Types of Anxiety disorders
Anxiety disorders can be categorized in various forms also. They are mainly distinguished into, generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, phobia, social anxiety disorder, post traumatic stress disorder. The characterization of these disorders is like:
- Generalized anxiety disorder- in such disorder you are plagued by constant worries and fears that distract you from your daily activities and there is a persistent feeling that something bad is going to happen.
- Panic Disorder- it is usually marked by repeated, unexpected panic attacks, as well as fear of experiencing another episode. This disorder is also followed by agoraphobia. In such cases you are prone to avoid public places such as shopping malls or confined spaces such as an airplane or elevator.
- Obsessive compulsive disorder- people suffering from this disorder mainly suffer from unwanted thoughts or behaviors that seem impossible to stop or control. The individual might also suffer from uncontrollable compulsions, such as washing your hands over and over.
- Phobia- it is basically an unrealistic or overstated terror of a specific thing, activity, or situation that in reality presents little to no danger. The most common form of phobias includes fear of animals such as snakes and spiders, fear of flying, and fear of heights.
- Social anxiety disorder- it is the fear of being seen negatively or being humiliated by other people. Individuals suffering from these disorders are highly reluctant to socialize among people. In such instances, the person experience anxiety disorder which can be thought of as extreme shyness. It is most commonly known as social phobia.
- Post-Traumatic disorder- this extreme anxiety happens generally subsequent to an aftermath of a traumatic or life-threatening event. The indication of this disorder is nightmares about what happened, hypervigilance, startling easily, withdrawing from others, and avoiding situations that remind you of the event.
Getting help
These anxieties can really disrupt your normal life in a huge way. It even creates a great amount of hindrance in your daily simple tasks. Hence it is necessary that it should be diagnosed and taken care of in a proper way. Help of psychologist and taking psychiatric therapy is one of the ways to overcome these mental issues. They arrange counseling sessions, talk to you, and recognize your problem areas. They offer you clinical help to overcome your fears, worries, and anxieties. There are a number of medicines for this disorder too; rendered by the pharmacy sector, which might not cure the problem completely but assist in suppressing it for the time being. A variety of medications, including benzodiazepines and antidepressants, are used in the treatment of anxiety disorders. These are especially subjected to depression related to anxiety. Apart from that, there are self control methodologies too, which can be used for treatment of this condition. Cognitive behavior therapy, exposure therapy, meditation, group discussion and yoga are some of the kind of therapies you can apply in getting over your fears and anxieties.
Author Bio – Licia Margarete works at Bharat Book Bureau as an Industry Analyst and has more than 5 years of experience. She has rich knowledge and experience of various industries across the globe. In her free time she likes writing for blogs and some of the topics which interests her are health, lifestyle, travel, automotive ,technology, and other related topics.
