Anxiety is an important emotion, designed to increase the survival rate of organisms. It can be defined as emotions that are characteristically negative in nature.
In essence, anxiety is a natural process meant to keep people away from things that may be harmful to their well-being. However, while anxiety is a natural process, a person who has extreme amounts of it may have what is termed an anxiety disorder.
It will often consist of extreme fear and worry, and some people even experience physical signs such as nausea or chest pains. People suffering from anxiety will usually have a feeling of dread.
In humans, it appears that anxiety comes from the hippocampus and amygdala, an almond-sized and shaped brain structure. The amygdala has been associated with a range of mental conditions from normalcy to depression to even autism, has become the subject of numerous research projects.
Anxiety is a complex emotion, and is composed of a number of different elements. Some of these elements are somatic or cognitive, where the body will prepare itself to deal with an external threat. When someone feels anxious, the human brain releases stress hormones, which includes adrenaline.
The physical symptoms of anxiety are identified by how the brain sends signals to other parts of the body preparing for a fight or flight reaction.
Anxiety Attacks Symptoms:
- Abdominal discomfort
- Rapid heartbeat or palpitations
- Dizziness
- Diarrhoea
- Shortness of breath
- Dry mouth
- Tightness or pain in chest
- Frequent urination
- Difficulty in swallowing.
Anxiety disorders can be categorized into phobias, panic disorders, generalized anxiety disorders, and obsessive-compulsive disorders. A person who has a phobia will have an abnormal amount of fear of a specific object or situation. People who have phobias tend to have vivid imaginations, and recognize that their fear is often irrational.
Panic Disorder
When someone suffers from a panic disorder, they will have acute panic attacks, and possibly have dizziness or breathing problems. These attacks will usually reach their height in about 10 minutes.
Generalized Anxiety Disorder
Generalized anxiety disorders are widespread, affecting a much larger portion of the population. It is common in both men and woman, and is characterized by long periods of anxiety that are not associated to any particular object or situation.
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
With the obsessive-compulsive disorder, the person feel compelled to do things repeatedly. People who suffer from this disorder have a need to do something obsessively in order to reduce their anxiety.
Many people who have this disorder feel a compulsion to be extremely clean, and are frightened of germs. To lessen their anxiety, they will wash their hands numerous times a day.
Treatment for Anxiety
There are two main methods that are used to help those who are suffering from anxiety, and this is either therapy or prescription medications. There are some physical causes of anxiety such as a thyroid disorder. With treatment for the diagnosed illness, the anxiety can improve over time.
Whatever you do, whenever you or a member of the family or even a close friend are showing signs of stress for any reason then please consult a doctor – especially before buying over the counter medication.
