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Anxiety DisorderAbout Anxiety Disorder
In everyday life anxiety and anxiety disorder are used as synonyms which can be confusing sometimes. This is why the first thing you should know is the difference between anxiety and anxiety disorder.
Anxiety is a normal reaction to stress. During a lifetime there are numerous stressful situations and anxiety goes along with them.
Sometimes anxiety can even help person to cope with stressful situation such as those at work or during the emotionally important events.
Anxiety is the reason why we feel so exited about our first date or getting a new job or moving to another town.
There is no person on this planet that didn’t experience anxiety, which is perfectly normal. The point is that if you are anxious it doesn’t mean that you suffer from anxiety disorder. Anxiety disorder is a real and sometimes very serious psychosomatic illness. It includes numerous symptoms some of them are: feelings of fear, panic and self-doubt followed by physical symptoms such as headaches, abdominal pain, heart palpitations, shortness of breath etc. As any other illness it can be mild, moderate and severe.
If not treated, anxiety disorder can have serious consequences and be responsible for relationship breakups, health problems, job failure, and many other problems.
The bad news is that many people that need treatment are not getting it, for many different reasons. The good news is that those that do get the treatment in almost all cases get better.
What are the symptoms of anxiety disorder?
The most common symptoms that are present in almost all types of anxiety disorders are:
1. Frequent feelings of apprehension and nervousness
2. Panic attacks
3. Tendency to predict the worst
4. Obsessive thoughts 5. Chest pain 6. Feelings of fear
7. Self-doubting 8. Conflict avoidance 9. Problems with focusing
The second thing you need to know is that there are many types of anxiety disorder. Therefore the symptoms are not the same for all types of anxiety disorders even though many symptoms do overlap.
The Most Common Anxiety Disorders are:
· Generalized Anxiety Disorder · Panic Disorder · Obsessive Compulsive Disorder · Specific Phobias · Social Phobia · Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
As you can see anxiety disorder is a very broad term. Therefore first thing you should do if you think you or your loved one might suffer from one of the anxiety disorders is to find out the type of your anxiety disorder.
This you cannot do by yourself, but only with professional help. First you should talk to your physician and then if you are not satisfied look for a psychologist or a psychiatrist. What is the best treatment for anxiety disorder?
This is one of the most frequent questions that people ask me. My answer is always the same. The best treatment for any illness is the one that attacks and deals with the core of your disease, for anxiety disorder that is psychotherapy.
In another words you should be more focused on the cause of your illness than on symptoms you suffer from. Of course if your symptoms are unbearable you should be first relieved from them. That is usually achieved by taking medication.
Third, you need to know is that medications are not needed in all cases. When they are necessary they should be taken but only under the supervision of a doctor.
Medications are not some magic pills that will solve all your problems. They are made so that you would be relieved from your symptoms and be able to participate in psychological treatments.
For example if your female friend comes to you covered in bruises what would you talk to her about. Would you focus and talk to her about her bruises or about her abusive husband? What is her real problem? Is her biggest problem the fact that she is bruised or is it something else?
One thing you should never do, is to think that your symptoms are your illness. Remember that illness (anxiety disorder) have been there long before the symptoms showed up. Symptoms are your body’s call for change. Therefore, start making changes in your life.
What changes should I make?
This is another frequent question and the answer is very important. Unfortunately, I cannot answer this question for you because I don’t know anything about your case. However the answer is out there and together with professional help and the help of your loved ones, you can find it.
The important thing to know, is that there are many things you can change in your life because it is your life.
For example if your female friend comes to you covered in bruises what would you talk to her about. Would you focus and talk to her about her bruises or about her abusive husband? What is her real problem? Is her biggest problem the fact that she is bruised or is it something else?
One thing you should never do, is to think that your symptoms are your illness. Remember that illness (anxiety disorder) have been there long before the symptoms showed up. Symptoms are your body’s call for change. Therefore, start making changes in your life.
What changes should I make?
This is another frequent question and the answer is very important. Unfortunately, I cannot answer this question for you because I don’t know anything about your case. However the answer is out there and together with professional help and the help of your loved ones, you can find it. The important thing to know, is that there are many things you can change in your life because it is your life.
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