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What are anxiety disorders?
Anxiety
disorders range from feelings of uneasiness to immobilizing bouts
of terror. This fact sheet briefly describes the different types
of anxiety disorders. This fact sheet is not exhaustive, nor does
it include the full range of symptoms and treatments. Keep in mind
that new research can yield rapid and dramatic changes in our understanding
of and approaches to mental disorders. If you believe you or a loved
one has an anxiety disorder, seek competent, professional advice
or another form of support.
Generalized Anxiety
Disorder: Most
people experience anxiety at some point in their lives and some
nervousness in anticipation of a real situation. However if a person
cannot shake unwarranted worries, or if the feelings are jarring
to the point of avoiding everyday activities, he or she most likely
has an anxiety disorder.
Symptoms: Chronic,
exaggerated worry, tension, and irritability that appear to have
no cause or are more intense than the situation warrants. Physical
signs, such as restlessness, trouble falling or staying asleep,
headaches, trembling, twitching, muscle tension, or sweating, often
accompany these psychological symptoms.
Formal diagnosis: When someone spends at least six months
worried excessively about everyday problems. However, incapacitating
or troublesome symptoms warranting treatment may exist for shorter
periods of time.
Treatment: Anxiety
is among the most common, most treatable mental disorders. Effective
treatments include cognitive behavioral therapy, relaxation techniques,
and biofeedback to control muscle tension. Medication, most commonly
anti-anxiety drugs, such as benzodiazepine and its derivatives,
also may be required in some cases.
Some
commonly prescribed anti-anxiety medications are
diazepam, alprazolam, and lorazepam. The non-benzodiazepine anti-anxiety
medication buspirone can be helpful for some individuals.
Panic Disorder:
People
with panic disorder experience white-knuckled, heart-pounding terror
that strikes suddenly and without warning. Since they cannot predict
when a panic attack will seize them, many people live in persistent
worry that another one could overcome them at any moment.
Symptoms: Pounding heart, chest pains, lightheadedness or
dizziness, nausea, shortness of breath, shaking or trembling, choking,
fear of dying, sweating, feelings of unreality, numbness or tingling,
hot flashes or chills, and a feeling of going out of control or
going crazy.
Formal Diagnosis: Either four attacks within four weeks or
one or more attacks followed by at least a month of persistent fear
of having another attack. A minimum of four of the symptoms listed
above developed during at least one of the attacks. Most panic attacks
last only a few minutes, but they occasionally go on for ten minutes,
and, in rare cases, have been known to last for as long as an hour.
They can occur at any time, even during sleep.
Treatment: Cognitive behavioral therapy and medications such as
high-potency anti-anxiety drugs like alprazolam. Several classes
of antidepressants (such as paroxetine, one of the newer selective
serotonin reuptake inhibitors) and the older tricyclics and monoamine
oxidase inhibitors (MAO inhibitors) are considered "gold standards"
for treating panic disorder. Sometimes a combination of therapy
and medication is the most effective approach to helping people
manage their symptoms. Proper treatment helps 70 to 90 percent of
people with panic disorder, usually within six to eight weeks.
Phobias: Most
of us steer clear of certain, hazardous things. Phobias however,
are irrational fears that lead people to altogether avoid specific
things or situations that trigger intense anxiety. Phobias occur
in several forms, for example, agoraphobia is the fear of being
in any situation that might trigger a panic attack and from which
escape might be difficult. Social phobia is a fear of being extremely
embarrassed in front of other people. The most common social phobia
is fear of public speaking.
Symptoms: Many of the physical symptoms that accompany panic
attacks - such as sweating, racing heart, and trembling - also occur
with phobias.
Formal Diagnosis: The person experiences extreme anxiety
with exposure to the object or situation; recognizes that his or
her fear is excessive or unreasonable; and finds that normal routines,
social activities, or relationships are significantly impaired as
a result of these fears.
Treatment: Cognitive behavioral therapy has the best track
record for helping people overcome most phobic disorders. The goals
of this therapy are to desensitize a person to feared situations
or to teach a person how to recognize, relax, and cope with anxious
thoughts and feelings. Medications, such as anti-anxiety agents
or antidepressants, can also help relieve symptoms. Sometimes therapy
and medication are combined to treat phobias.
Post-traumatic Stress Disorder:
Researchers
now know that anyone, even children, can develop PTSD if they have
experienced, witnessed, or participated in a traumatic occurrence-especially
if the event was life threatening. PTSD can result from terrifying
experiences such as rape, kidnapping, natural disasters, or war
or serious accidents such as airplane crashes. The psychological
damage such incidents cause can interfere with a person's ability
to hold a job or to develop intimate relationships with others.
Symptoms: The symptoms of PTSD can range from constantly
reliving the event to a general emotional numbing. Persistent anxiety,
exaggerated startle reactions, difficulty concentrating, nightmares,
and insomnia are common. People with PTSD typically avoid situations
that remind them of the traumatic event, because they provoke intense
distress or even panic attacks.
Formal Diagnosis: Although the symptoms of PTSD may be an appropriate
initial response to a traumatic event, they are considered part
of a disorder when they persist beyond three months.
Treatment: Psychotherapy can help people who have PTSD regain
a sense of control over their lives. They also may need cognitive
behavior therapy to change painful and intrusive patterns of behavior
and thought and to learn relaxation techniques. Support from family
and friends can help speed recovery and healing. Medications, such
as antidepressants and anti-anxiety agents to reduce anxiety, can
ease the symptoms of depression and sleep problems. Treatment for
PTSD often includes both psychotherapy and medication.
For more information, as well as referrals to specialists
and self-help groups in your State, contact:
Anxiety Disorders Association of America
8730 Georgia Avenue - Suite 600
Silver Spring, MD 20910
Telephone: 240-485-1001
Fax: 240-485-1035
www.adaa.org
Mental Help Net
CenterSite, LLC
570 Metro Place
Dublin, OH 43017
http://mentalhelp.net/poc/center_index.php?id=1
National Mental Health Association
2001 Beauregard Street, 12th Floor
Alexandria, VA 22311
Telephone: 800-969-6642
Fax: 703-684-5968
(TDD): 800-433-5959
www.nmha.org/infoctr/factsheets/index.cfm
The National Institute of Mental Health's toll-free
information line is 1-888-ANXIETY; their web address is www.nimh.nih.gov/anxiety/anxietymenu.cfm.
Note: These are suggested resources. This is not meant to be a
complete list.
KEN98-0045
04/03
Please note that this online publication has been abridged from
the printed version
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