Anxiety Disorders  

Anxiety disorders are conditions which affect around 18% of the American Adult population. They are more serious and life debilitating than short lived anxiety caused by one off events such as job interviews etc.

They are disorders which can affect people for months and even in some cases for years, causing them much distress and having an adverse effect on their daily lives.

Sometimes even leading to self-medication and addiction. There are programs such as Narconon drug rehab to help when anxiety gets to be too much to handle.

We will cover various aspects of anxiety which include:

• Anxiety and Stress
  
• Panic Attacks
  
• Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
  
• Social Anxiety
  
• Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
  
• Anxiety Treatments
  
• Questions To Ask Your Doctor Regarding Anxiety Treatment Medications
  

Anxiety is one of the main symptoms of stress, its symptoms can include:

Anxiety conditions occur mainly between our late teens and early thirties. This is due to all the added pressures of life as well as the excessive use of caffeine, alcohol or drugs, which naturally only make things worse. When anxiety occurs later on in life it is often due to a depressive illness.

There are various anxiety treatments available but it is important that the patient has a good understanding of how the treatments work and whether or not there are any side affects. Because of this it is important that questions are asked when first prescribed these anxiety medications by the doctor.

There are five main conditions which come under the heading of an anxiety condition, they are:

Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD)

As the name suggests this disorder encompasses anxiety which is general in nature and not tired to any particular event.

Generally this disorder is identified by someone who experiences extreme worry everyday for no one reason.

Panic Attacks

This is a very distressing condition which can make sufferers feel as if they are dying due to some of the symptoms.

It is a condition which can be successfully treated and should be tackled as soon as possible before a spiral of panic – stress – more panic and illness can take hold.

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

PTSD occurs after someone has experienced a very traumatic experience in their lives where either they or someone else has been physically harmed; this triggers intense feelings of anxiety.

This condition can be extremely distressing and seriously disable the sufferers daily life. The condition should not be ignored but treated as soon as possible after the event.

Phobias

Phobias are an irrational fear of something which they perceive as so terrifying that they experience extreme anxiety and avoid the cause completely.

Anxiety issues such as this can range from the mild i.e. being afraid of spiders to the more extreme of being afraid to meet people (social Anxiety) or going outside.

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

This is a condition where the sufferer has constant obsessions and rituals which are designed to help relieve their feelings of anxiety.

These obsessions can get so severe that they begin to take over the persons live completely.