These are donated
articles from various sources. The owner of
these websites or the manufacturers of these products
do not endorse any of these articles.
Enjoy.
Anxiety Disorders - Distinguishing
the Types of disorders
Anxiety disorders vary as to symptoms and treatments.
No
matter the type, anyone suffering from one or more,
knows
how debilitating they can be. One such disorder is
known as
Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD). Those who are
afflicted
with GAD are unable to lead a normal life. They are
constantly tense and worried, apparently without valid
reasons. They constantly fret about things such as
money or
health and everything in between.
Individuals who experience GAD find it virtually
impossible
to let down there guard and relax. As a result, they
are
often tired, stressed and irritable. Not uncommonly,
some
people with GAD will also suffer from additional
mental
health problems, including depression, substance abuse
or
addictive behaviors.
Another anxiety disorder present on the spectrum is
panic
disorder. People suffering from panic disorder will
experience panic attacks, where they develop an
overwhelming
and unrealistic fear that they are in some type of
danger.
As a result of the panic attack these people may
develop
phobias specific to certain conditions, a social
phobia or
even agoraphobia. These phobias are unnatural,
uncontrollable, and overpowering. People with the
phobias
will go to great extremes to avoid the situation or
object.
Things that can cause a social phobic attack can be as
simple as meeting someone new. Most of us are afraid
of
public speaking, but the socially phobic person takes
that
fear to the extreme. Feeling like you they can't
escape a
certain situation or that they may be embarrassed
defines
agoraphobic people. There are extreme cases when they
won't
leave their homes, seeing the whole world as unsafe.
In
cases of specific phobias, a person may have an
unnatural
and exaggerated fear of snakes or even dogs. Many who
suffer from these anxiety disorders even know that
they
have unfounded fears, but they still can't escape the
attacks. The fear is just to overwhelming.
Another type of anxiety disorder is an
obsessive-compulsive
disorder (OCD). With this type of anxiety disorder a
person will have frequent thoughts that are irrational
but
that will cause great anxiety anyway. These obsessions
include worrying that they forgot to turn off the
stove or
an unnatural obsession with cleanliness and germs.
Most
times people with this type of anxiety disorder are
aware
of their compulsion but are unable to control their
irrational behavior without the help of medication
under
the care of a doctor.
People suffering from OCD will often develop rituals
that
they carry out in a compulsive manner. Many times
these
compulsive rituals will take the person over an hour
or two
to complete each day creating a great deal of upheaval
in
their life.
Although all of these anxieties are most distressful,
there
are treatments available. If you or anyone you care
about
exhibits any of these symptoms, don't hesitate to seek
help. There are trained doctors, psychologists and
therapists who can offer assistance in getting the
patient
back to a more normal and less stressful life.
Helen Peters is the owner and operator of Free
Anxiety,
the #1 source on the internet.