What is Anxiety?
Anxiety is an emotion. It is an emotion of dread, fear and worry that something will go wrong. While anxiety in small doses is good for us, because it motivates us to do our best, when anxiety gets out of hand, it impairs us from leading a happy, peaceful life and is then called an anxiety disorder.
Anxiety tends to be the result of feelings of inadequacy, indecision and uncertainty, being ill prepared, procrastination, etc.
In order to understand what anxiety is, we must understand the ‘flight or fight’ mechanism. Our psyche tends to use certain mechanisms as a way to escape or dissolve anxiety. These mechanisms could have three characteristics – fight, flight or split. They are called defense mechanisms. In people who suffer from anxiety, the defense mechanism of fight or flight, is a little exaggerated. They tend to have an over-reaction to a stimulus, basically a reaction not in proportion with the perceived threat.
What Is Anxiety Disorder?
When a person experiences heightened feelings (fear, worry, suppressed rage etc) along with increased physical activity, (palpitations, restlessness, sweating etc) it is called anxiety. When one does not understand, regulate and equip oneself to deal with the underlying causes of anxiety, it can become a handicap, the handicap becoming an anxiety disorder. Symptoms counted as anxiety include –
- Inability to sleep or sudden waking up in the night
- Constantly feeling worried, tensed
- Avoiding everyday situations or feeling irritable while managing everyday living
- Restlessness
- Feeling numb or blanking out mentally
- Anticipating the worst.
- Does not equip one for fight or flight
- Freezes the person’s ability to think and act
- Restrict choices and act detrimental to problem-solving, decision-making and control over one’s mental processes – attention, memory, relationships, judgment, ability to respond with maturity, etc.
Also anxiety can become a disorder when: –
Defense mechanisms are used excessively – there is a risk of a person escaping or misinterpreting reality in the use of defense mechanisms. If an individual uses defenses excessively then that individual is running the risk of contorting reality and living a dual existence.
Types Of Anxiety Disorders
There are numerous kinds of anxiety disorders.
1. Generalized Anxiety Disorder
Generalized anxiety disorder is a chronic mental disorder, characterized by long lasting anxiety, about nothing in particular. It usually lasts for 6 months or more. The anxiety is excessive, or an overreaction, to the situation at hand. They usually worry about health, work, loved ones etc. People with Generalized Anxiety Disorder have trouble in identifying what exactly is causing them anxiety and how to deal with these thoughts. Generalized Anxiety disorder eats into the ability to perform everyday activities like work and activities at home, as it is a constant, nagging anxiety that something will go wrong.
2. Social Phobia
Social phobia is an excessive, irrational fear of social interactions. The interactions can be as common as interactions at the work place or eating out at a restaurant. The main phobia is about being embarrassed and judged in front of other people. The persons are excessively self-conscious, even when they need not be. It often goes to the extent of the person avoiding human contact, such that leading a normal life becomes very difficult. People with social phobia often fear even the anticipation of a social interaction, and again, may go to great lengths to avoid such interactions
3. Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
Obsessive compulsive disorder is a common, chronic disorder where the person has repetitive, intrusive thoughts (obsessions) that lead them to perform certain actions (compulsions) repeatedly, believing that they can avoid harm if they perform these actions. OCD usually lasts a long period, but can be controlled effectively with a combination of medication and therapy. The obsessions are often irrational, and even the person suffering knows that his/her fears are irrational, but performing such compulsions are beyond their control. Repeatedly washing hands or doing the same thing a specific number of times are very common symptoms of OCD.
4. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
Post-traumatic stress disorder is a chronic or short term mental disorder characterized by a sense of anguish, anxiety and stress that lingers on after experiencing a traumatic, shocking or dangerous event. For instance, it is stress caused due to the aftermath of a violent accident or bloody fight. Most often it is characterized by flashbacks to the traumatic event, and could even manifest in nightmares and phobias related to the event. The sense of fear continues even after they are no longer exposed to the danger. Sometimes PTSD could develop years after the occurrence of the event.
5. Panic Disorder & Panic Attack
Panic means a feeling of anxiety. Panic in small quantities before or after a significant event is natural, but feeling anxious and panicking for no apparent reason, or a very insignificant reason, is characterized as panic disorder. During a panic attack, the reaction to the stimulus is out of proportion and exaggerated. Panic attacks are physical manifestations of the anxiety a person is experiencing, usually (but not only) like shortness of breath, tightness in the chest area or dizziness. The exact cause of panic disorders is unknown, but they may be a combination of genetic and environmental factors.
Anxiety Neurosis
Prior to being referred as anxiety disorders, the range of mental disorders, characterized by excessive anxiety were called anxiety neurosis. A ‘neurotic’ person is a person with an exaggerated response of anxiety to a particular situation. The fears and anxious thoughts are often irrational and baseless.
Neurosis can manifest in physical as well as mental symptoms. Neurosis can be due to any one of, or a combination of factors like genetic, biochemical imbalance and life experiences.
Anxiety Symptoms, Diagnosis And Treatment
Anxiety disorders are typically diagnosed and treated by a team of psychiatrists and psycho-therapists or counselors. The treatment generally is a combination of medication (like anti-anxiety and anti-depressants) and therapy (like cognitive behavioral therapy and mindfulness and relaxation).