Anxiety Disorder Symptoms

Different people experience anxiety in different ways. Emotions can range from having butterflies in your stomach to having your heart beat fast. You might feel like you have no control over your body and mind.

You may have a panic attack in certain instances.

Anxiety symptoms might include:

1. Restlessness due to worrisome thoughts or ideas that are difficult to regulate
2. Problem focusing
3. Sleepiness
4. Fatigue
5. Irritation
6. Unidentified aches and pains

Your anxiety symptoms may vary from those of others. That is why it is essential to understand how anxiety manifests itself.

Types of Anxiety Disorders

Here are the types of anxiety disorders:

1. Panic disorder: This implies you get unexpected frequent panic attacks.
2. Phobia: An extreme dread of a sure thing, place, or action.
3. Social Anxiety: This is an intense dread of being evaluated by others in social situations.
4. Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD): You tend to be perfect, orderly, and organized and pay attention to the smallest detail.
5. Separation Anxiety: This indicates that you are afraid of being away from home or your loved ones.
6. Anxiety associated with illness is health-related anxiety (formerly called hypochondria).
7. Agoraphobia: A fear of and avoidance of places, events, or situations where it might be hard to get out. People often think this is a fear of open spaces and being outside, but it's not that simple. People with agoraphobia might be afraid to leave their houses, use elevators, or take public transportation.

Causes

There are several reasons for anxiety disorders. Many may occur concurrently, some may trigger others, and some may not trigger an anxiety disorder until another is present.

Among the possible reasons are:

1. Environmental pressures: This may be due to employment troubles, marital concerns, or family issues.
2. Genetics: If someone in your family has an anxiety disorder, you are more prone to develop one yourself.
3. Medical considerations: Symptoms of another illness, the side effects of a drug, the stress of a major operation, or a lengthy recovery.

Psychologists think that many anxiety disorders are caused by problems with hormonal and electrical impulses in the brain. Withdrawing from an illegal drug may worsen anxiety.

Medical reasons

Sometimes, anxiety symptoms are the first signs of an underlying health problem. Your doctor may believe that a medical problem is causing your anxiety. You will have to undergo tests to ascertain the situation.

Medical conditions that may be connected to anxiety include:

1. Cardiovascular disease
2. Diabetes
3. Hyperthyroidism and other thyroid issues
4. Asthma and Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are examples of respiratory illnesses.
5. Misuse or withdrawal from drugs
6. Withdrawal from benzodiazepines, anti-anxiety medicines, or other drugs
7. Irritable bowel syndrome or chronic discomfort
8. Rare tumors that secrete specific fight-or-flight hormones

Complications

Anxiety disorders make you feel more than just worried. They may also cause or worsen other mental and physical illnesses, like depression, often linked to anxiety disorders and other mental health problems such as drug misuse, insomnia, digestive issues, and even suicide.

Diagnosis

You should talk to your doctor to determine if your worry affects your physical health.

Talk to a psychiatrist if you have extreme anxiety.

Your mental health specialist may do the following to assist in the diagnosis of an anxiety disorder:

• Conduct a psychological examination:

This examination involves discussing your ideas, emotions, and behavior to narrow down a diagnosis and rule out any potential consequences. Anxiety disorders can occur at the same as other mental disorders, such as depression or drug abuse, making diagnosis more difficult.

• Compare your symptoms to the DSM-5 criteria:

Many clinicians use the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) criteria to diagnose anxiety disorders.

Treatment

Psychotherapy and medication are the two essential therapies for anxiety disorders. A mix of the two may be most beneficial to you. It may take time to determine which treatments are most effective for you.

Medications

Depending on the kind of anxiety you have and other mental or physical health concerns that you may have, different drugs are used to reduce symptoms.

For example, anxiety problems are also treated with antidepressants.

Sometimes, your doctor may prescribe additional drugs for short-term alleviation of anxiety symptoms, which should not be taken indefinitely.