Anxiety Disorders

Have you ever suffered of shortness of breath, followed by a chest pounding feeling with a sense of nervousness before a speech? If the answer is yes, you may have experienced anxiety. This can be normal for many of us. I for example despise public speeches even if there is only an audience of five I will begin to sweat, feel sick to my stomach, and to top it off I stutter like crazy! Unfortunately for more than four million adults, in the U.S. alone, their anxiety experiences can be a lot more severe than mine.


There are actually different types of Anxiety Disorders. Some of these include the following:

• Panic Disorder
• Post-traumatic stress disorder
• Social anxiety disorder
• Obsessive compulsive disorder
• Phobia

In the image above you can see just a brief description of the different anxiety attacks I mentioned. Now let's go a bit more in depth regarding the first two types of anxiety disorders I just mentioned.

Panic Disorder

Panic disorder affects 6 million American adults, it may sometimes run in the family, yet there is no known exact cause of it. Signs can include the following:

• Sudden and repeated attacks of fear
• An intense worry of she the next attack will occur
• Physical symptoms such as racing heart, sweating, breathing problems, dizziness, or numb hands during an attack.
• A feeling of being out of control during an attack

Panic disorder is treated with psychotherapy or/and medication.

Post-traumatic Stress Disorder

People who have PTSD develop it after a traumatic incident such as a mugging, rape, torture, car accidents, and natural disasters. They tend to feel stressed or frightened even when they are not in danger. Scientists are currently focusing on genes and specific brain areas that can can be associated with this disorder.

Signs and symptoms of PTSD can include the following:

• Re-experiencing Symptoms. Such as having flashbacks or bad dreams
• Avoidance Symptoms. An example of this would be staying away from things that remind you of that traumatic event.
• Hyperarousal Symptoms. Being easily startled, feeling tense.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy along with psychotherapy and medications are used to treat PTSD.



http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/panic-disorder/index.shtml
http://www.webmd.com/anxiety-panic/guide/mental-health-anxiety-disorders
http://www.adaa.org/about-adaa/press-room/facts-statistics
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Cr7IomSy8s
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/04/05/how-to-overcome-anxiety-starting-now.html