What is an anxiety disorder?
Scared in the supermarket, scared to death. People with anxiety disorders are the most anxious in everyday situations. So anxious even, that their life gets disrupted by it. They are governed by fear. They often neglect their studies, work, interests and friends. This allows them lonely.
There are many different anxiety disorders. Examples are:
- a phobia for something specific, such as flies, spiders or blood;
- anxiety in situations with other people;
- panic attacks;
- agoraphobia;
- obsessions and rituals;
- anxiety after trauma;
- separation anxiety;
- fear of disease;
- excessive worry.
Anxiety disorders are treatable with cognitive behavioral therapy or medications (antidepressants). Sometimes a combination of both the best.
Symptoms of anxiety disorder
Anxiety is a normal feeling. It warns people for impending danger. Some people, however, are often scared while that at all is needed.
The fear: you can start suddenly panics. A panic attack can be identified by heart palpitations, chest pain or tightness, sweating and twitching or trembling. You can have the feeling of choking and breathe in quickly and panting. Other symptoms include nausea, diarrhea, dizziness and feeling to go pass out.
But anxiety can also gradually emerge, in the course of minutes, hours, or days. How long the fear takes varies from seconds to years.
People with an anxiety disorder have also often suffer from: sleep or difficulty breathing, less appetite, head or stomach pain and concentration problems. People often experience a afraid of feeling, anxiety, nervousness, tension and unrest.
Do you regularly suffer from this kind of complaints? In addition, daily things, situations or places go out of the way? Then you might have an anxiety disorder.
About half the people with anxiety symptoms has also suffered from depression.
How arise anxiety disorders?
It's not so easy to say where an anxiety disorder comes from. Often it is a combination of circumstances.
The education often plays a role. A child with one or two anxious parents, gets unconsciously all sorts of anxiety in the education. Chances are then that the child later also an anxiety disorder develops.
Quickly be anxious is also in the genes. Probably a few genes cause a shortage of certain substances in the brain. These substances are called neurotransmitters. They define more or less how you feel.
For anxiety are serotonin and norepinephrine important. There is not enough of you will easy anxious. This predisposition for anxiety is often hereditary.
People with certain character traits get previously suffered from anxiety. For example, people who stand up for themselves, people who bad conflicts out of the way and people who express difficult feelings. Also these properties are probably in part hereditary.
Sometimes it starts an anxiety disorder a major event, such as dismissal or a serious illness.
How to overcome anxiety disorders
If you have a mild anxiety disorder? Then you can try first if any of these things work:
- Information about anxiety disorder (psychoeducation). You can take a course at a mental health center or read books with exercises.
- A self-help book, possibly with guidance from your doctor.
- A number of interviews with a psychologist.
- Heart coherence training helps in stress, anxiety and depression.
Anxiety disorder treatment
An anxiety disorder is usually treatable. Many people overcome their fear with cognitive behavioral therapy. A form of cognitive behavioral therapy that works well is exposure
During the therapy, the therapist after for what situations you are concerned at such a time and what you think. You get exercises to else to go with the anxious thoughts.
You can also follow cognitive behavior therapy over the internet.
Anxiety can also be addressed with medications, namely with antidepressants. Especially for people with anxiety problems and depression are always need antidepressants. Do you have an anxiety disorder without depressive symptoms? Then choose in consultation with your doctor what's best for you: cognitive behavioral therapy or antidepressants. A combination of cognitive behavioral therapy and antidepressants is sometimes also possible.
Some people get sleeping pills and tranquilizers for anxiety. Be careful with these resources. They work after a few weeks not really good more and cause anxiety correct if you quit.
On shows a selection help anxiety disorders. This allows you to choose which treatment you the most appropriate.
Helps the ordinary treatment does not? On it organizations that offer a treatment where the ordinary treatment does not help.
Dealing with anxiety
People with an anxiety disorder often feel ashamed for their fears. That is unnecessary and may even backfire. Here are some advices to with your fear to go.
- Talk about your fears with family and friends.
- Try to get a picture of your fear and the impact that this has on your life.
- Move for yourself at a glance how panic or anxiety when you begin.
- If you notice that you fear will avoid situations, try not to give in. As a result, the anxiety correct larger. Go terrifying situations.
- Be aware of physical phenomena in situations that frighten you. Do not walk away for such situations. If you confront, you'll notice that the unrest, shaking and sweating after a while again sink.
- Relaxation and breathing exercises can rest during anxiety attacks. You notice that you have control over yourself. For example, you can take a course.
- There are self-help books with practical instructions to better with your fear to go.
- Go to your health care provider if the fear affects your daily life. This will you possibly refer to an institution for mental health care or to a psychologist, psychotherapist or psychiatrist.
- Contact with other people with an anxiety disorder often works well. You will see that you are not the only person who has this. You will learn perhaps others to with your fear to go.
Advice for family and friends of someone with an anxiety disorder
It is not easy to deal with someone who has an anxiety disorder. For a partner, children and friends can the disorder a heavy tax. Here are some opinions.
- Try the fear of the other not to talk. Recognize the fear, although it seems that exaggerated.
- Help the other to confront fearful situations, but not force.
- Encourage the other seek professional help.
- Find information about anxiety disorders.