Anxiety is the physiological and mental reaction to an uncertain threat. It activates a series of defense circuits in your body, such as increased heartbeat, breathing, and other physiological responses.
Once anxiety begins to disrupt your daily activities, it’s time for help. You can work with a healthcare provider, mental health professional or other qualified support services in order to manage the symptoms.
Symptoms
Most people experience anxiety at some point in their lives. Although some feelings of worry or stress may come and go, when your worries become persistent and don’t improve with time, it may be time to see a doctor.
Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is characterized by excessive, long-lasting worry over various aspects of your life. This includes worries about work, money, relationships and the future.
Symptoms can include feeling anxious most days of the week, even when there are no actual worries. You may also experience restlessness or irritability and difficulty concentrating.
Manage your anxiety with exercise, healthy eating and abstaining from alcohol or recreational drugs. Additionally, try relaxing techniques like meditation, yoga or visualization as stress management strategies.
Causes
Anxiety is believed to be caused by malfunctioning circuits in the brain that control fear and emotions. Scientists don’t know why this occurs, but they believe it may be related to stress or environmental elements.
You may experience anxiety if you possess certain genetic traits that put you at greater risk. These include being neurotic, having high cortisol levels, and having low self-esteem.
A family history of mental health disorders or a history of emotional abuse or neglect as a child can also be an influential factor. Emotional and physical abuse or neglect as a child increases your likelihood for developing an anxiety disorder later in life.
Anxiety can cause physical symptoms such as rapid breathing, sweating and a rapid heart rate. These effects make it difficult to concentrate and perform at work, school or home.
Treatment
There are various treatments for anxiety. These include psychological therapy, medication and lifestyle modifications.
Combinations of these therapies often prove most successful. Individuals may need to experiment with different combinations before finding one that works for them.
Psychotherapy is typically a one-on-one experience where patients and their therapist work to alter thought patterns, behaviors and how they react to fearful situations. A therapist may use exposure therapy as part of this process in order to help clients confront their anxieties and reduce symptoms related to it.
The purpose of therapy is to teach them coping skills and give them the resources necessary for feeling more in control of their lives. This therapy may be combined with other forms of treatments or done in a group setting.
Medication can also be used to treat anxiety, with benzodiazepines (also known as tranquilizers) being the most popular. These drugs offer rapid relief from symptoms and are effective for managing panic attacks or other severe anxiety episodes; however, these drugs should not be taken long-term.
Prevention
Many people experience anxiety at some point in their lives. This can be due to a mental condition, physical illness, drug use or stressful life events.
Research into the prevention of anxiety is an active area. Studies have demonstrated some promising results in terms of preventing panic disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder from developing.
Universal prevention programs tend to be more successful than targeted ones. These initiatives often take place at schools and can reduce stigma around anxiety as well as common obstacles to receiving treatment (e.g., time, cost).
Studies have been done to combat anxiety among adults, particularly women. These studies indicate that ob-gyn physicians are likely to encounter symptoms associated with anxiety disorders at the start of a pregnancy and should inquire about these symptoms and refer their patients for evaluation by a mental health professional as needed.
