Different Types of Anxiety Disorders
June 20, 2010 by Lyle Holmes · Leave a Comment
Everyone feels anxious once in a while. We may feel anxious about taking a test, going to the doctor or any other situation in which we feel uncomfortable. For some people, however, they are unable to control their anxiety, and they wind up having a full blown anxiety attack. This can often land someone in the ER of the hospital because they feel as though they are having a heart attack.
When you are diagnosed with an anxiety disorder, you have to have several anxiety attacks over at least 6 months. This is chronic anxiety and most doctors will then evaluate you for these conditions. While anti-anxiety medications such as Xanax and Klonopin can help take the edge off of an anxiety attack, they are not the cure. Most doctors will refer you to a counselor or a psychiatrist who will then diagnose you with one of the types of anxiety disorders that are common and treatable.
General Anxiety Disorder
This is an anxiety disorder in which no known cause for the anxiety exists. A person who suffers from this type of anxiety disorder will often have anxiety attacks, triggered by an unknown source. It can be something in their head that sets them off. Doctors will give anti-depressant medication coupled with anti-anxiety medication so that it balances the chemicals in the brain and allows the person to function regularly.
Panic Disorder
Someone who suffers from panic disorder gets frequent anxiety attacks and often winds up in the ER of the hospital thinking that they are having a heart attack. This can be a very disabling anxiety disorder and is the one that is the most pronounced. Like general anxiety disorder, this has no known cause. Again, it is treated with anti-anxiety medication as well as anti-depressants.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
Those who suffer from this anxiety disorder have undergone some sort of life threatening stress in their lives that keeps them from functioning at full capacity. While is it often associated with veterans who come home from war, anyone can suffer from this disorder who has been through a great deal of stress or life threatening situation. In this case, the source of anxiety is well known and therapy is often used to alleviate this type of anxiety disorder.
Social Anxiety Disorder
Social anxiety disorder is one where you may have an anxiety attack when you are around crowds of people. The person who experiences this type of social anxiety disorder will feel cold and clammy, may feel heart palpitations and even fainting when they are around crowds of people. Anti-Anxiety medications can help someone overcome social anxiety disorder.
Anxiety disorders are best diagnosed by a professional. If you are experiencing any of the above symptoms regarding anxiety, you should seek out a medical opinion and not suffer in silence. There are many types of anxiety disorders and only a medical professional can give you the proper diagnosis.
Working Your Way Through An Anxiety Attack
June 17, 2010 by Lyle Holmes · Leave a Comment
One of the secrets to minimizing an anxiety attack is to learn to work your way through the anxiety attack. Anyone who has ever undergone the panic and suffering that accompanies an anxiety attack knows the feeling of fear that is pretty much indescribable to anyone who has not experienced this sensation. Follow these tips to help work yourself through the anxiety attack:
Realize that it is anxiety attack
Once you realize that you are having an anxiety attack, you can calm yourself down and think that rationally, this will pass. Anyone who suffers with anxiety understands the sensation comes and goes. When you are having an anxiety attack, realize that this is real, it is a panic attack, but it will go away. Realizing that you are having an anxiety attack is the first step towards working your way through an anxiety attack.
Do something physical
Exercise, clean, cook or do anything that will get your mind off of the attack. Some people report that even cleaning their bathroom will help them through an anxiety attack. Any physical activity releases endorphins and elevates your mood. It can also help you work through your stress, which is usually the underlying cause of an anxiety attack. Do not feel helpless, empower yourself by doing something physical, the more productive the better.
Reach out to your support network
Reach out to friends and family who understand what you are going through. This is not an effort to look for pity, but a chance for your friends and family to help you when you need it the most. You would do the same for them, so give them the chance to help you.
Many people are ashamed that they are feeling anxious and keep this secret from friends and family. This only makes things worse. You will not have anyone to talk to when needed. And when you finally release your secret, you will be surprised to learn how many people actually suffer from the same anxious feelings! You are far from alone when it comes to anxiety attacks. As a matter of fact, the majority of people have experienced some sort of anxiety or panic attack at least once in their lives.
By understanding the anxiety attack, knowing what it feels like and that it will pass, you can help yourself overcome the feelings of a panic attack. Doing something physical and reaching out to your support network will also help you overcome an anxiety attack. Use medication as a last resort instead of at once. You can empower yourself against anxiety attacks and do not have to be held a prisoner of crippling fear of the unknown.
Harmful Habits For Anxiety Treatment
June 3, 2010 by Lyle Holmes · 1 Comment
If you are having an anxiety attack, you may be so desperate for a quick fix that you are willing to do anything to get rid of the anxious feeling. Some of the most harmful habits that will only aid on depression and anxiety are as follows:
Cigarette Smoking
Many people say that they smoke because it “calms their nerves.” Nothing could be further from the truth. Cigarette smoking will not calm your nerves. In fact, it will make your nerves worse than they were before you started smoking in the first place. Cigarette smoking constricts the blood vessels and makes your heart even beat faster. It does not calm the nerves, but merely exacerbates the anxiety attack.
Quitting cigarette smoking is very difficult to do. In fact, it is said that cigarette smoking is akin to heroin addiction. Some say that quitting heroin is easier than cigarette smoking. Many people try to quit smoking to no avail. They try patches and other types of gimmicks so that they can be smoke free. The truth of the matter is that you have to make up your mind to quit smoking and stick with it. Once you go for three days without a cigarette, the nicotine has left your body and the physical addiction is past. You can then move forward to quitting the psychological addiction.
Alcohol
Many people, when they have a problem with anxiety, will start drinking alcohol. Alcohol numbs the mind and makes things seem a bit brighter. But it is a false cure. It may make you feel better temporarily, but in the long run it will end up making you feel worse. And alcohol is a depressant. If you are not depressed by the time you start drinking, you will be after you are finished. And alcohol is a drug. Just like any other drug, it builds up a tolerance in your system. The more you drink, the less it affects you. Pretty soon, you are drinking more an more to get the same effect and to drown your sorrows.
Do not drown your sorrows in booze. Look for another way out. While some people contend that alcoholism is a disease unto itself, others disagree and see it as merely a symptom of a disease. A disease that stems from depression and anxiety. This is why Alcoholics Anonymous encourages people to control what they can control and recognize the fact that they cannot control everything. As anxiety and depression all stem from control (or lack of control), one of the reasons that AA works is that it gives this valuable insight to members who feel that most of life is out of their control.
Street Drugs
Street drugs like marijuana are often used to stop anxiety and make a person feel better. It has the opposite effect. While marijuana may not be as addictive and harmful as alcohol, it is still illegal. And inhaling hot smoke into your lungs is not going to do you any good. There is also evidence that marijuana kills off brain cells. Street drugs are not the answer for depression. While some may say that this drug has medicinal purposes, one of them is not to alleviate depression or anxiety – it merely masks them and doesn’t allow the person taking it to face their own demons.
If you have a problem with depression or anxiety, do not try to self medicate. Look for healthier ways to try to get your body and brain chemicals in balance rather than resorting to nicotine, alcohol and street drugs.