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Everyone feels anxious or uneasy from time to time. Your first
day on a new job, planning for a long trip, going to the
dentist....your palms sweat, you feel shaky, your heart pounds.
Some anxiety helps to keep you focused on the job at hand. However,
when your anxiety is so serious that it interferes with your work,
leads you to avoid certain situations or keeps you from enjoying
life, you may be suffering from a form of the most common type of
mental disorder, an anxiety disorder.
Anxiety disorders are not just a case of "nerves." You can't
overcome an anxiety disorder just through willpower, nor can the
symptoms be ignored or wished away. These disorders cause you to
feel anxious most of the time, making some everyday situations so
uncomfortable that you may avoid them entirely. Or, you may
experience occasional instances of anxiety that are so terrifying
and intense that you may be immobilized with fear. Although these
conditions can be very frightening and disabling. they are also
very treatable. It is important to recognize the symptoms and seek
help.
Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) is constant, exaggerated
worry and tension without any apparent reason. This may cause a
person to always anticipate a disaster or worry excessively about
health, money, work, or family problems. Often, however, the source
of the worry and tension is not specific, and simply inhibits a
person's ability to get through the day. People suffering from GAD
may experience:
- inability to relax
- inability to fall asleep or stay asleep
- trembling or irritability
- twitching or muscle
- tension headaches
- sweating or hot flashes
- feeling lightheaded or out of breath
- feeling nauseated
- going to the bathroom frequently
- feeling tired or unable to concentrate
Treatment
Treatment for anxiety disorders usually involves both medication
and psychotherapy. Studies have shown with proper treatment, 70-80
percent of people with panic disorders significantly improve and
often within 6-8 weeks.
There are many different drugs used to treat anxiety symptoms;
therefore, it is possible that if one type is not effective,
another may be. Many of these medications have side effects, so the
patient should be monitored and observed closely.
Behavioral therapy and cognitive-behavioral therapy are also
very effective in treating these disorders. Behavioral therapy
focuses on changing specific actions and uses different techniques
to stop this behavior. One technique involves diaphragmatic
breathing which is a form of deep-breathing. Another technique
called exposure therapy gradually exposes the patient to the object
or situation which frightens him/her and helps the patient to
develop coping skills.
Cognitive-behavioral therapy teaches the persons new skills in
order to react differently to the situations which trigger the
anxiety or panic attacks. Patients also learn to understand how
their thinking patterns contribute to the symptoms and how to
change their thinking to reduce or stop these symptoms.
For More Information
Call Ten Broeck Hospital at 502-426-6380 or 1-800-866-8876
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