6 Major Anxiety Disorder attacks in the USA. What is Generalized Anxiety Disorder?
What is Anxiety?
Anxiety is a sensation of tension, concerned thoughts, and bodily changes such as elevated blood pressure. Anxiety disorders are caused by repeated intrusive thoughts or concerns. They may avoid certain situations because they are worried.
In stressful situations, such as public speaking or passing an exam, anxiety is common. When sensations become overwhelming, all-consuming, and interfere with everyday functioning, anxiety is just a symptom of the underlying sickness.
What are Anxiety Disorders?
Anxiety is a normal stress reaction, and it may be useful in some instances. It can warn us of impending risks and assist us in preparing and paying attention. Worry disorders are distinguished from typical sensations of uneasiness or anxiety by the presence of excessive dread or anxiety.
Anxiety disorders are the most prevalent type of mental illness, affecting about 30% of individuals at some time in their life. Anxiety disorders, on the other hand, are treated, and a variety of effective therapies are available. Treatment enables the majority of individuals to live normal, productive lives.
Anxiety attack common symptoms:
- Feeling uneasy, agitated, or tense
- Feelings of imminent danger, terror, or disaster
- Having a faster heart rate
- Rapid breathing (hyperventilation)
- Sweating
- Trembling
- Weakness or exhaustion
- Having difficulty concentrating or thinking about anything other than the current worry
- Having trouble falling asleep
- Having gastrointestinal (GI) issues
- Have difficulties regulating your anxiety
- Having a strong desire to avoid things that cause anxiety
Major Types of Anxiety Disorders in the USA:
1. Generalized Anxiety Disorder
2. Panic Disorder
3. Phobia, specific phobia
4. Agoraphobia
5. Social Anxiety Disorder
6. Separation Anxiety Disorder
1.Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)
Generalized anxiety disorder is associated with a wide range of concern that disrupts daily activities.
This constant concern and tension may be accompanied by bodily symptoms such as restlessness, feeling tense or quickly exhausted, difficulty focusing, muscular strain, or sleeping difficulties. Worries about ordinary things like job commitments, family health, or little issues like chores, vehicle maintenance, or appointments are typical.
According to ADAA (Anxiety & Depression Association of America),GAD affects 6.8 million individuals, or 3.1 percent of the adult population in the United States, although only 43.2 percent receive therapy. Women are twice as likely as men to be impacted. GAD is frequently associated with major depression.
Generalized Anxiety Disorder Symptoms:
- Feeling restless, tense, or nervous
- Being quickly exhausted
- I’m having trouble concentrating; my mind is blank.
- Having a bad temper
- Tension in the muscles
- Difficulty in regulating anxious feelings
- Having sleep issues, such as trouble getting or staying asleep, agitation, or unpleasant sleep
Treatment for Generalized Anxiety Disorder:
GAD can be efficiently treated with psychotherapy, medication, or a combination of the two, much like other anxiety disorders. CBT (cognitive-behavioral treatment) provides anxiety-handling skills, allowing people with GAD to learn to regulate their concerns on their own.
2. Panic Disorder (PD)
Panic disorder is defined by frequent, sudden panic attacks. Panic attacks are brief bursts of acute terror that begin suddenly and climax within minutes. Attacks can happen out of nowhere or as a result of a trigger, such as a dreaded object or circumstance.
Many people who are undergoing a panic attack mistake it for a heart attack or another life-threatening condition. They might go to a hospital’s emergency room.
Panic attacks can be predicted, such as a reaction to a feared item, or they can be unexpected, appearing out of nowhere. The average age of onset for panic disorder is 20-24 years old. Panic attacks can arise as a result of different mental illnesses such as depression or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
According to ADAA (Anxiety & Depression Association of America), PD affects 6 million individuals in the United States or 2.7 percent of the population. Women are twice as likely as men to be affected.
Panic Disorder Symptoms:
- Palpitations, a hammering heart, or a fast heart rate are all symptoms of a heart attack.
- Sweating
- Shaking or trembling
- Feelings of being suffocated or short of air
- Pain in the chest
- Feeling light-headed, dizzy, or faint
- Choking sensation
- Tingling or numbness
- Hot flashes or chills
- Nausea or stomach aches
- Distancing yourself
- Fear of letting go of control
- Fear of death
Treatment for PD:
Panic disorder may be diagnosed and treated, and most patients can be cured in four to eight weeks with antidepressant medication, behavioral therapy, or a combination of the two.
3. Phobia, specific phobia
The term “phobia” describes a set of anxious sensations triggered by certain things or circumstances. A particular phobia, sometimes known as a specific phobia, is a long-term, irrational dread triggered by the presence or idea of a single object or circumstance that provides little or no actual harm.
Specific phobias affect 19 million people in the United States or 8.7% of the population. Women are twice as likely as men to be affected. Symptoms usually appear in childhood, with an average age of onset of 7 years.
Anxiety disorders such as obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are intimately linked to anxiety disorders, which some people may have accompanying depression.
Specific Phobia symptoms:
- Flying
- Heights
- Specific animals, such as spiders, dogs, or snakes
- Receiving injections
- Blood
Treatment for Specific Phobia:
Exposure therapy, a type of psychotherapy, is the most effective treatment for certain phobias. Other therapy or medications may be suggested by your doctor. Understanding the origins of a phobia is less significant than concentrating on how to address the phobia’s long-term avoidance behavior.
The most effective technique to overcome a phobia is to gradually and repeatedly expose yourself to the thing you’re afraid of in a safe and controlled environment. You’ll learn to ride out the tension and panic until it passes during this exposure period.
4. Agoraphobia
Agoraphobia is the anxiety of being in situations where escaping is difficult or embarrassing, or when support is unavailable if panic symptoms occur.
People with agoraphobia sometimes avoid these circumstances because they believe it will be difficult or impossible for them to escape if they suffer panic attacks or other unpleasant symptoms. A person with the most severe type of agoraphobia may become housebound.
In the United States, between 1% and 2% of individuals have been diagnosed with agoraphobia. It affects around 2% of teenage boys and girls. Women are more likely to suffer from agoraphobia.
Agoraphobia symptoms:
- Taking use of public transit
- Exploring open spaces
- Being in confined spaces
- Being in a throng or standing inline
- Being alone outside the home
Treatment for Agoraphobia:
Around a third of patients with agoraphobia recover completely and are symptom-free for the rest of their lives. Around half of the people report improved symptoms, but they may have periods where their symptoms worsen, such as when they are anxious.
While some people want to know how to get rid of agoraphobia quickly, it is not a simple task. When you have this anxiety-related illness, you can enhance your quality of life by using a mix of medication and psychotherapy.
5. Social Anxiety Disorder
In social interactions, a person with a social anxiety disorder has substantial worry and discomfort about being embarrassed, humiliated, rejected, or looked down on.
People with this illness will either strive to avoid or endure the circumstance with extreme anxiety.
SAD affects 15 million people in the United States or 6.8% of the population.
SAD affects both men and women equally and usually begins around the age of 13. According to a 2007 ADAA survey, 36% of patients with social anxiety disorder have had symptoms for ten years or more before seeking therapy.
Social Anxiety Disorder Symptoms:
- Extreme fear of public speaking,
- Meeting new people,
- Eating/drinking in public
Treatment for Social Anxiety Disorder:
Women are more likely to have it than men. Social anxiety disorder, on the other hand, is treatable. People can get support through talking therapy, cognitive therapy (CBT), and drugs to get rid of their symptoms.
6. Separation Anxiety Disorder
Separation anxiety disorder is characterized by an extreme worry or anxiety over being separated from persons to whom one is devoted.
The emotion is out of proportion to the person’s age, lasts for a long time (at least four weeks in children and six months in adults), and interferes with daily functioning.
A person with a separation anxiety disorder may be constantly concerned about losing the person closest to him or her, hesitant or unwilling to leave the house or sleep away from that person or have dreams about separation.
Separation anxiety affects about 4% to 5% of children aged 7 to 11 years in the United States. It is less frequent among teenagers, affecting just approximately 1.3 percent of all teenagers in the United States. It has an equal impact on both males and girls.
Separation Anxiety Disorder Symptoms:
Children:
- clinging to his or her parents
- crying that is both intense and harsh
- unwillingness to engage in activities that need separation
- Headaches or vomiting are examples of physical sickness.
- Temper outbursts that are aggressive and passionate.
- refusing to attend school.
- bad academic achievement
- failure to engage with other children in a healthy manner
Adults:
When loved ones are out of reach, people with adult separation anxiety disorder feel extreme levels of anxiety, and sometimes even panic attacks. When separated from loved ones, people with this illness may become socially reclusive, exhibit severe grief, or have difficulties concentrating.
Treatment for Separation Anxiety Disorder:
Kids: For separation anxiety disorder, cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is an effective kind of psychotherapy. During treatment, your child will learn how to confront and manage separation and uncertainty anxieties.
Adults: Adult separation anxiety, like other anxiety disorders, can harm your quality of life, but it is treatable. If you feel you or someone you care about is suffering from this condition, get medical advice. The American Psychiatric Association is a professional association of psychiatrists.
“Man is not worried by real problems so much as by his imagined anxieties about real problems― Epictetus
This quote will say the real reason for anxiety. Let’s be aware and avoid the anxiety
