| Anxiety disorders are among the most common | | | | |
| mental illlnesses in the UK. They cover | | | | Symptoms |
| everything from panic disorder, phobias and | | | | |
| obsessive compulsive disorder to | | | | Psychiatrists divide anxiety into three main |
| post-traumatic stress disorder. Anxiety | | | | types: general anxiety, phobias and panic |
| disorders can affect all aspects of a | | | | disorder. If there's a particularly difficult |
| person's overall health. For example, | | | | situation at work or at home, the stress that |
| patients with anxiety disorders are three | | | | this creates can spill over into other areas |
| times to five times more likely to visit a | | | | of life - and create anxiety. The patient is |
| physician than those without anxiety | | | | anxious or apprehensive and may show signs |
| disorders. They are also six times more | | | | like sweating, palpitation, dry mouth, and |
| likely to be hospitalized for psychiatric | | | | dizziness, and nausea, loss of appetite, |
| disorders. | | | | frequent urination, and difficulty in |
| | | | swallowing. There also seems to be a |
| Five major types of anxiety disorders are: | | | | correlation between GAD and other psychiatric |
| | | | disorders, including depression, phobia |
| * Generalized Anxiety Disorder | | | | disorder, and panic disorder. Anxiety is a |
| | | | risk factor for sleep disorders such as |
| * Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) | | | | insomnia. |
| | | | |
| * Panic Disorder | | | | Treatment |
| | | | |
| * Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) | | | | Before treatment begins, a doctor must |
| | | | conduct a careful diagnostic evaluation to |
| * Social Phobia (or Social Anxiety Disorder) | | | | determine whether a person's symptoms are |
| | | | caused by an anxiety disorder or a physical |
| Causes | | | | problem. Antidepressants were developed to |
| | | | treat depression but are also effective for |
| Everyone feels anxious at times. Challenges | | | | anxiety disorders. |
| such as workplace pressures, public speaking, | | | | |
| highly demanding schedules or writing an exam | | | | Some people need treatment throughout their |
| can lead to a sense of worry, even fear. A | | | | lives, while others may recover completely |
| number of factors may increase the reported | | | | after a period of treatment with counseling |
| risk in women, including hormonal factors, | | | | and medications. |
| cultural pressures to meet everyone else's | | | | |
| needs except their own, and fewer | | | | Medications may be used alone or in |
| self-restrictions on reporting anxiety to | | | | combination with these techniques. Patients |
| doctors. One study indicated that if such | | | | should not avoid anxiety-relieving |
| children could be identified as early as 2 | | | | medications for fear of becoming addicted. |
| years of age they possibly could be treated | | | | Their doctors will give them sufficient |
| to avoid later anxiety disorders. Another | | | | medication to alleviate the symptoms and |
| brain structure called the hippocampus also | | | | decrease the amount of the drug as the |
| helps process threatening signals and changes | | | | symptoms diminish. |
| information into memories. | | | | |