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