Anxiety is an emotion that everyone experiences from time to time. However, in some people, anxiety may become persistent or occur for no reason. This condition is called anxiety disorder.
What is Anxiety?
Anxiety; It is a definition used for feelings of worry, anxiety, and anxiety. In daily life, anxiety is felt when taking an exam, starting a new job, moving to another place. These are conditions that can be seen in every human being. Normally, the feeling of anxiety and anxiety decreases over time and the person continues his life.
In people with anxiety disorder, feelings such as anxiety and depression become so serious that they interfere with daily life. These people become unable to continue their normal lives because of the anxiety they feel. While anxiety is a temporary state in healthy people, it can become permanent in people with anxiety disorders. In general, intense feeling of anxiety or having anxiety problems for more than 6 months can be a sign of anxiety disorder.
Anxiety disorders are quite common in the society. These disorders can affect people of all ages.
What are the Types of Anxiety?
There are many different types of anxiety disorders. The symptoms seen in each type or the situations that cause an anxiety attack are different. But in general, the problem is that the person has these feelings when there is no situation that causes the feeling of anxiety and anxiety. In some cases, it is when a person becomes more anxious and worried than usual in the face of an event that would normally cause anxiety.
The common types of anxiety in the society are as follows:
Common Anxiety Disorder: It is a disorder in which the feeling of extreme anxiety and anxiety is intense even in the face of routine, ordinary events. The person's reaction to events is excessive. In addition, the feeling of anxiety in the person; It also causes physical reactions such as increased heart rate and excessive sweating. Generalized anxiety disorder can be associated with other types of anxiety or disorders such as depression.
Panic Disorder: It is a disorder characterized by panic attacks that begin within a few minutes and are characterized by intense feelings of fear, anxiety and dread. Panic attacks recur at regular intervals. During the attack, the person has chest pain, shortness of breath, death. Symptoms such as pruritus and palpitations may occur. People with panic disorder constantly worry that the attack will recur and try to avoid situations where the attack occurs.
Social Phobia: It is a condition characterized by extreme anxiety and shame in front of the public. In this condition, also called social anxiety disorder, the person worries about being judged by others and exposed to negative criticism in social activities. Therefore, behaviors such as speaking in public and eating food are quite challenging for these people.
Separation Anxiety Disorder: It is a disorder especially seen in childhood. Separation anxiety from parents or close relationships in children is higher than normal. This disorder can occur in children as well as adults.
Selective Mutism: A condition in which the child has problems speaking in specific situations. For example, the child may not talk at school, but at home with close family members.
Specific Phobias: It is the intense feeling of anxiety felt in front of certain events or objects. The person tries to avoid situations that create this feeling. For example, agoraphobia can be defined as the fear of being in closed places. People with agoraphobia may feel imprisoned when they stay in places such as an elevator or a narrow room.
Anxiety Due to Medical Causes: It is the feeling of intense anxiety and panic that develops due to physical health problems.
What Causes Anxiety Disorder?
The conditions that cause anxiety disorder have not been fully clarified yet. However, it is thought that some factors may come together and be effective in the development of anxiety. These factors can be listed as follows:
Genetics: People with a family history of anxiety disorders are more likely to have this problem. Therefore, anxiety disorders may have a genetic basis.
Brain Chemistry: Some studies; It has been shown that problems in the chemical connections in the brain that control the feelings of fear and anxiety are effective in the development of anxiety disorder.
Environmental Stress: Stressful events encountered in life can also be effective in the development of anxiety disorder. Exposure to physical or emotional stress during childhood, abuse Events such as being abused, neglected by the family, losing a relative can cause anxiety. Excessive use or withdrawal of these substances may also cause anxiety.
Diseases: Heart, lung, and thyroid diseases may cause anxiety-like symptoms or worsen existing anxiety symptoms.
Who Gets Generalized Anxiety Disorder?
Generalized Anxiety Disorder is a condition that can occur in every person. However, generalized anxiety disorder is more common in women than men. Generalized anxiety disorder is more common in people aged 35-60. Factors that increase the risk for this disorder are as follows:
Personality: People with a shy or negative temperament or avoiding any dangerous situation; It is more prone to the development of generalized anxiety disorder.
Genetics: Generalized anxiety disorder can run in a family for generations.
Experiences: It is also at risk in people who have experienced childhood trauma and been exposed to adverse situations. People with a chronic medical condition or mental problems may develop generalized anxiety disorder.
What are the Symptoms of Generalized Anxiety Disorder?
Generalized anxiety disorder symptoms can differ from person to person. Common symptoms are as follows:
- Constantly feeling anxious and overwhelmed by events
- Perceiving even routine events as worrying
- Thinking about the worst-case scenario in the face of events and plan and schedule according to this scenario
- Not being able to handle the uncertainty
- Experiencing indecision for fear of making the wrong choice
- Not being able to let things go as usual
- Not being able to move on from one situation to another
- Not being able to relax
- Having difficulty concentrating
- Fatigue
- Difficulty falling asleep
- Muscle aches
- Shaking
- Tension
- Sweating
- Nausea
- Diarrhea
- Irritability.
Children and adolescents have similar anxiety problems as adults. In addition to these problems, in children;
- School performance
- Success in sports activities
- Safety of relatives
- Punctuality
- Earthquake, There may also be a feeling of extreme anxiety about devastating events such as war or apocalypse.
How to Do An Anxiety Test?
A detailed mental and physical examination is made of people who apply to a doctor with symptoms of anxiety disorder. Conditions such as a medical illness or substance use that may cause anxiety symptoms in the patient are investigated. The doctor asks the patient questions about his thoughts, feelings, and behavior. The answers to these questions help to understand whether the person has an anxiety disorder. Doctors diagnose the patient's signs and symptoms by evaluating them according to internationally accepted criteria.
Psychotherapy and drug therapy are basically used in the treatment of anxiety. Psychotherapy helps the patient to make his attitude towards events healthier. Drug treatment also provides relief of symptoms related to anxiety disorder.
Anxiety disorders are disorders that seriously reduce the quality of life of the person. Untreated anxiety disorder can cause problems in both private and social life of the person. In addition, it can negatively affect a person's academic life and career. For this reason, it is very important for people with anxiety disorders to consult a specialist and get the necessary help.
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