Anxiety Disorders
Generalized Anxiety Disorder
The most common psychiatric complaints in patients applying to health institutions are anxiety disorder and generalized anxiety disorder.
Anxiety is a fear-like condition that is seen from time to time in many people. It is a negative emotion. Normally, anxiety is a reaction to stress that can generally be seen in everyone. In this way, the person protects the cat by taking the necessary precautions in case of danger. Normal level of anxiety protects the person from all kinds of dangers. Disease-level anxiety is a state of disruption of a normal response and mechanism to stress. In this case, the reactions are more severe than expected and last longer than they should. It severely disrupts the person's daily life and functionality. The person is in a state of distress, anxiety and fear for an unknown reason, as if he/she will receive bad news or a disaster will occur. It is stated that in more severe cases, even the most severe physical pain does not bother that much.
A general state of restlessness and anxiety prevails in these patients. These people are very anxious, uneasy and worried about the changes in their daily lives and human relations. They are impulsive, get angry easily, get startled easily, and sometimes become extremely restless. Even though there is no obvious impairment in people's intellectual capacities and cognitive abilities, inattention and temporary forgetfulness may occur due to the distress and anxiety they experience. Most patients constantly worry that something bad will happen and experience a feeling similar to fear. This situation can cause mental depression. These psychological symptoms may also be accompanied by physical complaints such as accelerated heartbeat, palpitations, increased blood pressure, dry mouth, frequent urination, convulsions, goosebumps, sweating, facial flushing and difficulty breathing.
Generalized anxiety disorder The lifetime incidence in the general population is reported to be 3-6%. It appears to be twice as common in women as in men. Generalized anxiety disorder usually begins in late adolescence and early adulthood. The first symptoms usually appear between the ages of 25 and 30. It has a chronic course with exacerbations and remissions. Common symptoms in these patients In addition to anxiety disorder, major depression, panic attacks, phobias, alcohol addiction and some personality disorders may also be present.
Treatment :
Medical treatment (medication), psychotherapy, and both can be used in the treatment of generalized anxiety disorder. Studies have shown that both methods are effective. Antidepressant drugs are used in the drug treatment of generalized anxiety disorder. Among these, the group of drugs recommended as the first choice is selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, which are antidepressants. Then, drugs such as benzodiazepines, antiadrenergic drugs, buspirone and pregabalin, an antiepileptic drug that has recently become available, are used. Long-term use of benzodiazepine group drugs is dangerous due to the risk of addiction and sleep-inducing effects.
Psychotherapy options such as cognitive behavioral therapy, supportive psychotherapy, analytical psychotherapy, relaxation techniques and EMDR are used in the treatment of generalized anxiety disorder. FAMILY'S APPROACH TO THE ADOLESCENT IN SOCIETY
We have all become adolescents and have experienced teenage problems well. We had a bad time too. Let's remember how, when we enter adolescence, we suddenly find ourselves aggressive, angry at everything, always wanting freedom, not being treated like a child or an adult, and feeling distressed and anxious. Let's think about how our anxiety and tension increases and our desire to live fades away when we are not approached with understanding and love during this period. Although we all experience these feelings, for some reason, when we become parents, we treat our children as if they had never experienced this period.
Adolescence is a transition period. When a child begins to enter adolescence, he experiences the confusion of not being a child but also not being an adult. Due to the activities of hormones, he constantly experiences changes in his emotional state that even he cannot understand.
With the struggle to establish his personality, the adolescent begins to experience concepts such as pride, morality, autonomy, independence, etc. more intensely. In this period, we begin to question and understand our sexual, religious, cultural, physical, professional and relationship identities. starts.
During adolescence, the family has great responsibilities and duties. Life with the adolescent training given to the family is very useful. Parents must first perceive that the adolescent performs some behaviors under the influence of hormones. One of the biggest mistakes made is reflecting their own negative adolescence and current tensions to the adolescent child.
Although the desire for independence is high in adolescents, they try to stay connected to their families while trying to be independent, just like the secure attachment to the caregiver in infancy and childhood. The parents' duty here is to keep their ties with the adolescent as strong as possible while giving them controlled independence. Such as meals eaten as a family every evening, playing games together, watching television or reading books, tea conversations... While doing these, it is very important to avoid questions and conversations that will make the adolescent uneasy, so that the adolescent continues these activities willingly.
What parents miss The most important issue; Pride, personality, starting to care about the value judgments of the environment... and how to behave in the social environment with adolescents who are starting to develop similar values. The parent should never use words or behavior that will offend the adolescent in society and social environments, in front of his friends or other people, and should try to explain the private issues he needs to talk about when he is alone and in proper, non-offensive sentences. The adolescent whose pride is hurt and offended will first lose his trust in the parent and begin to move away from the parent. He will become more insecure and withdrawn in the society in which he is offended, and will try not to be around his parents in society much for fear of being offended again at any time. These will widen the gap between parent and adolescent day by day.
If we know what our child will experience and feel when he enters adolescence and how we should approach him, both our child and we can easily get through the adolescence period without the relations between us getting too worn out. . Therefore, we must first empathize and put ourselves in his/her shoes. How difficult were these times? Let's remember what we are and what kind of approaches we expect. If our emotional state is not suitable for remembering these, we must get support from an expert and learn how to approach our child's problems.
Cognitive behavioral therapy is the most effective type of psychotherapy used in the treatment of generalized anxiety disorder. In this treatment, patients are given psycho-education about their illness and are helped to realize their thinking flaws. Patients are consciously confronted with situations and thoughts that create fear and anxiety, and attempts are made to desensitize them to them.
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