The most common psychiatric complaints in patients applying to health institutions are anxiety disorder and generalized anxiety disorder.
Anxiety is a negative emotion similar to fear that is seen in many people from time to time. 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 disturb this 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. In these patients, in addition to generalized 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 together 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 is an antidepressant. 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.
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.
Read: 0
