Anxiety and Associated Disorders

"For god's sake, I am not insane." Yes, you are absolutely right. It's just anxiety.

Every single person who forms a part of this modern pandemonium blabbers these statements more than a few times in their lives. It is absolutely normal to do so. Just because you check on the doors to see if they're locked more than once, have butterflies in your stomach before a meeting or a presentation, forget important things because you are preoccupied with something or scream at a person for no particular reason need not necessarily mean that you are on the verge of insanity. These are just your body's natural way of responding to some threats, changes or new situations. You can call it anxiety.

When and how does anxiety become a disorder? To examine this, we should first have a look at what the term anxiety means.

The dictionary defines anxiety as "distress or uneasiness of mind caused by fear of danger or misfortune; earnest but tense desire; eagerness." It is derived from the Latin word 'angere' meaning to choke, or strangle. Anxiety becomes synonymous with panic which in turn is derived from the Greek god Pan; who legend-wise could inspire overwhelming and irrational fear, especially when disturbed from his sleep. This explanation clearly dispels our mistaken notion of anxiety being of modern twentieth century origin.

Anxiety has been there since time immemorial, only then it did not enjoy the status it seems to enjoy today. Today anxiety and anxiety-related disorders are discussed extensively in medical and non-medical spheres. According to 2010 statistics reports, one and a half percent of the world's population suffers from anxiety disorders. Some famous personalities who were also anxiety disorder victims include Abraham Lincoln, Lord Tennyson, Isaac Newton, John Stuart and Michael Jackson. Among the modern-day victims we have Oprah Winfrey, Johny Depp, Naomi Campbell and Nicholas Cage.

Anxiety as we have seen is a perfectly normal human reaction. It becomes a disorder only when it reaches the extreme. The moment your anxiety interferes with your daily life and prevents you from living life the way you want it, you can confirm that you are having anxiety disorder. Anxiety disorder, in medical terms can be defined as "chronic condition characterized by an excessive and persistent sense of apprehension with physical symptoms such as sweating, palpitations, and feelings of stress."Anxiety disorders can be diagnosed by a self-help test. When you are in a fix as to whether you are suffering from anxiety or anxiety disorder, just take a moment to answer the following questions.

Ask yourself

Do you worry constantly and appear tense for no reason?

Do you feel that something bad is always round the corner?

Do you avoid everyday places and situations out of anxiety?

Do you have trouble concentrating?

Do you always imagine the worst?

Do you sweat profusely; feel tired, restless and irritable most of the time?

If your answers are in the positive for most of these questions, then it's possible that you may be suffering from anxiety disorder.

Different people react differently to anxiety and stress. Medical experts have identified six major types of anxiety disorders.

Six types of Anxiety Disorders

Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD): In simple terms if you are a person possessed by an excessive irrational fear and worry about ordinary everyday things like money matters, health issues, family problem or workplace problems, you are likely to have GAD. Insomnia, stomach upset, restlessness and fatigue are some tell-tale symptoms of GAD. If the above combination of emotional and physical symptoms continue to persist for a period of 6 months or more, then you can be diagnosed for GAD. Recent studies in GAD reveal that heredity and disposition play an important role in GAD. If you have a parent or relative suffering from chronic worry, there are chances that you may also develop it. When a child sees his mother worrying all the time out of stress, he may also do the same in times of stress. Other reasons include traumatic experiences, abuse or family feuds.

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD): Checking on the door locks once or twice is normal anxiety but waking up in the middle of the night several times to do the same action is an anxiety disorder. OCD is characterised by recurring unwanted thoughts or behaviours that simply refuses to leave you alone. They haunt you to a point where you cannot control them. OCD is caused by the dysregulation or dysfunctioning of a circuit in the brain which in turn is affected by an imbalance in the neurochemical serotonine.

Panic Disorder: Repeated panic attacks or the acute fear and anxiety of experiencing another panic episode are the characteristics of panic disorder. Panic attacks can also cause people to withdraw or avoid certain places and situations like airplanes, social gatherings and the like. Genetics, imbalance in brain's chemical messengers and the sudden trigger of the body's alarm system called the fight-or-flight response are some known factors for causing panic disorder.

Phobia: Unrealistic fear of an object, activity or situation that in reality is of no or little danger is called phobia. Fear of spiders, crowded places and heights are a few examples. You fear them to the extent of completely avoiding them. Certain genetic and environmental factors contribute to the cause of this disorder.

Post-Traumatic-Stress Disorder (PTSD): As the name suggests, PTSD occurs in the aftermath of a traumatic or life-threatening incident. Death of a parent in a terrible accident can cause PTSD in the child who suffers from flashbacks and nightmares about that incident. Such victims tend to startle easily, hyperventilate and also withdraw from others.

Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD): SAD is characterised by the intense fear of being looked upon negatively by others. You are so scared of being embarrassed in front of your interviewer that you simply avoid giving interviews for jobs. The thought of not measuring up to others in comparison and lack of self confidence leads to this disorder. 

Back to Life

Anxiety disorders needn't scare you anymore. Modern breakthrough in medicine and psychiatry has come out with effective medication and behavioural therapies capable of eliciting positive responses from Anxiety disorder victims. Apart from this, learn to find time for yourself, read good books, talk to loved ones, eat healthy, drink lots of water, exercise regularly and most important, sleep well. Positive changes in your lifestyle can go a long way in reducing anxiety and anxiety related disorders in your life.