Anxiety Disorder Facts
Sometimes people can feel anxious about their everyday lives and certain events. There are different kinds of anxiety disorders that people can get. Panic disorders are episodes of fear that strike often and sometimes without any warning.
Post traumatic stress disorder is probably the best known anxiety disorder, it is no longer a phenomenon that affects soldiers alone. If you have ever been involved in a car crash, a physical assault, or some sort of abuse then you would most likely be suffering from post traumatic stress.
Do you flush your toilet 10 times in a row? Or maybe you have to get up every hour to check that your windows and doors are still locked? If you recognize either of these behaviors or maybe you do something similar then there is a good chance that you suffer from Obsessive compulsive disorder.
Phobias are another type of anxiety. There are two types of phobias, social phobia and specific phobia. People who have social phobia have fear of embarrassment, humiliation, scrutiny, causing them to avoid social situations and miss out on other important activities in their life.
Specific phobia is where you experience a fear of things that pose no danger to you. This will cause a person to avoid certain objects and situations. This can limit peoples lives in many ways. Another type of anxiety disorder is generalized anxiety disorder. This is when you have constant thoughts of worry and tension about you daily routines, life events and other activities. Even though there is no reason to expect it, you almost will always think the worst. The physical symptoms are fatigue, tension, nausea, headache, and trembling.
Anxiety disorders have traditionally been treated with a mixture of drugs and psychotherapy. People often have years of treatment and some people never recover enough to enjoy a full life.
Antidepressants and benzodiazepines are two of the most commonly prescribed drugs for anyone who suffers from anxiety. Your Dr will try one then the other, make sure you let him know about any other medications you may be on before you start any medication.
While there are some very effective ways of treating anxiety with psychotherapy, including behavioral therapy and cognitive behavioral therapy, there are also a wide variety of new medications coming onto the market. Talk to your Dr about therapy first as it may have less side effects than any medications.
Understanding your thinking and why you act in certain ways will help you change the way you think and act in certain situations. That is exactly what behavioral therapy does for you.