A Guide To Anxiety Disorders

Anxiety disorders are one of the most common psychiatric illnesses affecting both children and adults.  There are about 40 million known cases in the United States alone.  These disorders usually develop from a complex set of risk factors which may include personality, brain chemistry, genetics, and life events.  Though anxiety disorders may be derived from so many factors, they are highly treatable.  However, perhaps because of the stigma attached to anxiety disorders, only about one in three people afflicted actually receive any type of treatment.

It is important to know that the phrase “anxiety disorder” is an umbrella term for more specialized disorders including Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD), Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), Panic Disorder, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Social Anxiety Disorder (Social Phobia), and Specific Phobias.  Regardless of what specific anxiety disorder a person has, they can be quite debilitating with a variety of symptoms.  In most cases, anxiety disorders present themselves with other mental disorders such as depression.

The symptoms of anxiety orders may manifest themselves at an early age or start suddenly, perhaps after a triggering event.  During high stress periods, anxiety disorder symptoms may present themselves more frequently or with greater severity.  Symptoms include sweating, headache, muscle spasms, hypertension, palpitations, fatigue, and exhaustion to name a few.

As mentioned, anxiety disorders are highly treatable.  Patients suffering from anxiety orders may be treated by psychosocial therapies, medication, or a combination of both.  Psychosocial therapies are usually attempted first and include Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT), anxiety management, relaxation therapies, exposure therapy, and psychotherapy.  These therapies always involve working closely with a mental health professional, usually a psychiatrist, psychologist or social worker.  During such therapies, patients and professionals discover what the source of the anxiety disorder is and how to deal with it.

Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy is one of the most useful of the therapies for anxiety disorders.  CBT actually helps people change their thinking patterns so that their reactions to anxiety-provoking situations become less severe.  Successful CBT can make patients understand that their panic or anxiety attack is not really a heart attack

Many times, anxiety disorders are treated with not only psychotherapies but also with medications.  The drugs most commonly associated with anxiety disorder treatment include SSRIs, which are selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, beta blockers, benzodiazepines, tricyclic antidepressants, and MAOIs, which are monoamine oxidase inhibitors.  Medication alone will not cure anxiety disorders, but will help keep them under control.

The most successful treatments of anxiety disorders involve the combination of medication and psychotherapy.  Many doctors will prescribe medication shortly after diagnosis so that the symptoms are alleviated quickly (usually within 4 to 6 weeks) and allows the psychotherapy protocol time to become effective.