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Anxiety

What is Anxiety?

 

Anxiety is a normal experience to have. Most people feel nervous or worried in certain situations, such as speaking in public, job interviews, or a tough exam. The brain’s response to these stressors often triggers the fight or flight system. This fight-or-flight response is essential to human survival and has enabled humans to respond rapidly to threats. Unfortunately, for 40 Million Americans who suffer from an anxiety disorder, as part of everyday life, this fight or flight system is activated more than is helpful. For these individuals, anxiety disorders such as generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), social anxiety disorder, and panic disorder will start to take over their world and interfere with daily functioning. These anxiety disorders can result from family genetics, brain chemistry, environmental conditions, or stressful events. Anxiety affects men and women equally and can start early in life and continue until later in life. The sooner an anxiety sufferer gets effective treatment, the sooner they can regain control of their life. [1]

 

Common Symptoms of Anxiety:


 

Physical

 

  • Stress

  • Restlessness

  • Shortness of breath

  • Difficulty breathing

  • Racing heart

  • Sweating

  • Muscle tension

  • Chest pain

  • Fatigue

  • Nausea

  • Trouble sleeping

  • Stomach aches

  • Constipation



 

Mental/ Emotional

 

  • Excessive worry

  • Irritability

  • Racing thoughts

  • Unwanted intrusive thoughts

  • Feeling of impending doom

  • Irrational fears

  • Difficulty concentrating

  • Difficulty making decisions

  • Difficulty handling uncertainty



 

Treatment

 

Anxiety disorders are highly treatable and people can experience an improvement in meaningful and valued living including experiencing a reduction in interfering symptoms. Treatment will include developing an individualized treatment plan following a comprehensive assessment.  

 

  • Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

  • Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP)

  • Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)

  • Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT)

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Anxiety Disorders

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  • Separation Anxiety Disorder

  • Selective Mutism

  • Specific Phobia

  • Social Anxiety Disorder

  • Panic Disorder

  • Agoraphobia

  • Generalized Anxiety Disorder


 

Sources:


[1] Anxiety and Depression Association of America. (2n.d.). Anxiety Disorders Fact and Statistics. Retrieved from https://adaa.org/understanding-anxiety/facts-statistics?gclid=Cj0KCQiAjbagBhD3ARIsANRrqEt5Ht1xUzkRaxLRoY9IaeEe9boRNqWUDLH5Gaa5Aa9onW5Jn-hdZEQaAppHEALw_wcB

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