What is anxiety?
Anxiety is a feeling of worry, nervousness, or fear about an event or situation. It is a normal reaction to stress. Anxiety can help you stay alert for a challenging situation at work, study harder for an exam, or remain focused on an important speech. In general, it helps you cope. When it becomes hard to control and affects your day-to-day life, it can be disabling.
What is an anxiety disorder?
Anxiety disorders happen when excessive anxiety interferes with your everyday activities such as going to work or school or spending time with friends or family. Anxiety disorders are serious mental illnesses.
Anxiety disorders are the most common mental disorders in the United States. They affect up to 40 million American adults each year. Women are more than twice as likely as men to develop an anxiety disorder in their lifetime. Anxiety disorders are highly treatable, yet less than 37% of those suffering is treated.
What are the major types of anxiety disorders?
There are several major types of anxiety disorders. They all have their own traits and impact people in distinct ways.
Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) causes excessive worry about regular aspects of life, like family or income. It can happen daily and make it hard to get through the day or sleep at night.
Panic disorder involves frequent and sudden panic attacks, which are unexpected feelings of terror that happen without warning. Panic attacks can occur when there is no direct danger.
Phobias are a strong fear of something of little to no threat. This can include traveling by air or being around a large group of people.
What are the symptoms of anxiety disorders?
Anxiety disorders come with a mix of symptoms. They can vary by person and the type of anxiety disorder you have. Symptoms can also impact how you live and spend time with others.
There are many symptoms of anxiety. The symptoms below are shared across several types of anxiety disorders:
Anxious thoughts or beliefs
Feelings of fear and dread
Physical symptoms like a fast heartbeat or nausea
Changes in behavior like avoiding previous normal activities
What causes anxiety disorders?
Several factors can cause anxiety disorder. They can vary from one woman to another. A few common causes include:
Traumatic events in childhood or adulthood
Hormonal changes during one’s menstrual cycle
A family history of anxiety or other mental disorders
What are common treatment options?
For some people, treatment can help ease anxiety symptoms. There are several types of treatments for anxiety available to help you manage your symptoms every day, such as:
Counseling (psychotherapy or talk therapy)
This form of treatment includes talking with a trained mental health professional. Together, you can work through managing your anxiety.
Medicine
Medicine does not cure anxiety disorders but can help relieve symptoms. Health care providers can prescribe medicines for anxiety. The most common classes of medicines used to combat anxiety disorders are antidepressants, anti-anxiety medicines (such as benzodiazepines), and beta-blockers.
Talk with your health care provider to find out what treatment is right for you. You should also talk with your provider about the risks, benefits, and side effects before you start or stop a medical treatment.
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