What is Anxiety?
It is not unusual for someone to say that they have anxiety about something, or that they are feeling anxious. But, what exactly is anxiety, and how do you treat anxiety?
Anxiety is defined by Merriam Webster as “an abnormal and overwhelming sense of apprehension and fear often marked by physical signs (such as tension, sweating, and increased pulse rate), by doubt concerning the reality and nature of the threat, and by self-doubt about one’s capacity to cope with it.” So, anxiety is a sense of being in turmoil, worrying, and being obsessive in one’s thoughts about something. It is a kind of mental preoccupation with a sense that something bad may be about to happen, but you’re not exactly sure what it is or why.
What are anxiety disorders?
All people feel anxiety at some time or another, and often their feelings are linked to something in their lives that they are naturally worried about or concerned with, but which usually only lasts for a short while until the matter is resolved. Anxiety disorders that require therapy or other treatments are periods of worry and mental turmoil that are relatively long-lasting and which are often unfocused on some concrete causative factor. Anxiety disorders are characterized by worry, upset, turmoil, and a sense of dread that occurs for significant periods of time, such as several months or more.
Anxiety disorders have the effect of throwing the person’s life into distress and a state of persistent mental preoccupation. Thus, the anxiety disorders that therapists treat have the effect of disrupting the normal flow of one’s life. They adversely affect one’s abilities to cope with and carry out daily activities or routines. Most significant — because the anxiety is persistent but has no specific object — experiencing anxiety can be very upsetting and can, in effect, take all the pleasure out of life.
People who suffer from anxiety disorders may also suffer from associated adverse psychological effects like depression or attempt to “self-medicate” through the use of alcohol or drugs to relieve the symptoms of anxiety.
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Anxiety disorders can be the result of a number of factors: there might be a genetic predisposition to being especially vulnerable to worry, fear, dread, and the possibility of negative outcomes. Childhood experiences can generate general anxiety. Anxiety might be caused by a real or potential threat, but the anxiety is not alleviated when the threat is no longer present or dissipates. Stressful events in life may also create anxiety disorders. When you seek therapy for anxiety, your therapist will work with you to determine the cause of your anxiety disorder and create effective coping mechanisms.
What are the symptoms of anxiety disorders?
Typical behaviors of anxiety disorders are:
- Excessive and persistent worry
- Obsessive and compulsive thoughts and action
- Panic attacks under certain circumstances or without apparent causes
- Irrational and intense fears of commonplace things or situations.
- A sudden onset of responses such as heavily beating heart, breathing problems, gastric distress, headaches, unusual sweating, feelings of choking, feeling faint, and/or feeling “shaky.”
Are anxiety disorders common?
Studies have shown that about 18 percent of Americans — around 40 million people — are suffering from some form of anxiety disorder.
Treatment for Anxiety Disorders
Psychological treatment for anxiety disorders can be effective in reducing or eliminating symptoms altogether.
The psychologist will work with the person having anxiety problems to identify the source and specific characteristics of the anxiety problems and to create a treatment plan to diminish the feelings of anxiety and other symptoms.
Psychological counseling for anxiety and other disorders is available and can be incredibly effective when dealing with an anxiety disorder.
To schedule an appointment with our therapist in Beverly Hills, please give us a call at 310.999.4996. We welcome patients from the Greater Los Angerles area.
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