What are the Common Symptoms and Causes of Anxiety
Anxiety is a part of normal human life. Everyone experiences some form of anxiety or nervousness when faced with big events such as a job interview or a wedding. Furthermore, small events can also trigger the jitters. Things such as an exam or blind date are just to name a couple.
Normal anxiety is actually beneficial. It motivates a person to take action (as in studying for that upcoming exam to calm worries of failure) and makes a person cautious and less reckless. However, normal anxiety comes and goes without affecting a persons life significantly. For about 19 million Americans with an anxiety disorder, it is quite a different story.
When Does Anxiety Become a Problem?
For those with abnormally high levels of anxiety, thoughts can become serious and irrational for no known reason or as a result of some small event. Feelings of fear, worry and dread become normal to them which then impacts negatively on their work or school life, family life and personal lives.
In order to understand the difference between normal and abnormal anxiety, let’s explore this example; two different people are waiting for a friend to arrive at a restaurant. The friend they are waiting on is now a half an hour late. The first person with normal anxiety will shrug off the situation believing the friend is caught in traffic and will be along shortly. However, in a person with chronic anxiety, the worry about their friend quickly turns to irrational thoughts and panic:
Oh, no. Something happened to my friend. Has she been in a car accident? Should I call the police? Oh, how will her family react to her being in a car accident? Will the injuries be serious?
These are just a few examples f the thoughts that may run through an anxiety suffers mind. These thoughts will be continuous and become more intense even after the friend has arrived.
What Causes Anxiety?
Anxiety is a serious disorder that can cripple someone with constant worrisome thoughts. While there are several different types of anxiety, a person is generally diagnosed with an anxiety disorder after having intense feelings of fear, panic or uneasiness for six months or longer.
The cause of anxiety disorder is part of a great debate; however researchers do agree that a genetic predisposition to the disorder is a common link. Symptoms of anxiety usually begin to manifest in childhood and adolescence although adult onset is not uncommon. Furthermore, women are twice as likely to experience anxiety disorders than men and all ethnic groups are affected equally.
Just as other mental disorders are affected by a chemical imbalance in the brain, anxiety is thought to have this cause as well. The chemicals Serotonin and GABA are areas of great interest for researchers trying to better understand anxiety. In addition to the chemical imbalance, researchers also believe that outside influences play a major role in affecting anxiety. Factors such as the loss of a job, living in a stressful environment or the death of a loved one can all bring on levels of anxiety.
Treatment
Because of its sensitive physiological nature, anxiety cannot be cured. Not yet.
It can however be managed through medication and cognitive behavior therapy. In addition, changes in lifestyle such as physical activity and diet can also assist in managing the symptoms of anxiety. The first step a person must take is to recognize that a problem exists and seek help.
A person who seeks treatment for anxiety has a great chance of living a life that is more normal and fulfilling.
Funmi Salami is a featured health writer on Clivir.com. She loves to write and share her knowledge about Anxiety Attack Causes and Obsessive Compulsive Anxiety Disorder on Clivir.
