Anxiety Disorder

 By : Wawan Kurniawan

    Anxiety disorder is a mental health disorder characterized by excessive feelings of worry, anxiety, and fear. Feeling anxious or nervous is a natural thing for everyone to feel when faced with certain situations that are considered uncomfortable. However, people with anxiety disorders tend to feel feelings of fear and anxiety excessively to interfere with daily activities. People with anxiety disorders will usually feel worried about various things, even when they are in normal situations.

There are several types of anxiety disorders, including:

1. Generalized anxiety disorder

         A person suffering from generalized anxiety disorder can feel anxious or excessively worried about various things, from work, health, to simple things, such as interacting with other people. This anxiety disorder can appear every day and interfere with activities. In addition to anxiety, people with a generalized anxiety disorder will also usually feel nausea, headaches, difficulty concentrating, shortness of breath, insomnia, easy tiredness, and tension.

 

2. Social Anxiety Disorder

         People with social anxiety disorder have a tremendous sense of anxiety or fear of the social environment in which they have to interact with other people. These things make the sufferer always try to avoid situations that require him to meet or interact with many people.

 

3. Phobia

         A phobia is a type of anxiety disorder that causes sufferers to have an excessive fear of certain objects, animals, or situations. Everyone has different phobias depending on the type of trauma they have experienced. People who have a phobia may experience panic attacks or intense fear when they see the thing that triggers the phobia.

 

4. PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder)

        Post-traumatic stress disorder or PTSD can occur in someone who has experienced a traumatic event. For example, someone who has been a victim of an earthquake or accident, then he survived. People who suffer from PTSD often find it difficult to forget the traumatic experience. These feelings then make him feel guilty, isolated, and difficult to socialize with other people. Sometimes, people who have PTSD can also experience insomnia and even depression.

 

5. Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

          People who suffer from OCD tend to do things over and over again to relieve the anxiety that comes from their minds. For example, when you are anxious, you always wash your hands more than 3 times because you always feel that your hands are still dirty. This disorder is difficult to control, is persistent, and can recur at any time.

 

6. Panic Disorder

          People with panic disorder usually feel afraid and panic for no apparent reason. Anxiety and panic attacks due to this disorder can appear at any time and occur suddenly. When panic disorder appears, sufferers can usually feel some other symptoms, such as palpitations, cold sweats, dizziness, shortness of breath, body shaking, and feeling weak.

Who is at Risk for Anxiety Disorders?

        A mix of genetic and environmental factors can increase a person's risk for developing an anxiety disorder. However, some people with the following conditions have a high risk of developing this disorder, such as:

1. Having certain personality traits, such as shyness or behavioral inhibition. Feeling uncomfortable and always avoiding unfamiliar people, situations, or environments.

2. A stressful or traumatic event in childhood or early adulthood.

3. Family history of anxiety or other mental health conditions.

4. Certain physical conditions, including thyroid problems and heart arrhythmias (unusual heart rhythms).

       Anxiety disorders are more common in women. Researchers are still studying why that happens. This may come from female hormones, especially those that fluctuate throughout the month. The hormone testosterone may also play a role in which men have more, thereby reducing anxiety. As already explained, feeling anxious is a natural thing and is not always interpreted as bad. However, the thing to watch out for is when feelings of anxiety continue to appear even though the triggering factor has disappeared. In this case, you should suspect an anxiety disorder. If feelings of anxiety appear excessively to interfere with activities, do not hesitate to ask a psychologist or psychiatrist for help to overcome them.

Symptoms or Characteristics of Anxiety Disorder

        A person suffering from this disorder usually has symptoms or characteristics that vary depending on the type of disorder experienced. However, common symptoms of an anxiety disorder include:

 

Physiological Symptoms

• cold or sweating

• Dry mouth

• Heart palpitations

• Nauseous

• Numbness or tingling in the hands or feet

• Muscle tension

• Hard to breathe

 

Mental Symptoms:

• Feeling panicky, afraid, and restless

• Nightmare

• Recurrent thoughts or flashbacks of traumatic experiences

• Uncontrollable obsessive thoughts

 

Behavioral symptoms:

• Inability to be still and calm

• Ritualistic behavior, such as washing hands repeatedly

• Difficulty sleeping