Anxiety Disorders Symptoms

Everyone feels anxiety and fear at times. It's an inevitable part of human nature. But when these feelings are persistent and interfere with everyday life, you could be suffering from an anxiety disorder.

A health professional can assist you in finding a treatment that fits your needs. This could include antianxiety or psychotherapy as well as natural remedies such as exercise and a healthy diet and sleep.

1. Worry and Fear

Every person experiences anxiety and fear at times. It's part of the body's "fight or flight" response to danger. If the fear or anxiety is intense and does not go away or interferes with daily life it could be a sign that you have anxiety disorder. Your doctor can diagnose anxiety disorders by speaking with you and conducting an examination and urine or blood tests, and examining your health history. You might also be asked to complete questionnaires to aid your doctor in determining whether you have an anxiety disorder.

Types of anxiety disorders have different symptoms. For instance, those with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) suffer from persistent, excessive and irrational worry about everyday situations even though they know there is no danger. They also have difficulty relaxing or falling asleep. Other signs include a fast or racing heart (heart pounding) and trembling. They also experience sweating. People with panic disorder have repeated moments of intense feelings of terror or fear that can reach an extreme within minutes, and they have difficulties controlling their emotions. They usually try to avoid certain activities or places to prevent these attacks from occurring.

People with phobias are very scared of certain things, such as flying or snakes. Other signs include headaches or breathing difficulties. People with PTSD have anxiety after witnessing or experiencing a traumatic incident, like a war or car accident. They may experience other symptoms, too, such as nightmares and flashbacks of the traumatizing incident.

Other types of anxiety disorders include ocd hoarding disorder, and social anxiety disorder, which causes you feel anxious in social situations. You may also experience anxiety over a specific health issue, which is referred to as illness anxiety disorder. Stress and a chemical imbalance can also cause anxiety. Certain medications can trigger anxiety as a side effect.

2. Panic Attacks

Individuals with anxiety disorders have recurring feelings of extreme anxiety and fear that are insignificant to the situation. These feelings can trigger intense physical reactions, including a racing heartbeat, shortness of breath and nausea. They can cause you to feel disoriented or disconnected from reality.

Although anyone can suffer from an anxiety attack but you're more likely to suffer from this type of mental health issue in your childhood, adolescence or early adulthood. There are many factors that can trigger it, such as prolonged or extreme stress that triggers chemical imbalances in your brain and nervous system. Traumas that are severe, especially during childhood or adolescence, can also increase your risk of developing anxiety disorders.

Panic attacks can occur for no apparent cause or in response to a circumstance that causes you to be scared, such as being in a large number of people. They are different from normal anxiety symptoms because they are more intense and are often unavoidable. Individuals with anxiety disorders may also experience a combination of expected and unexpected panic attacks.

The use of medication and talking therapies are the most commonly used treatments for anxiety and panic attacks. Talking therapies can help you manage your anxiety and reduce the irrational thoughts that fuel your anxiety. They can teach relaxation exercises such as deep breathing and mindfulness. Some medications -- especially SSRIs (such as Prozac and Paxil) and SNRIs (such as duloxetine and venlafaxine) can help make anxiety and anxiety less severe.

If you experience a frequent panic attack, it's crucial to consult your doctor and seek treatment right away. Your doctor can check for other health illnesses that share similar symptoms and suggest other treatments.

3. Insomnia

People who are anxious could be unable to fall asleep or staying asleep. This is known as insomnia. It can last for a short time or it may last for a long time. Sleep deprivation can make it difficult to function during the day and can cause serious health problems. It is more common among women than men and is more common in older adults. It is more common among people suffering from psychiatric issues.

Sleepiness can be caused by a variety of different causes. Sleep is affected by temporary illnesses like colds or headaches or chronic illnesses like acid reflux, Parkinson's disease, arthritis and medicines. Stressful life circumstances can also cause it. About half of those with chronic insomnia suffer from mental illness, the most common being anxiety or depression.

The first thing a doctor will do is look for physical causes of the issue. They will examine your medical history and ask about the symptoms making it difficult to sleep. They'll also want to be aware of whether any medications you take are affecting it. They may also perform an examination of your sleep to check your heart rate and breathing at night.

Behavioral therapy is the most effective treatment for insomnia. It helps you to change the negative thoughts that keep you awake. It also teaches you ways to unwind before you go to bed. There are techniques for doing this, like biofeedback, progressive muscle relaxation and meditation. Your doctor can help you locate a therapist that can teach you the techniques. If the behavioral therapy doesn't work it is possible to explore a range of medications to assist you in sleeping better. These include benzodiazepines that can be employed for short-term relief of symptoms and antidepressant or antianxiety medication.

4. Eating Disorders

The most common symptoms of eating disorders are obsessions with weight, body shape and food, as well eating habits like restricted eating, binge eating, purging (through vomiting or laxative misuse) and compulsive exercise. Many people with an eating disorder also have anxiety and have a mental illness co-occurring with it like bipolar or depression disorder. The two conditions can result in an unhealthy cycle where the eating disorder symptoms are further aggravated by the person's mood issues.

There is a strong link between anxiety and severity of eating disorders. Higher levels of anxiety symptoms are associated with the disorder. Patients with anorexia nervosa tend to have high levels of anxiety symptoms. Similar is the case for bulimia, binge-eating disorders or bulimia. In certain cases, anxiety can be the direct cause of an eating disorder. In other instances, it could be an additional symptom of an eating disorder.

In one study, researchers found that depression and anxiety symptoms were significantly linked to more severe eating disorder symptomatology among young females. The team of researchers used the Patient Health Questionnaire-4 (PHQ-4) which is a four-item measurement of anxiety and depression symptoms. They also analyzed the severity of an eating disorder, and asked participants to rate how they manage anxiety.

The authors also looked at three factors that could be a reason for the connection between anxiety and eating disorders self-esteem, perfectionism, and mood dysregulation. They found that these factors affected the relationship between depression and anxiety symptoms and eating disorder symptomatology, and that they did this in different ways for different subgroups of the sample. They hope that their findings will enable more specific and targeted treatment for eating disorders.

5. Anxiety-related physical conditions that can be linked to anxiety


A majority of people experience anxiety at some time in their lives, but it can turn into an illness if it's severe and causes problems in with daily activities. Some people may be experiencing physical symptoms, such as chest pain or stomach discomfort in relation to the kind of anxiety they're experiencing.

Getting the right treatment for anxiety disorders can help people feel better and lead happier lives. Many people benefit from psychotherapy or talk therapy. A common type is cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). CBT teaches how to identify and overcome negative thoughts that can trigger anxiety and anxiety. It also helps you confront the things that scare you and overcome your fears in small steps.

The use of medication can be beneficial. Benzodiazepines, such as diazepam or Valium can reduce anxiety and panic attacks. Antidepressants, such as tricyclic antidepressants or SSRIs, are also available for prescription. These drugs increase levels of certain brain chemicals that control mood and can be used on their own or together with other treatments to treat anxiety disorders.

Anxiety-related medical conditions can be caused by medical conditions and can have the same symptoms as anxiety disorders. For instance, head trauma can cause anxiety and depression. Other conditions that can elicit anxiety include chronic fatigue and pain and rheumatologic conditions, such as lupus; and a few nutritional deficiencies, like iron deficiency.

Certain factors increase the likelihood of developing anxiety disorders. These are known as risk factors. Some are genetic, like an ancestral history of anxiety disorders. Other factors, such as childhood addiction, depression or other mental disorders, as well as the accumulation of stress over time can increase the risk of suffering from anxiety disorders. This is why it's essential to have an accurate physical exam if you suspect you are suffering from anxiety.