What is anxiety disorder? This is a frequently asked question by many. Let's take a closer look. The feeling of anxiety and fear not only becomes the cause of human suffering, but also has a strong adaptive value. Fear helps us protect ourselves from emergencies, and anxiety allows us to be fully prepared in the event of an alleged threat. A sense of anxiety is considered a normal emotion. Everyone has ever experienced this. However, if anxiety becomes permanent and causes stress, affecting all aspects of a person’s life, it is most likely a mental deviation.
ICD anxiety disorder is code F41. Represents anxiety and anxiety for no apparent reason. These emotions are not a consequence of what is happening around the events and are caused by strong psycho-emotional stress.
Causes of Anxiety Disorders
What do doctors say about the factors contributing to the development of pathology? Why do such violations appear? Unfortunately, it has not yet been possible to establish the exact cause of the development of anxiety disorder. However, this condition is not, like other types of mental problems, a consequence of weak willpower, poor parenting, a defect in character, etc. Studies of anxiety disorders continue today. Scientists have found that the following factors contribute to the development of the disease:
- Changes in the brain.
- The influence of the environmental factor on the human body.
- Failure in the work of interneuronal connections involved in the occurrence of emotions.
- Prolonged stress. It can disrupt the transfer of information between brain regions.
- Diseases in the brain structures that are responsible for emotions and memory.
- Genetic predisposition to this type of disorder.
- Psychological trauma, stressful situations and other emotional upheavals in the past.
Provocative diseases
Scientists also identify a number of diseases that can affect the development of anxiety disorder:
- Mitral valve prolapse. Occurs when one of the heart valves cannot close properly.
- Hyperthyroidism It is characterized by increased activity of the gland.
- Hypoglycemia, which is characterized by a decrease in blood sugar.
- Abuse or dependence on stimulants of mental activity, such as drugs, amphetamines, caffeine, etc.
- Another manifestation of anxiety disorder is panic attacks, which are also able to appear against the background of certain diseases and for physical reasons.
Symptoms
Signs of anxiety disorder vary depending on the type of disease. Immediate contact with a specialist requires at least one of the following symptoms:
- A feeling of anxiety, panic and fear that occurs regularly and for no reason.
- Sleep disorder.
- Sweating and cold hands and feet.
- Shortness of breath, shortness of breath.
- Dry mouth.
- Tingling and numbness in the limbs.
- Persistent nausea.
- Dizziness.
- Increased muscle tone.
- Heart palpitations and chest pressure.
- Rapid breathing.
- Decreased visual acuity.
- Bilateral headache.
- Diarrhea and bloating.
- Difficulty swallowing.
Any manifestations of a mental disorder are invariably accompanied by a sense of anxiety and obsessive negative thoughts that distort the person's acceptance of reality.
Structure
The structure of anxiety disorder is heterogeneous and is formed by several components, including consciousness, behavior and physiology. The disorder affects behavior, performance, and can cause insomnia and stuttering, as well as stereotyped behavior and hyperactivity.
As for the physiological symptoms of anxiety disorder, quite often they are perceived as dangerous to human life and health, as patients see life as black and white, without halftones. They tend to invent non-existent facts, taking a headache for a brain tumor, chest pain for a heart attack, and rapid breathing for a sign of impending death.
Types of Anxiety Disorders
In order to prescribe adequate therapy, it is necessary to determine the type of ailment. Medical science identifies several options for personality disorder:
1. Phobias. They are fears that are incommensurable with the real scale of the threat. It is characterized by a panic state when it gets into certain situations. Controlling phobias is quite difficult, even if the patient wants to get rid of them. The most common anxiety-phobic disorders are social and specific phobias. The latter are characterized by a feeling of fear of a particular object or phenomenon. There are some common types of phobias, for example, animals, natural phenomena, specific situations, etc. Fears of injuries, injections, blood type, etc. are somewhat less common. So-called sociophobes are afraid of a negative assessment from other people. Such a person constantly thinks that he looks stupid, afraid to say something in public. As a rule, they lose social connections. It can also be attributed to symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder.
2. Post-traumatic stress disorder. This is a person’s reaction to certain situations that occurred in the past, which was difficult to resist. A similar situation could be the death of a loved one or severe trauma and other tragic circumstances. A patient with such a disorder is constantly under the yoke of obsessive memories. Sometimes this results in nightmares, hallucinations, delirium, the experience of what happened anew. Such people are characterized by emotional over-excitability, sleep disturbance, impaired concentration of attention, sensitivity and a tendency to attacks of causeless anger.
3. Acute stress anxiety disorder. Symptoms are similar to other types. The reason for its development most often becomes a situation that traumatizes the psyche of the patient. However, there are a number of significant differences between this disorder and post-traumatic. An acute disorder caused by stress is characterized by a lack of emotional reaction to events, a person perceives the situation as something unreal, thinks that he is sleeping, even his own body becomes a stranger to him. A similar condition can later be transformed into the so-called dissociative amnesia.
4. Panic disorder. As the name implies, the basis of this type are panic attacks. The latter occur unexpectedly and promptly lead the patient into a state of fear. Anxiety and panic disorder can last from a few minutes to an hour. Panic attacks are characterized by symptoms such as dizziness, shortness of breath, fainting, tremors, palpitations, nausea and upset stomach, numbness of the limbs, chills and fever, chest tightness and pain, loss of control over the situation and fear of death.
5. Generalized anxiety disorder. It differs from panic attacks in a chronic course. The duration of this condition can be up to several months. Typical symptoms of anxiety disorder of this type are: inability to relax, concentrate, fatigue, constant fear, irritation and tension, fear of doing something wrong, the difficult process of making any decision. The patient significantly reduces self-confidence and self-esteem. Such patients depend on the opinions of other people, experience a sense of inferiority, and are also convinced of the inability to achieve change for the better.
6. Obsessive compulsive disorder. The main characteristic of this form of anxiety disorders are ideas and thoughts that are repetitive, undesirable and inconsistent, as well as uncontrollable. They arise in the mind of the patient, and getting rid of them is quite difficult. Most often, there are compulsive disorders on the topic of germs and dirt, fear of illness or infection. Due to such obsessions, a lot of rituals and habits appear in the patient’s life, for example, constant washing of hands with soap, continuous cleaning of the apartment or round-the-clock prayers. Such rituals are a reaction to the emergence of obsessions, their main goal is to protect against anxiety. Most patients diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder also suffer from depressive conditions.
Diagnostics
How to identify anxiety-phobic disorder and other types of this pathology? Anxiety is diagnosed quite simply. Each of us encounters a similar phenomenon at least once in a lifetime. The condition is accompanied by a sense of impending troubles or threats. In the vast majority of cases, it does not last long and passes on its own after clarification of all circumstances. It is very important to be able to distinguish between a normal reaction to events and pathological signs.
Feature Groups
Conventionally, it is possible to divide all the signs characteristic of anxiety disorder into several groups:
1. A feeling of tension and anxiety. This implies constant excitement about any one situation or lack of reason for such a condition. As a rule, the intensity of experiences does not correspond at all with the scale of the problem. Satisfaction from the situation cannot be obtained under any circumstances. A person is constantly in a state of thought, worried about problems and some little things. In fact, a person is constantly waiting for negative news, so he can not relax even for a minute. Patients themselves describe this type of anxiety as being deliberately illogical, however, they cannot cope with this condition on their own.
2. Sleep disturbance. Relaxation does not occur even at night, as the above symptoms do not go away. It is difficult for a person to fall asleep, this often requires not only great efforts, but also medical support. Sleep is superficial and intermittent. In the morning there is a feeling of fatigue and fatigue. During the day, exhaustion, loss of strength and fatigue appear. Sleep disturbance wears out the body as a whole, reducing the quality of overall well-being and health from a somatic point of view.
3. Vegetative symptoms of anxiety and depressive disorder. A change in the balance of certain hormones can cause a reaction not only from the side of the human psyche. Quite often, disturbances in the activity of the autonomic system occur. Anxiety often leads to symptoms such as shortness of breath, increased sweating, difficulty breathing, etc. In addition, dyspeptic symptoms, such as nausea and vomiting, pain in the gastrointestinal tract, constipation, and diarrhea, are quite common. Headaches are also possible, which is almost impossible to eliminate with standard painkillers. Also a characteristic symptom is pain in the region of the heart, a feeling that the organ is working intermittently.
Diagnostic criteria
In order to accurately make a diagnosis, it is necessary to observe the patient, keeping a record of all the criteria listed below, for several months. It is not possible to eliminate them by standard methods, these signs are permanent and take place in any everyday everyday situations. ICD-10 identifies the following diagnostic criteria:
1. Not passing fear. Due to a premonition of future failures, a person is not able to work and concentrate, as well as rest and relax. The feeling of excitement becomes so all-consuming that the patient can no longer perceive other important experiences, emotions and feelings. Anxiety begins to dominate the human mind.
2. The voltage. Constant fussiness arises as a desire to do something with persistent anxiety. At the same time, a person tries to find out the true cause of his condition, cannot sit still.
3. Vegetative symptoms are also very important in the diagnosis of anxiety. The most common symptoms in this case are dizziness, sweating, and a dry mouth.
Treatment
Modern psychology is constantly searching for new, most effective methods of treating anxiety disorders. Various breathing techniques, yoga, relaxing therapy also help in this process. Some patients manage to overcome the disease on their own, without the use of conservative methods of treatment. The most effective and recognized psychologists methods of treating anxiety disorders are the following:
Self help. This is the first thing a person can do if he is diagnosed with anxiety disorder. To do this, you need to work on yourself and learn to control the physiological manifestations of anxiety. This can be done by performing special breathing exercises or relaxing muscle complexes. Such techniques contribute to the normalization of sleep, relieve anxiety and reduce pain in tight muscles. Exercises must be performed regularly, over a fairly long period. A deep, even breathing also helps to get rid of a panic attack. However, do not allow hyperventilation. What else is used to treat anxiety disorder?
Work with a psychiatrist. It is also an effective way to get rid of anxiety disorder. Most often, such a state is transformed into the form of negative images, thoughts and fantasies, which can be difficult to eliminate. The therapist helps the patient translate these thoughts into a more positive direction. The whole essence of psychotherapy of anxiety disorders is reduced to teaching the patient a more positive way of thinking and feeling, realistic perception of the surrounding reality. There is a so-called addiction method. It is based on the repeated encounter of the patient with the objects of his fears and anxieties. Thus, the treatment of specific phobias is most often carried out. Symptoms and treatment for anxiety disorder are often interrelated.
Drug treatment. This technique is used only in the most severe cases. Therapy should not be limited to taking drugs. In addition, you can not take drugs on an ongoing basis, as this can be addictive. They are intended only to relieve symptoms. Most often, antidepressant drugs are prescribed for the treatment of anxiety disorders: Maprotilin, Sertralin, Trazodon, etc. They are taken on a course, begin to act a few weeks after the start of administration. In addition, drugs related to benzodiazepines are also used: Diazepam, Noozepam, Lorazepam, etc. These drugs have a calming effect that occurs about 15 minutes after ingestion. They quickly and easily alleviate the condition in a panic attack. However, the negative side of these drugs is fast addiction and the appearance of addiction. Treatment for generalized anxiety disorder can be lengthy.
Phytotherapy. There are a number of herbs that can relieve anxiety and have a relaxing and calming effect on the body. Such herbs include, for example, peppermint, known to all. Oat straw has antidepressant properties, protecting the nervous system from excessive overload. Chamomile, linden, lavender, lemon balm and pasiflora also help to cope with anxiety and its accompanying symptoms, such as headache, upset stomach, etc. Hop cones will help relieve irritability and excessive nervous irritability.
Reviews
What do patients say about this pathology? In the case when a person is diagnosed with anxiety-depressive disorder or any other type of it, qualified help and the right therapy are of key importance. There are also a number of preventative measures that can be used to prevent the development of the disorder or to avoid relapse.
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