What are the symptoms of an anxiety disorder?

The symptoms of an anxiety disorder varies from person to person and may include the following:

• Excessive worry and anxiety on an almost daily basis for 6 months or more
• An inability to control your worries
• The anxiety may be associated with other symptoms,  including restlessness, fatigue, poor concentration, irritability, muscle tension, and sleep disturbances. Some people also experience headaches and body pain with no medical explanation.
• Panic attacks involving sweating, shaking, racing heart, shortness of breath, nausea, tightness in the stomach or jaw may also occur.
• These symptoms may cause significant impairment in your ability to function.

How is anxiety diagnosed?

An anxiety disorder is commonly diagnosed by your medical or mental health provider asking you questions about your symptoms. There are several rating scales or questionnaires that are used to diagnose anxiety.

What treatments are available for anxiety?

It is important to realize that the treatment of anxiety usually takes time.  You may not be “cured”, but your symptoms will subside and your quality of life will improve with treatment. Treatment options include:

• Psychotherapy. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is highly effective for the treatment of anxiety. Cognitive therapy works by helping you understand and change the thoughts and behaviors that may contribute to anxiety.
• Medications. Classes of drugs called anti-depressants, Beta-blockers and anti-psychotics may be used to treat anxiety. Brand names include Celexa, Prozac and Zoloft. Anxiolytics (benzodiazepines like Xanax and Valium and non-benzodiazepines like Buspar) are also used. However, benzodiazepines are highly addictive, especially when used without medical supervision.  Herbal remedies like Kava, Valerian and St. John’s wort have also been used to treat anxiety.
• Meditation and relaxation training. Meditation and relaxation training are effective in treating anxiety and have no known harmful effects.  Mindfulness meditation is the oldest known technique to deal with anxiety.  It teaches us to be aware of anxious thoughts as just thoughts passing through our awareness and we can learn to see them as mental events without having to react to them or try to get rid of them.

Are there other types of anxiety disorders?

Yes. There are other conditions that have similar symptoms, including:

• Panic attacks are a sudden intense fear or discomfort in the absence of real danger – as if something terrible is about to happen. These feelings may be accompanied by sweating, difficulty breathing, feeling light headed, a pounding heart, shaky hands and may last 30-60 minutes.
• Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) occurs for people who have either witnessed or lived through a potentially life threatening event such as an accident, natural disaster, war or intimate partner violence. Symptoms may develop weeks, months or years later in some cases. PTSD is identified by anxiety, flashbacks of the threatening event, nightmares, jumpiness, irritability or physical symptoms like digestive problems, aches and pains.
• Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). People with OCD suffer from disturbing thoughts (obsessions) and images that are difficult to shake off and which they know are ridiculous. They may show repetitive behaviors or rituals to prevent the accompanying anxiety. Many of these behaviors may take a lot of time to complete. Common examples are fear of germs or dirt, checking door locks or arranging and re-arranging objects for hours.
• Phobia is the fear of something, such as an animal (spiders), a situation (riding in elevators) or open places (agoraphobia). People with a phobia will do anything to avoid the fearful stimulus.  This can make life very difficult.
• Social anxiety is a specific type of anxiety disorder that involves a strong, persistent fear related to interactions with others. People who suffer from Social Anxiety Disorder tend to avoid situations in which they must meet new people, interact with those they don’t know well, or be scrutinized by others. When they must function in a social situation (such as answering a question in class), they may become extremely anxious.