Struggling with anxiety?
Anxiety is defined by persistent, excessive worries that don’t go away even in the absence of a stressor. Anxiety leads to a set of symptoms: insomnia, difficulty concentrating, fatigue, muscle tension, and irritability.
Anxiety disorders differ from short-term feelings of anxiety in their severity and in how long they last: The anxiety typically persists for months and negatively affects mood and functioning. Some anxiety disorders, such as agoraphobia (the fear of public or open spaces), may cause the person to avoid enjoyable activities or make it difficult to keep a job.
One of the most common anxiety disorders is generalized anxiety disorder. To identify if someone has generalized anxiety disorder, a clinician will look for symptoms such as excessive, hard-to-control worry occurring most days over six months. The worry may jump from topic to topic. Generalized anxiety disorder is also accompanied by the physical symptoms of anxiety.
Another type of anxiety disorder is panic disorder, which is marked by sudden attacks of anxiety that may leave a person sweating, dizzy, and gasping for air. Anxiety may also manifest in the form of specific phobias (such as fear of flying) or as social anxiety, which is marked by a pervasive fear of social situations.
Common anxiety signs and symptoms
Feeling nervous, restless or tense.
Having a sense of impending danger, panic or doom.
Having an increased heart rate.
Breathing rapidly (hyperventilation)
Sweating.
Trembling.
Feeling weak or tired.
Trouble concentrating or thinking about anything other than the present worry.
HOW IS anxiety TREATED?
Anxiety disorders can be treated with counselling, medication, or a combination of the two.