Anxiety Disorders

Anxiety-Disorders affect about 40 million American adults age 18 and older per year. Most people experience anxiety at some point in their lives when there is a stressful event and some nervousness in anticipation of a real situation.

However if a person cannot shake unwarranted worries, or if the feelings are jarring to the point of avoiding everyday activities, he or she most likely has anxiety disorders. This can last at least six months and can get worse if they are not treated.

Chronic, exaggerated worry, tension, and irritability that appears to have no cause or are more intense than the situation warrants. Physical signs, such as restlessness, trouble falling or staying asleep, headaches, trembling, twitching, muscle tension, or sweating, often accompany these psychological symptoms.

People with panic disorder experience white-knuckled, heart-pounding terror that strikes suddenly and without warning. Since they cannot predict when a panic attack will seize them, many people live in constant worry that another one could overcome them at any moment.

Pounding heart, chest pains, light headedness or dizziness, nausea, shortness of breath, shaking or trembling, choking, fear of dying, sweating, feelings of unreality, numbness or tingling, hot flashes or chills, and a feeling of going out of control or going crazy.

Phobias are irrational fears that lead people to altogether avoid specific things or situations that trigger intense anxiety. Phobias occur in several forms, for example, agoraphobia is the fear of being in any situation that might trigger a panic attack and from which escape might be difficult. Social phobia is a fear of being extremely embarrassed in front of other people. The most common social phobia is fear of public speaking.

Many of the physical symptoms that accompany panic attacks such as sweating, racing hearts and trembling also occur with phobias.

Researchers now know that anyone, even children, can develop PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) if they have experienced, witnesses, or participated in a traumatic occurrence, especially if the event was life threatening. PTSD can result from terrifying experiences such as rape, kidnapping, natural disasters, war or serious accidents such as airplane crashes. The psychological damage such incidents cause can interfere with a person’s ability to hold a job or to develop intimate relationships with others.

The symptoms of PTSD can range from constantly reliving the event to a general emotional numbing. Persistent anxiety, exaggerated startle reactions, difficulty concentrating, nightmares and insomnia are common. People with PTSD typically avoid situations that remind them of the traumatic event, because they provoke intense distress or even panic attacks.
The following pages will help you solve your anxiety problems. Thousands of people worldwide have been successful managing their panic and anxiety, and eliminated panic attacks for good!

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