All people experience anxiety from time to time. For example, you might feel nervous when you have a fight with a loved one or before taking an exam. Anxiety itself is not a very pleasant emotion, but it is completely normal.
Sometimes anxiety becomes persistent and uncontrollable. In situations where it interferes everyday life, becomes permanent or excessively acute, the problem cannot be ignored. It’s worth contacting a specialist and figuring out what anxiety means in your case. Perhaps you need qualified help.
Anxiety disorders are one of the most common mental illness V modern society.
Anxiety disorders are one of the most common mental illnesses in modern society. Usually a person cannot understand what anxiety means that it is impossible to get rid of. The disease makes you feel scared and anxious for no apparent reason. If left untreated, it becomes a long-term problem and significantly reduces quality of life. At the same time, no matter what form anxiety disorder No matter how the patient suffers, an experienced specialist will always select a therapy that will help cope with the disease.
What is anxiety like?
Common signs of anxiety disorders to look out for:
- Feelings of nervousness and uncontrollable anxiety that are inappropriate to the situation;
- Unreasonable panic, premonition of disaster or death;
- Increased activity of the autonomic nervous system: dizziness, sweating, trembling, rapid breathing, palpitations, pain in the heart, dry mouth, nausea, bowel movements;
- Sleep and appetite disorders;
- Problems concentrating, inability to escape from the object of concern;
- Emotionality, irritability;
- A strong, uncontrollable feeling of fear in relation to ordinary situations (phobia).
Anxiety, whatever it may be, always has characteristic features and causes. The concept of “anxiety disorder” is a general one and corresponds to several diagnoses, each of which has its own characteristics. It is important to distinguish one from the other in order to correctly diagnose and choose the correct treatment. Experience and high qualifications will allow a specialist to do this without difficulty.
When to urgently seek help:
- When the condition interferes with work, relationships and other areas of life;
- If a person cannot control his fear or obsessive thoughts;
- If a person feels constantly depressed, has trouble sleeping and concentrating, uses large quantities alcohol to cope with anxiety;
- There are suicidal thoughts.
Symptoms of an anxiety disorder do not go away on their own. This serious problem, which, without specialized assistance, progresses over time. To avoid this and return to a full life without painful fears, you need to consult a specialist. The sooner the patient begins therapy, the faster and easier it will be to get results.
The concept of “anxiety” was first identified by Sigmund Freud, describing it as emotional state, which includes the experience of expectation and uncertainty, a feeling of helplessness. Unlike fear (a reaction to a specific danger that threatens a person’s life), anxiety is the experience of a vague threat. Anxiety can occur without apparent reason: It seems like there is nothing to be afraid of, but my soul is restless. Such experiences develop into anxiety and become distinctive feature of a person and the characteristics of his character.
All our worries come from childhood. At first we are afraid of the Serpent Gorynych and Baba Yaga, as we get older - a dark room, spiders, snakes and cars. At school we are afraid of bad grades, at work - conflicts with the boss and/or dismissal, in the family - misunderstandings and disappointments. Everyone has their own Achilles heel. However, absolutely all of us tend to worry about the health and well-being of ourselves, our children and loved ones.
However, the absence of reasons for concern frightens some people no less: if everything is fine now, it means that something unpleasant will certainly happen soon. However, it is important to understand that the basis of all our anxieties is fear of the future, and all people, without exception, are susceptible to it, even the strongest and most fearless in appearance. The difference is only in relation to anxiety and the degree of experience.
How she is born
The development of anxiety in a child is not sufficiently promoted competent behavior parents. Increased demands with inadequate assessment of it real possibilities may cause a child constant fear that he does not meet the expectations of his parents and does not deserve their love. An anxious child, as a rule, is passive, not sufficiently independent, he tends to dream rather than act, live in an imaginary world, and finds it difficult to build relationships with peers. With this behavior, parents begin to worry even more, thereby provoking his self-doubt.
On the other hand, a child can become anxious even with overprotective parents - in an atmosphere of excessive care and precaution. Then he gets the feeling that he is insignificant, his opinions and desires are actually not needed or interesting to anyone. And if so, then the world seems unpredictable and filled with continuous dangers.
The next scenario is the conflicting demands of parents: when the father approaches the upbringing process harshly, and the mother lowers all his demands. Torn between one pole and the other, the child is unable to make decisions, which increases his level of anxiety.
“Not so long ago, the concept of “family anxiety” appeared in psychology,” says psychologist Zhanna Lurie. – It refers to a state of often poorly understood anxiety experienced by one or more adult family members. Anxiety can be caused by doubts about the continuation of relationships, problems with money, different views on education... All this, of course, is passed on to the child, very often he becomes an indicator of problems in the family.
In addition, on psychological level anxiety can be caused by internal conflict associated with misconceptions about own image"I", an inadequate level of aspirations, insufficient awareness of the goal, the need to choose between various areas activities and so on.
Universe of Threats
What happens to a person when he is in a state of anxiety?
– One of the characteristic signs is muscle tension, in which a certain group of muscles tenses – usually collar area, says Zhanna Lurie. – Often a person is not aware of the tension, feeling only some discomfort. If this happens constantly, the clamps threaten to become chronic and turn into a kind of armor that will limit freedom of movement and can lead to loss of sensitivity in this area. Periodic massage of the collar area, of course, will relieve tension for a while, but will not get rid of the problem if the person continues to live in stress.
An anxious person becomes nervous, irritable, on the verge of a breakdown, gets scared easily, cannot concentrate, suffers from insomnia, and gets tired quickly. The world around us is perceived by him as a universe of dangers and threats, and this state can subsequently turn into neurosis,” says Zhanna Lurie. “He often hears what is said to him differently, reacts sharply and painfully to harmless messages, and perceives any words from his boss as a personal insult. Such a person is very afraid of making a mistake, perceiving it as the ruin of his entire life.
However, anxiety also has positive aspects. She warns us of real dangers, of the possibility of injury, pain, punishment. It is normal for a person to feel anxious when going on a first date or speaking in front of an audience if they are worried about being on time for an important meeting.
We fight and win!
Experts say: anxiety almost always arises when a person is forced to make some decisions, when he is not sure that he can implement them, and when the result is very important and valuable to him. That is, in fact, anxiety accompanies us most of our lives. Therefore, it is very important to understand how to deal with them and how to direct your experiences in the right direction.
● It is important to understand the nature of the anxiety tormenting you: is it real or imaginary. To do this, ask yourself a few questions: how important and necessary is what I am afraid of? What's the worst thing that could happen if everything turns out exactly as I fear? What will happen if it happens differently? This will help separate what is important from what is not.
● Try to think positively. Calm down and tune yourself to the fact that there is more in the world good people and not everyone in this life wishes you harm.
● Rest and relax more often, do not push yourself: in an exhausted state, all reactions are experienced much more acutely.
● Consider yourself to cope with the situation that is causing you anxiety, or at least try to do so. But it is advisable not to slip into auto-training: in this case, the person does not realize real dangers and does not evaluate his strength to combat them, but pretends that the problem simply does not exist.
If you are tormented by constant anxiety and you cannot say what exactly you are afraid of, ask yourself: what worries you so much about at the moment? What can you do right now? If you can't find the answer, try to imagine something positive. And don’t put off visiting a specialist: he will help you figure out the reasons and understand what to do next.
By the way
If anxiety goes off scale, it can develop into panic. Here are its main symptoms: inability to breathe full breasts, dizziness, fainting/fainting, clouding of consciousness, rapid heartbeat, trembling throughout the body, severe sweating, choking, vomiting. As well as stomach upset, numbness or tingling in the body. A person feels either cold or hot, he feels the unreality of what is happening (the body seems not to be mine), pain or a pressing feeling in his chest, it seems to him that he is about to die or go crazy. At least three or four signs from this list are enough to understand that panic attacks have begun. And here you can’t do without a specialist.
Personal opinion
Alexey Romanov:
– Feelings of anxiety are common to everyone. But you don't need to give in to him. I recommend distracting yourself: opening a bottle of champagne or re-reading The Marriage of Figaro. Try to think positive. It's not as difficult as it seems. It helps me out. For example, you are walking down the street, you hear some bad music coming from a stall, it will definitely cling to you and spin around in your head, then by an effort of will I force myself to remember something good from the music. And it drives out nonsense. Same with feelings of anxiety. Gloomy people on the streets think about bad things. This bad habit, but it is very easy to fight. You just need to make an effort. It is difficult to cope with strong emotions and requires enormous training under experienced guidance. At a young age, over-emotions helped me in creativity, but now I avoid them. A wise figure itself avoids stress, this is simply a property of an adult organism. There is no escape from experience, it turns you into an armed ship when you foresee - armed, forewarned and not getting involved in anything.
IN modern world It is rare to meet a person who has never had a feeling of fear and anxiety, but not everyone knows how to cope with such a condition. Constant stress, anxiety, tension associated with work or personal life do not allow you to relax for a minute. What’s worse is that patients with this pathology experience unpleasant physiological symptoms, including headaches, pressing sensations in the heart or temples, which may indicate serious illness. The question of how to get rid of anxiety interests everyone, so it is worth considering in more detail.
Panic attacks
Conditions caused by excitability of the nervous system and accompanied by characteristic features, are classified as anxiety disorders. Typical for them constant feeling anxiety and fear, excitement, fussiness and a number of other symptoms. Such sensations occur against the background of disorders of the central nervous system or are a sign of certain diseases. A neurologist can determine the exact cause after a detailed examination of the patient and a number of diagnostic studies. In most cases, dealing with panic attacks on your own is difficult.
Important! Problems arise due to a dysfunctional atmosphere in the family, prolonged depression, a predisposition to anxiety due to character, due to mental disorders and other reasons.
The reason for anxiety may be justified, for example, a person is worried about important event or has recently suffered serious stress, or is far-fetched, when there are no visible reasons for concern. In both the first and second cases, treatment is required, the type of which is determined by the doctor. When it comes to how to cope with feelings of anxiety, first of all you need to determine whether such a condition is really a pathology, or we're talking about about temporary difficulties. The reasons can be mental or physiological, the list of common ones includes:
- psychological predisposition;
- family problems;
- problems coming from childhood;
- emotional stress;
- problems with the endocrine system;
- severe illness;
- excessive physical activity.
Symptoms of anxiety Manifestations and signs
Symptoms of anxiety and restlessness are divided into two categories: mental and autonomic. First of all, it is worth noting the constant feeling of anxiety, which can be temporary or permanent, increases the pulse rate. At such moments a person gets worried and has a number of characteristic states, for example severe weakness, trembling limbs or increased sweating. The duration of a standard attack does not exceed 20 minutes, after which it goes away on its own, its severity depends on the severity of the pathology.
A constant feeling of anxiety may develop due to autonomic disorders, the causes of which are problems with hormones or vegetative-vascular dystonia. Patients have hypochondria, obsessive states, permanent shift mood, insomnia, tearfulness or aggressive behavior for no reason.
Signs of a panic attack are also somatic disorders, in which dizziness, pain in the head and heart, nausea or diarrhea, shortness of breath and a feeling of lack of air are observed. The list of signs is extensive and includes:
- fear of various situations;
- fussiness, sudden reaction to sounds or situations;
- sweaty palms, fever, rapid pulse;
- fatigue, fatigue;
- problems with memory and concentration;
- sensation of a “lump” inside the throat;
- sleep problems, nightmares;
- feeling of suffocation and other symptoms.
Diagnostic features
A person suffering from excessive anxiety often wants to know how to overcome and remove unpleasant symptoms that can greatly complicate life. Put accurate diagnosis can a qualified specialist after a detailed conversation with the patient and thorough examination. First, you should visit a therapist, who needs to explain the symptoms and talk about possible reasons condition. Then the doctor will issue a referral to a specialist: a psychologist or neurologist, and if there are specific diseases, to another doctor.
Important! To overcome feelings of anxiety, you should be more careful when choosing a doctor and not turn to psychotherapists with dubious qualifications. Only a specialist with sufficient experience can help get rid of the problem.
When a person has a feeling acute anxiety and fear for no apparent reason, then he simply does not know what to do, how to cope with his condition and behave in specific situation. Usually, the doctor can determine the severity of the pathology during the first conversation with the patient. At the diagnostic stage, it is important to understand the cause of the problem, determine the type and find out whether the patient has any disorders mental nature. At neurotic states patients cannot relate their problems to real state, in the presence of psychosis, they are not aware of the fact of the disease.
Patients with heart pathology may experience rapid heartbeat, a feeling of shortness of breath, and other conditions that are a consequence of certain diseases. In this case, diagnosis and treatment are aimed at eliminating the underlying disease, which makes it possible to get rid of unpleasant signs anxiety and fear. Diagnosis in children and adults is almost the same and consists of full complex procedures, following which doctors are able to determine the cause of the condition and prescribe appropriate treatment.
Anxiety states Principles of treatment
The essence of successful recovery is completeness. therapeutic measures, which consist of psychological assistance, changing habits and lifestyle, taking special sedatives and other drugs, a number of others important procedures. For serious pathologies, doctors prescribe antidepressants and tranquilizers, but it is worth considering that such drugs provide temporary relief and do not eliminate the cause of the problem; they have serious side effects and contraindications. Therefore, they are not prescribed for mild pathology.
Good results are obtained from cognitive behavioral therapy, relaxing techniques and much more. Often, specialists prescribe ongoing conversations for the patient with a psychologist, who teaches special techniques to help cope with stress and eliminate unpleasant symptoms in moments of anxiety. Such measures relieve stress and help get rid of panic attacks, which is noted by many people who have suffered from anxiety disorders. When it comes to how to cope with anxiety and what treatment to choose, it is better not to self-medicate.
Additional measures
Most signs of anxiety can be relieved by early stages to prevent the condition from getting worse. Main collateral wellness traditionally a healthy lifestyle, which involves following the rules of a healthy diet, good sleep, giving up negative habits, including smoking and taking alcoholic drinks. Having a favorite hobby helps you to abstract yourself from negative situations and switch to something you enjoy. But not everyone knows how to relax correctly and relieves stress in the wrong ways.
Unpleasant symptoms Due to frequent stress, a person may experience heart pain and other negative symptoms, the correction of which requires special treatment. Special methods relaxation helps prevent many serious diseases, so people exposed to stress should learn the basics of meditation, breathing exercises and other techniques.
Anxiety can always be prevented if you do not react to external stimuli and try to remain calm even in the most stressful situations, and know how to cope with stress.
You can learn how to get rid of anxiety from the video below:
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Many people worry about the smallest things, even if nothing serious has happened. Such feelings bring nothing but anxiety, they destroy nervous system. People who worry a lot cannot live full life. They are constantly tense and uncomfortable. By turning to psychology, you can understand the essence of these phenomena and get rid of them.
What is the difference between fear and anxiety
Fear and anxiety, both of these phenomena may seem the same at first glance. But in reality, they don't go hand in hand. If causeless anxiety destroys the nervous system, then fear, on the contrary, mobilizes the body’s strength.
Imagine that a dog attacks you on the street, a feeling of fear will force you to act, to take any action to protect yourself. But if you just worry that the dog might attack you, it will make you feel bad. An excessive sense of fear also does not lead to anything good.
Feelings of anxiety may have varying degrees- from mild to strong. This feeling of anxiety and fear for no reason may depend on the state of the body, on upbringing or hereditary factors. This is why there are people suffering from phobias, migraines, suspiciousness, etc.
Main Causes of Anxiety
In this condition, a person experiences an internal conflict that gradually grows and makes him feel bad. Certain factors contribute to this. Let's look at the causes of fear and anxiety:
- psychological trauma in the past,
- irritating actions,
- suspiciousness of character, when a person is not sure of anything,
- psychological trauma in childhood, when parents put too much pressure on the child, made excessive demands on him,
- sedentary lifestyle, poor nutrition,
- the beginning of life in a new place, previously unfamiliar to a person,
- negative events in the past,
- character traits when a pessimistic attitude towards life becomes a lifestyle,
- disorders in the body that destroy the endocrine system and cause hormonal imbalance.
The destructive effects of anxiety and fear
A person only makes things worse for himself when he constantly lives in a state of anxiety and fear. Not only his psychology suffers, but also his health. When a person experiences a constant feeling of anxiety, his heart begins to beat faster, he lacks air, blood pressure jumps up.
From too strong emotions a person gets very tired, his body wears out faster. Trembling appears in the limbs, he cannot fall asleep for a long time, pain appears in the stomach for no apparent reason. Many body systems suffer in this condition, women experience hormonal disruptions, and men experience disruptions genitourinary system. Therefore, you need to know how to get rid of fear and anxiety.
Identifying problems
There is no such person who would not be afraid of anything. It is important to realize how much this interferes with life. Each person has their own fears: some are afraid to speak in public, others have problems communicating with the opposite sex, others are simply embarrassed by their character, they do not want to show themselves too smart, stupid, etc. By recognizing your problem, you can begin to fight it and overcome your fear.
Combating Fear and Anxiety
There are many ways to get rid of anxiety and fear.
- When you feel anxious, tension always arises. And if this tension is removed, then the negative feelings will dissipate. To stop constantly worrying, you need to learn to relax. Physical activity helps in this matter, so try doing exercises, or better yet, exercise physical activity on the team. Walking on fresh air, jogging, breathing exercises will also help fight excessive anxiety.
- Share your feelings with loved ones you trust. They will help you dispel feelings of fear. To other people, other people's fears seem insignificant, and they will be able to convince you of this. Communication with loved ones who love you will relieve the burden of problems that are weighing you down. If you don’t have such people, then trust your feelings to a diary.
- Don't leave problems unresolved. Many people worry about something but do nothing to change it. Don't leave your problems as they are, start doing at least something to cope with them.
- Humor helps us get rid of many problems, defuse tense situations and make us relax. So hang out with those people who make you laugh a lot. You can also just watch a comedy program or read about something funny. Anything that makes you feel happy can be used.
- Do something enjoyable for you. Take a break from your negative thoughts and call your friends, invite them for a walk or just sit with you in a cafe. Sometimes it's enough just to play computer games, read a fascinating book, you can always find something that gives you pleasure.
- Imagine more often a positive outcome of events, and not vice versa. We often worry that something might end badly, and we imagine it in vivid colors. Try doing the opposite and imagine that everything ended well. This will help you reduce anxiety neurosis.
- Remove everything from your life that gives rise to an anxiety disorder. Typically, watching the news or crime programs, which often talk about something negative, creates an even greater feeling of anxiety. Therefore, try not to watch them.
Psychological tricks to help get rid of fear
Give yourself 20 minutes a day when you can completely surrender to your anxiety and think about what worries you most. You can let yourself go and even cry. But when the allotted time comes to an end, stop yourself from even thinking about it and get on with your daily activities.
Find a quiet place in your apartment where nothing will disturb you. Sit comfortably, relax, breathe deeply. Imagine that in front of you is a burning piece of wood, from which smoke rises into the air. Imagine that this smoke is your alarm. Watch how it rises into the sky and dissolves completely until the piece of wood burns out. Just watch it without trying to influence the movement of the smoke in any way.
Do some handicrafts. Monotonous work helps to distract from unnecessary thoughts and make life more serene.
Even if you can't get rid of anxious thoughts at first, over time you will learn to do it. The main thing is to follow the advice and you will gradually become less worried.
Getting rid of fear - advice from psychologists
Psychologists suggest using several tricks to get rid of fear.
- Art therapy helps cope with feelings of fear. Try to draw your fear and express it on paper. Then burn the piece of paper with the design.
- When you experience panic attacks, switch to something else to do so that your feeling doesn't deepen and make you feel bad. Do something else that will absorb all your thoughts and your negative feelings will go away.
- Realize the nature of your fear, sort it out. Try to write down everything you feel and worry about, and then light the paper.
- Breathing exercise“Inhaling strength and exhaling weakness” will help you get rid of fear. Imagine that as you inhale, courage enters your body, and as you exhale, your body gets rid of fear. You should sit up straight and be relaxed.
- Face your fear. If you push through it no matter what, it will help you worry less. For example, you are afraid to communicate with someone, go and communicate with him. Or, for example, you are terribly afraid of dogs, watch them, try to pet a harmless dog. This is the most effective way which helps get rid of fear.
- When panic and anxiety have completely taken over you, breathe deeply 10 times. During this time, your mind will have time to adapt to the surrounding reality and calm down.
- Sometimes it's good to talk to yourself. This way your experiences will become more understandable to you. You realize the depth of the situation in which you find yourself. Understanding your condition will help you calm down, your heart will no longer beat so fast.
- Feeling angry will help you shift away from your fear, so find someone that makes you feel this feeling.
- Find something really funny, it will neutralize panic attacks instantly. You will feel much better after this.
Stop being afraid of your fears
In fact, the feeling of fear helps us overcome life's obstacles and improve our lives. Many people have done great things out of fear. Great musicians were afraid that they would remain unrecognized and composed great music, athletes were afraid of defeat and reached incredible heights, scientists and doctors made discoveries out of fear of something.
This feeling actually mobilizes the strength of our body, makes us act actively and do great things.
You will never be able to overcome your fear by simply letting it go indiscriminately or by not paying attention to it. But you can become happier. Try to live with joy, enjoying the current moment. Don't worry too much about past mistakes and constantly dream about the future. This will help you live comfortably and be happy with what you have.
Do something you enjoy and you will feel important to other people. This will help you cope more easily with all the fears and worries in your life.
It is impossible to live without it. We are talking about an unpleasant and vague state called anxiety or restlessness. Such feelings arise when a person expects something bad: bad news, an unfavorable course of events or the outcome of something. Although many people view anxiety as something negative, it is not 100% bad or good condition. In some situations it can even be useful. Which ones exactly? Let's figure it out together.
Anxiety disorder: what is it?
First of all, it’s worth noting that worry and anxiety have little in common with the concept of “fear.” The latter is objective - something causes it. Anxiety can arise for no apparent reason and disturb a person for a long time.One type of disorder that a person may experience is anxiety disorder. This is a specific psycho-emotional state that has its own symptoms. From time to time, every individual may experience anxiety due to certain circumstances.
The appearance of anxiety is a fairly serious signal, indicating that changes are occurring in the body. Therefore, we can conclude that anxiety and worry are a unique factor in a person’s adaptation to his environment, but only if the anxiety is not excessively expressed and does not cause discomfort to the person.
Why do anxiety disorders occur?
Despite all the achievements of science and technology, scientists and doctors have still not been able to determine in detail who they are - the main “culprits” that cause such a pathology as anxiety. For some people, anxiety and restlessness may appear without any apparent reason or irritating objects. The main causes of anxiety can be considered:
- Stressful situations (anxiety arises as the body’s response to a stimulus).
- Serious somatic diseases (in themselves are a cause of concern. The most common of them are bronchial asthma, diseases cardiovascular system, brain injuries, work disorders endocrine system etc.).
- Taking certain medicines and drugs (for example, abruptly stopping the constant use of sedatives can cause groundless worries).
- An increase in the concentration of carbon dioxide in the air (contributes to the worsening anxious worry and a more painful perception of the pathological condition).
- Individual characteristics of temperament (some people are very susceptible to any changes in environment and react to change by being fearful, withdrawn, restless, shy, or anxious).
Scientists identify two main theories for the emergence of anxiety pathologies
Psychoanalytic. This approach considers anxiety as a kind of signal indicating the formation of an unacceptable need, which the “suffering” tries to prevent on an unconscious level. In such a situation, the symptoms of anxiety are quite vague and represent a partial containment of a prohibited need or its repression.Biological. Says that any anxiety is the result biological abnormalities in the body. At the same time, against the background of changes in the body, active production of neurotransmitters occurs.
Anxiety and anxiety disorder (video)
Informational video about the causes, symptoms, types and effective methods of treatment and getting rid of this unpleasant phenomenon.Alarming symptoms
First of all, it is determined individual characteristics person and his psycho-emotional state. Someone begins to worry for no reason quite suddenly. For some people, a small irritating factor is enough to create a feeling of anxiety (for example, watching a news broadcast with another portion of not very pleasant news).Some people are fighters who actively resist negative thoughts and obsessive fears. Others live in a state of round-the-clock tension, trying not to notice that obvious pathology causes some discomfort.
Anxious pathologies manifest themselves in life physical or emotional symptoms.
Emotions come first. They betray themselves with immeasurable fear, unjustified anxiety, excessive irritability, inability to concentrate, as well as excessive emotional anxiety.
Physical manifestations. They occur no less often and, as a rule, always accompany emotional symptoms. These include: increased heart rate and frequent urge to urinate bladder, tremor of limbs, profuse sweating, muscle spasms, shortness of breath, .
Additional information. Often a person may confuse physical manifestations anxiety pathology and mistake them for diseases of organs or their systems.
Depression and anxiety: is there a relationship?
People suffering prolonged depression, know firsthand what an anxiety disorder is. Doctors are convinced that depression and anxiety disorders are concepts that are closely related. Therefore, they almost always accompany each other. At the same time, there is a close psycho-emotional relationship between them: anxiety can increase depressive state, and depression, in turn, increases the state of anxiety.Generalized anxiety disorder
Special type mental disorder, which manifests itself as general anxiety over a long period of time. At the same time, the feeling of anxiety and anxiety has nothing to do with any event, object or situation.Generalized anxiety disorders are characterized by:
- duration (sustainability for six months or more);
- generalization (anxiety manifests itself in anticipation of something bad in everyday life, bad premonitions);
- non-fixation (the feeling of anxiety has no restrictions regarding the events and factors that cause it).
Main symptoms of generalized disorder:
- concerns(feelings that are almost impossible to control, disturbing a person for a long time);
- motor voltage(appears muscle spasms, migraines, tremors in the arms and legs, inability to relax long time);
- central nervous system hyperactivity(main manifestations – excessive sweating, dizziness, rapid pulse, dry mouth, etc.);
- gastrointestinal ( , increased gas formation, );
- respiratory(difficulty breathing, feeling of tightness in the chest, etc.);
- urogenital(in representatives of the stronger sex it may manifest itself as a lack of erection or decreased libido, in women – menstrual irregularities).
Generalized disorder and sleep
In most cases, people suffering from this type of disorder suffer from insomnia. Difficulties arise when falling asleep. Immediately after sleep, you may feel a slight feeling of anxiety. Nightmares are common companions for people suffering from generalized anxiety disorders.Additional information. Generalized disorders often lead to fatigue and exhaustion of the body due to long absence a full, restful night's sleep.
How to recognize a person with generalized disorder
Individuals with this type of anxiety disorder stand out from the crowd healthy people. The face and body are always tense, the eyebrows are frowned, the skin is pale, and the person himself is anxious and restless. Many patients are detached from the world around them, withdrawn and depressed.Generalized anxiety disorder: symptoms and treatment (video)
Anxiety disorders - a danger signal or a harmless phenomenon? Generalized anxiety disorder: symptoms and basic treatment methods.Anxiety-depressive disorder
The quality of a person’s life largely depends on his psycho-emotional state. A real scourge of our time has become such a disease as anxiety-depressive disorder. An illness can qualitatively change an individual’s life for the worse.Another name for disorders of this type, which is more used and well known in society, is neurotic disorders(neuroses). They are a collection different symptoms, as well as lack of awareness of the presence of a psychogenic type of disease.
Additional information. The risk of developing neurosis during the life of an average person is 20-25%. For qualified help Only a third of people turn to specialists.
Symptoms of disorders of this type are divided into two types of manifestations: clinical and vegetative.
Clinical symptoms. Here, first of all, we are talking about sudden changes mood, constant feeling obsessive anxiety, reduced concentration, absent-mindedness, reduced ability to perceive and assimilate new information.
Autonomic symptoms. Can prove themselves increased sweating, increased heart rate, frequent urges urination, abdominal cramps, body tremors or chills.
Most of the above symptoms are experienced by many people in the commonplace. stressful situation. To be diagnosed with anxiety-depressive disorder, a combination of at least several symptoms is necessary that torment a person for months.
Who's at risk
More prone to anxiety and restlessness:- Women. Due to greater emotionality, nervousness and the ability to accumulate for a long time and not reset nervous tension. One of the factors that provoke neuroses in women is sudden changes hormonal levels– during pregnancy, before menstruation, during menopause, during lactation, etc.
- Unemployed. They are more likely to develop anxiety and depressive disorders than employed individuals. For most people the lack permanent place work and financial independence is a depressing factor, which quite often leads to bad habits– alcoholism, smoking and even drug addiction.
- People with a hereditary predisposition to the occurrence of anxiety disorders (children whose parents suffered or suffer from anxiety disorders are at greater risk of developing an unpleasant illness).
- People old age (after a person loses the feeling of his own social significance– retires, children start their own families, one of his friends dies, etc., he often develops neurotic type disorders).
- People suffering from serious physical illnesses.
Panic attacks
Another special type of anxiety disorder is anxiety disorder, which is characterized by the same symptoms as other types of anxiety disorder (restlessness, rapid heart rate, sweating, etc.). The duration of panic attacks can vary from a few minutes to an hour. Most often, such attacks occur involuntarily. Sometimes - under severe stress, alcohol abuse, mental stress. During panic attacks, a person can completely lose control of himself and even go crazy.
Diagnosis of anxiety disorders
Only a psychiatrist can make a diagnosis. To confirm the diagnosis, it is necessary that the primary symptoms of the disease persist for several weeks or months.Diagnosis problems rarely arise. It is more problematic to determine the specific type of such disorder, since most of them have similar symptoms.
Most often, during an appointment, the psychiatrist conducts special psychological tests. They allow you to clarify the diagnosis and study the essence of the problem in more detail.
If there is a suspicion that the patient has an anxiety disorder, the doctor evaluates the following points:
- the presence or absence of a set of characteristic symptoms;
- duration of anxiety symptoms;
- whether anxiety is a banal reaction to a stressful situation;
- Is there any relationship between symptoms and the presence of diseases of organs and their systems?
Important! In the process of diagnosing anxiety disorders, the need to determine the causes and provoking factors that led to the emergence or worsening of complaints comes first.
Basic treatment methods
Basic treatment methods various types anxiety disorders:Anti-anxiety drug treatment. Prescribed in case of aggravated course of the disease and may include taking:
- antidepressants;
- beta blockers;
- tranquilizers.
Important! Drug therapy has a positive effect only in combination with psychotherapy sessions.
Anti-anxiety psychotherapy. The main task is to rid a person of negative thinking patterns, as well as thoughts that increase anxiety. To eliminate excessive anxiety, in most cases, 5 to 20 sessions of psychotherapy are sufficient.
Confrontation. One of the treatment methods increased anxiety. The essence of the method is to create an alarming situation in which a person experiences fear in an environment that is not dangerous for him. The main task of the patient is to take control of the situation and cope with his emotions. Repeated repetition of such a situation and a way out of it gives a person confidence in own strength and reduces anxiety levels.
Hypnosis. Fast and pretty effective way get rid of annoying anxiety disorder. During hypnosis, the therapist brings the patient face to face with his fears and helps him overcome them.
Physical rehabilitation. A special thirty-minute set of exercises, most of which are borrowed from yoga, helps relieve nervous tension, fatigue, excessive anxiety and improve overall well-being.
In most cases, anxiety disorders do not require medication. Symptoms of the disease recede on their own after a conversation with a professional psychiatrist or psychologist, during which the specialist voices convincing arguments and helps to look differently at one’s own anxiety, worry, fears and the reasons that cause them.
Treatment of anxiety disorders in children
In a situation with children, behavioral therapy comes to the rescue in combination with drug treatment. It is generally accepted that behavioral therapy is the most effective method of relieving anxiety.
During psychotherapy sessions, the doctor models situations that cause fear and negative reactions in the child, and helps to select a set of measures that can prevent the occurrence of negative manifestations. Drug therapy in most cases gives a short-term and less effective effect.
Prevention measures
As soon as the first " alarm bells“, you shouldn’t put off visiting a doctor and wait for everything to go away on its own. Anxiety disorders significantly impair an individual's quality of life and tend to chronic course. You should visit a psychotherapist in a timely manner, who will help you get rid of anxiety as quickly as possible and forget about the problem.To cope with daily stress and worry and prevent the development of an anxiety disorder, you should:
- adjust your diet (if you cannot eat regularly and nutritiously, then you should regularly take special vitamin complexes);
- If possible, limit the consumption of coffee, strong tea, and alcohol (these products can cause sleep disturbances and lead to panic attacks);
- do not neglect rest (half an hour of doing what you love, which brings pleasure, will help relieve stress, excessive fatigue and anxiety);
- exclude from the to-do list those that do not provide satisfaction and cause negative emotions;
- don't forget about physical activity(playing sports or simply cleaning the house will help you switch gears and make your body “forget” about the problem);
- try not to get nervous over trifles (reconsider your attitude towards anxiety and the factors that cause it).
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