April 20, 2012. Samuel Valero
It is the anxiety symptoms that make anxiety very debilitating and also result to improper functioning of the people suffering from it. Anxiety disorders such as phobia, panic disorder, generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), obsessive-compulsive disorder; separation anxiety disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder are manifested by a combination of psychological and physical symptoms.
The feeling of needles pins due to anxiety all throughout the body especially in the arms, hands and legs is one of the most common anxiety physical symptom a person can feel. Other typical anxiety physical symptoms together with psychological symptoms include chest pains, shortness of breath, hyperventilation, heart palpitations, chills, hot flashes, excessive sweating, trembling, nausea, dizziness, stomach upset, lump in the throat, dry mouth and throat, insomnia, nightmares, blurred vision, sexual dysfunction, hallucination (both visual and auditory), feeling of going crazy, loss of control, inability to concentrate and detachment to reality. Causes of anxiety differ from one person to another. Some people develop anxiety disorders because of their genetic predisposition. Anxiety disorders are hereditary so parents may pass this down to their children. Another factor that triggers anxiety is the imbalance and abnormality in the neurotransmitters, the chemical messengers in the brain, which transmits signal between brain cells. This is sometimes the result of having unhealthy diet, lack of exercise and stressful environment. And the major factor triggering anxiety is the life experiences. Violence, difficult relationships, stressful environment, poverty, unpaid debts, bankruptcy, sudden death of a loved one, sex abuse, loss of a job, robbery, bite of a dog or snake and other life-threatening experiences are just few of the events that can cause anxiety disorders. The most common anxiety disorder that is developed from these experiences is the post-traumatic stress disorder.
Anxiety strikes anytime and anywhere. For this reason, many anxiety patients are taking anti-anxiety medications such as beta-blockers, anti-depressants and benzodiazepines for immediate effect. However, long term use of these drugs are not recommended to avoid addiction and drug dependence because some people tend to build tolerance to these drugs in just a short period of time. These also just relieve the physical symptoms of anxiety and cannot cure the underlying causes of anxiety. In treating anxiety disorders, therapies such as cognitive-behavioral therapy and exposure therapy are considered the effective alternative treatment for any anxiety disorders. These deal with the pattern of negative thoughts and feelings of the patients, examines their behavior towards the triggers of their anxiety and slowly and repeatedly exposing them to the triggers. Therapies can be done individually or in group and usually may last 10 to 12 sessions depending on the type and severity of the disorder.
And the most important shield you can use is having a healthy lifestyle. You are not only protecting yourself from anxiety disorders but also from other diseases as well.
Updated April 20, 2012. Published February 17, 2012. Samuel Valero
