Anxiety disorders.

Sometimes we feel nervous or anxious when we have to make important decision or solve some problems. There's nothing wrong when we have those feelings. But anxiety disorders are totally different. They can be a reason of such distress that a person will not be able to have a normal life.

There are different types of anxiety disorders such as obsessive compulsive disorder, panic disorder, social anxiety disorder, post traumatic stress disorder, generalized anxiety disorder and phobias.

People with this illness are in constant fear and worry. An anxiety disorder is considered as a serious mental illness.


Here is the list of anxiety disorder types:

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
People with this illness inclined to perform certain actions or rituals as a result of constant fears or thoughts. These thoughts are called obsessions and the rituals - compulsions. For instance, some people try to wash their hands all the time because of fear of germs, without any reason.

Panic disorder
A person with panic disorder have feelings of terror that strike suddenly without warning. Some symptoms like chest pain, sweating and fear of choking, that cause feeling of heart attack.

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
PTSD is a result of traumatic incident, for instance physical or sexual assault, or a natural disaster. A person can remember tragic details of such event for long time and may become emotionally numb.

Social anxiety disorder
This disorder, also called social phobia, includes exaggerated worries about regular social life. A person have fears that he/she can do something wrong, so the others may laugh at him/her.

Specific phobias
Includes fear of some situations or objects, for instance fear of heights or flying or fear of spiders.


The causes of anxiety disorders.

Although scientists continue their studies of anxiety disorders, they still can't say what causes these mentall illnesses. What is known is that anxiety disorders don't depend on person's character or weakness, but rather on combination of different factors, such as changes in the brain and environmental stress.

One of the reasons can be some changes in chemical balance of the body. If a person is under stress for the long period of time then the chemical balance of the brain can change. People with certain anxiety disorders can have changes in brain areas that responsible for mood or memory. Also, studies show that these mental illnesses may be inherited from parents and some serious traumas can activate anxiety disorders.

How to diagnose anxiety disorders.

Symptoms of anxiety disorders can not be diagnosed using special tests in laboratory. The doctor can try to find physical illness that might cause anxiety disorder. He will evaluate your overall medical condition. If physical illness is not present, you'll be examined by psychologist or psychiatrist, specialists that can diagnose mental illness. They will talk to you and then use some tests to define the presence of anxiety disorder.


Anxiety disorders treatment.

Modern medicine has many effective ways to treat anxiety disorders and other mental illnesses. Here is the list of some therapies that help in case of anxiety disorders:

Psychotherapy
Mental health specialists talk to patients and try to understand the causes of the illness and find strategies that include emotional reaction to anxiety disorder.

Medication
Anxiety-reducing drugs and anti-depressants are used to ease or reduce the symptoms of anxiety disorders.

Cognitive-behavioral therapy
People that have mental illnesses have certain way of thinking that may develop and increase symptoms of anxiety disorders. This therapy helps patient to find thought patterns that will not allow these symptoms to develop.

Changes in lifestyle and diet.