Doctor Brooke Balentyne Medical Blog

Anxiety is a normal human reaction in response to a particularly stressful situation. Worries and fears are normal but when these reactions become too frequent that one is seemingly crippled and overwhelmed, one might then be suffering from anxiety disorders. When anxiety becomes too frequent, it becomes impossible to live a normal life, then it is time to seek medical attention in order to address the disorder. Any disorder is considered a serious medical illness and when left untreated can affect how a person lives and interacts with his world.

There are different types of anxiety disorders. These include phobias, where an individual feels extreme fear for specific things or situations like flying, heights or objects and animals like snakes and spiders, panic disorder is when a person experiences feelings of terror that occurs suddenly and without warning, obsessive compulsive disorder or OCD causes individuals to perform repetitive actions or rituals in response to thoughts and fears, and post-traumatic stress disorder or PTSD which is an individual's response to a particularly traumatic event in his life like a sudden death of a loved one or a catastrophe. Another type of disorder is social anxiety disorder which is also called social phobia wherein an individual feels self-conscious and worries about social interactions with others feeling that he will be judged and ridiculed by others.

An individual suffering from anxiety disorders may have both the following physical and emotional symptoms. He may have feelings of fear and panic and may be uneasy. He has obsessive and uncontrollable thoughts, he may think constantly of past traumatic events or experiences, he has difficulty sleeping and may experience nightmares, he may also have palpitations, shortness of breath, nausea and dizziness. An individual with anxiety may be restless, irritable, tense and jumpy and always fears for the worst. A person with obsessive compulsive disorder or OCD may have rituals like repeated hand washing and continues to do so for fear that something bad might happen when he doesn't do his ritual.

Obsessive Compulsive disorder is one type out of multiple anxiety disorders often made fun by media and films but this type of disorder has disabled many who are afflicted by it by trapping them into endless cycles of thought and behaviour. OCD can affect both adults and children. Some of the most common obsessions are fear of germs, dirt and intruders, fear of making a mistake, fear of thinking evil thoughts or conflicting thoughts of religious beliefs, and being fastidiously tidy. An individual with this disorder can spend an hour focused in his thought and rituals affecting his way of life and daily living.

Treatment for individuals with anxiety disorders can vary according to his type of disorder but most respond well and quickly to behavioural therapy which includes cognitive behaviour and exposure therapy, medication which may include antidepressants and a combination of both behaviour therapy and medication. Medication is used for severe forms of anxiety symptoms for relief in order to give way for other forms of therapy. Cognitive behaviour therapy helps the individual identify the thoughts that feed on his anxiety like negative thinking and beliefs which may be irrational. This therapy may last between 5 to 20 sessions. Exposure therapy encourages the individual to face his fears in a controlled setting or environment and teaches the patient to gain control over his thoughts and fears over time.