anxiety disorders

Anxiety Disorders

Definition

The anxiety disorders are a group of mental disturbances characterized by anxiety as a central or core symptom. Although anxiety is a commonplace experience, not everyone who experiences it has an anxiety disorder. Anxiety is associated with a wide range of physical illnesses, medication side effects, and other psychiatric disorders.The revisions of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) that took place after 1980 brought major changes in the classification of the anxiety disorders. Prior to 1980, psychiatrists classified patients on the basis of a theory that defined anxiety as the outcome of unconscious conflicts in the patient's mind. DSM-III (1980), DSM-III-R (1987), and DSM-IV (1994) introduced and refined a new classification that considered recent discoveries about the biochemical and post-traumatic origins of some types of anxiety. The present definitions are based on the external and reported symptom patterns of the disorders rather than on theories about their origins.

Description

Anxiety disorders are the most common form of mental disturbance in the United States population. It is estimated that 28 million people suffer from an anxiety disorder every year. These disorders are a serious problem for the entire society because of their interference with patients' work, schooling, and family life. They also contribute to the high rates of alcohol and substance abuse in the United States. Anxiety disorders are an additional problem for health professionals because the physical symptoms of anxiety frequently bring people to primary care doctors or emergency rooms.DSM-IV defines 12 types of anxiety disorders in the adult population. They can be grouped under seven headings:

Panic disorders with or without agoraphobia. The chief characteristic of panic disorder is the occurrence of panic attacks coupled with fear of their recurrence. In clinical settings, agoraphobia is usually not a disorder byitself, but is typically associated with some form of panic disorder. Patients with agoraphobia are afraid of places or situations in which they might have a panic attack and be unable to leave or to find help. About 25% of patients with panic disorder develop obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).
Phobias. These include specific phobias and social phobia. A phobia is an intense irrational fear of a specific object or situation that compels the patient to avoid it. Some phobias concern activities or objects that involve some risk (for example, flying or driving) but many are focused on harmless animals or other objects. Social phobia involves a fear of being humiliated, judged, or scrutinized. It manifests itself as a fear of performing certain functions in the presence of others, such as public speaking or using public lavatories.
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). This disorder is marked by unwanted, intrusive, persistent thoughts or repetitive behaviors that reflect the patient's anxiety or attempts to control it. It affects between 2-3% of the population and is much more common than was previously thought.
Stress disorders. These include post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and acute stress disorder. Stress disorders are symptomatic reactions to traumatic events in the patient's life.
Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). GAD is the most commonly diagnosed anxiety disorder and occurs most frequently in young adults.
Anxiety disorders due to known physical causes. These include general medical conditions or substance abuse.
Anxiety disorder not otherwise specified. This last category is not a separate type of disorder, but is included to cover symptoms that do not meet the specific DSM-IV criteria for other anxiety disorders.

All DSM-IV anxiety disorder diagnoses include a criterion of severity. The anxiety must be severe enough to interfere significantly with the patient's occupational or educational functioning, social activities or close relationships, and other customary activities.The anxiety disorders vary widely in their frequency of occurrence in the general population, age of onset, family patterns, and gender distribution. The stress disorders and anxiety disorders caused by medical conditions or substance abuse are less age- and gender-specific. Whereas OCD affects males and females equally, GAD, panic disorder, and specific phobias all affect women more frequently than men. GAD and panic disorders are more likely to develop in young adults, while phobias and OCD can begin in childhood.

Anxiety disorders in children and adolescents

DSM-IV defines one anxiety disorder as specific to children, namely, separation anxiety disorder. This disorder is defined as anxiety regarding separation from home or family that is excessive or inappropriate for the child's age. In some children, separation anxiety takes the form of school avoidance.Children and adolescents can also be diagnosed with panic disorder, phobias, generalized anxiety disorder, and the post-traumatic stress syndromes.

Causes and symptoms

The causes of anxiety include a variety of individual and general social factors, and may produce physical, cognitive, emotional, or behavioral symptoms. The patient's ethnic or cultural background may also influence his or her vulnerability to certain forms of anxiety. Genetic factors that lead to biochemical abnormalities may also play a role.

Key terms

Agoraphobia — Abnormal anxiety regarding public places or situations from which the patient may wish to flee or in which he or she would be helpless in the event of a panic attack.Compulsion — A repetitive or ritualistic behavior that a person performs to reduce anxiety. Compulsions often develop as a way of controlling or "undoing" obsessive thoughts.Obsession — A repetitive or persistent thought, idea, or impulse that is perceived as inappropriate and distressing.Panic attack — A time-limited period of intense fear accompanied by physical and cognitive symptoms. Panic attacks may be unexpected or triggered by specific cues.Anxiety in children may be caused by suffering from abuse, as well as by the factors that cause anxiety in adults.

Diagnosis

The diagnosis of anxiety disorders is complicated by the variety of causes of anxiety and the range of disorders that may include anxiety as a symptom. Many patients who suffer from anxiety disorders have features or symptoms of more than one disorder. Patients whose anxiety is accounted for by another psychic disorder, such as schizophrenia or major depression, are not diagnosed with an anxiety disorder. A doctor examining an anxious patient will usually begin by ruling out diseases that are known to cause anxiety and then proceed to take the patient's medication history, in order to exclude side effects of prescription drugs. Most doctors will ask about caffeine consumption to see if the patient's dietary habits are a factor. The patient's work and family situation will also be discussed. Often, primary care physicians will exhaust resources looking for medical causes for general patient complaints which may indicate a physical illness. In 2004, the Anxiety Disorders Association of American published guidelines to better aid physicians in diagnosing and managing generalized anxiety disorder. Laboratory tests for blood sugar and thyroid function are also common.

Diagnostic testing for anxiety

There are no laboratory tests that can diagnose anxiety, although the doctor may order some specific tests to rule out disease conditions. Although there is no psychiatric test that can provide definite diagnoses of anxiety disorders, there are several short-answer interviews or symptom inventories that doctors can use to evaluate the intensity of a patient's anxiety and some of its associated features. These measures include the Hamilton Anxiety Scale and the Anxiety Disorders Interview Schedule (ADIS).

Treatment

For relatively mild anxiety disorders, psychotherapy alone may suffice. In general, doctors prefer to use a combination of medications and psychotherapy with more severely anxious patients. Most patients respond better to a combination of treatment methods than to either medications or psychotherapy in isolation. Because of the variety of medications and treatment approaches that are used to treat anxiety disorders, the doctor cannot predict in advance which combination will be most helpful to a specific patient. In many cases the doctor will need to try a new medication or treatment over a six- to eight-week period in order to assess its effectiveness. Treatment trials do not necessarily mean that the patient cannot be helped or that the doctor is incompetent.Although anxiety disorders are not always easy to diagnose, there are several reasons why it is important for patients with severe anxiety symptoms to get help. Anxiety doesn't always go away by itself; it often progresses to panic attacks, phobias, and episodes of depression. Untreated anxiety disorders may eventually lead to a diagnosis of major depression, or interfere with the patient's education or ability to keep a job. In addition, many anxious patients develop addictions to drugs or alcohol when they try to "medicate" their symptoms. Moreover, since children learn ways of coping with anxiety from their parents, adults who get help for anxiety disorders are in a better position to help their families cope with factors that lead to anxiety than those who remain untreated.

Alternative treatment

Alternative treatments for anxiety cover a variety of approaches. Meditation and mindfulness training are thought beneficial to patients with phobias and panic disorder. Hydrotherapy is useful to some anxious patients because it promotes general relaxation of the nervous system. Yoga, aikido, t'ai chi, and dance therapy help patients work with the physical, as well as the emotional, tensions that either promote anxiety or are created by the anxiety.Homeopathy and traditional Chinese medicine approach anxiety as a symptom of a systemic disorder. Homeopathic practitioners select a remedy based on other associated symptoms and the patient's general constitution. Chinese medicine regards anxiety as a blockage of qi, or vital force, inside the patient's body that is most likely to affect the lung and large intestine meridian flow. The practitioner of Chinese medicine chooses acupuncture point locations and/or herbal therapy to move the qi and rebalance the entire system in relation to the lung and large intestine.

Prognosis

The prognosis for recovery depends on the specific disorder, the severity of the patient's symptoms, the specific causes of the anxiety, and the patient's degree of control over these causes.

Prevention

Anxiety is an unavoidable feature of human existence. However, humans have some power over their reactions to anxiety-provoking events and situations. Cognitive therapy and meditation or mindfulness training appear to be beneficial in helping people lower their long-term anxiety levels.

Resources

Periodicals

"Guidelines to Assist Primary Care Physicians in Diagnosing GAD." Psychiatric Times (July 1, 2004): 16.

anxiety

[ang-zi´ĭ-te] a multidimensional emotional state manifested as a somatic, experiential, and interpersonal phenomenon; a feeling of uneasiness, apprehension, or dread. These feelings may be accompanied by symptoms such as breathlessness, a choking sensation, palpitations, restlessness, muscular tension, tightness in the chest, giddiness, trembling, and flushing, which are produced by the action of the autonomic nervous system, especially the sympathetic part of it.
Anxiety may be rational, such as the anxiety about doing well in a new job, about one's own or someone else's illness, about passing an examination, or about moving to a new community. People also feel realistic anxiety about world dangers, such as the possibility of war, and about social and economic changes that may affect their livelihood or way of living. Most persons find healthy ways to deal with their normal quota of anxiety.Nursing Diagnosis. Anxiety was accepted as a nursing diagnosis by the North America Nursing Diagnosis Association and defined as “a vague, uneasy feeling of discomfort or dread, accompanied by an autonomic response (the source often nonspecific or unknown to the individual); a feeling of apprehension caused by anticipation of danger.” It is an alerting signal that warns of apprehension caused by anticipation of danger and enables the individual to take measures to deal with the threat. It is differentiated from fear in that the anxious person cannot identify the threat, whereas the fearful person recognizes the source of fear.
Factors that can precipitate an attack of anxiety include any pathophysiological event that interferes with satisfaction of the basic human physiological needs. Situational factors include actual or perceived threat to self-concept, loss of significant others, threat to biological integrity, change in environment, change in socioeconomic status, and transmission of another person's anxiety to the individual. Other etiologic factors are associated with a threat to completion of developmental tasks at various life stages, for example, a threat to an adolescent in the completion of developmental tasks associated with sexual development, peer relationships, and independence.
Interventions. Measures to assist the individuals suffering from anxiety are aimed at helping them recognize their anxiety and their usual means of coping with it, and providing alternate, more healthful coping mechanisms that give a sense of physiological and psychological comfort.anxiety disorders a group of mental disorders in which anxiety is the most prominent disturbance or in which anxiety is experienced if the patient attempts to control the symptoms. Everyone occasionally experiences anxiety as a normal response to a dangerous or unusual situation. In an anxiety disorder, the person feels the same emotion without any apparent reason and cannot identify the source of the threat that produces the anxiety, which actually has its origin in unconscious fears or conflicts.
People with anxiety disorders experience both the subjective emotion and various physical manifestations resulting from muscular tension and autonomic nervous system activity. This can produce a variety of symptoms, including sweating, dizziness, shortness of breath, insomnia, loss of appetite, and palpitations. The source of the anxiety lies in unconscious fears, unresolved conflicts, forbidden impulses, or threatening memories. Symptoms are often triggered by an apparently harmless stimulus that the patient unconsciously links with a deeply buried, anxiety-producing experience. Chronic anxiety can lead to various somatic alterations. The onset of anxiety may be gradual or sudden. Some persons experience incapacitating acute anxiety (as in panic disorder) while others manifest their anxiety through avoidant behavior patterns (phobias, obsessive-compulsive disorder). Anxiety disorders include: panic disorder, agoraphobia, social phobia, specific phobia, obsessive-compulsive disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder, acute stress disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, and substance-induced anxiety disorder.free-floating anxiety severe, generalized anxiety having no apparent connection to any specific object, situation, or idea.performance anxiety a social phobia characterized by extreme anxiety and episodes of panic when performance, particularly public performance, is required.anxiety reaction a reaction characterized by abnormal apprehension or uneasiness; see also anxiety disorders.separation anxiety apprehension due to removal of significant persons or familiar surroundings, common in infants 12 to 24 months old; see also separation anxiety disorder.situational anxiety that occurring spcifically in relation to a situation or object.

anx·i·e·ty dis·or·ders

a group of disorders involving various manifestations of anxiety that are grouped together nosologically in the DSM. These include panic disorder (see also panic attack), specific phobia, formerly simple phobia (see phobia); social phobia that was formerly called social anxiety disorder; obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD); (see also obsession, compulsion, obsessive-compulsive); posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD); acute stress disorder; generalized anxiety disorder (GAD); and anxiety disorders secondary to medical conditions or substance-induced or not otherwise specified. See: neurosis.
See also: neurosis, anxiety.

anx·i·e·ty dis·or·ders

(ang-zī'ĕ-tē dis-ōr'dĕrz) A category of interrelated mental illnesses involving anxiety reactions in response to stress. The types include: 1) generalized anxiety, by far the most prevalent condition, which strikes slightly more females than males, mostly in the 20-35-year-old age group; 2) panic disorder, in which a person suffers repeated panic attacks. Some 2-5% of U.S. residents are subject to this ailment, about twice as many women as men; 3) obsessive-compulsive disorder, afflicting 2-3% of the U.S. population. About two thirds of these patients go on to experience a major depressive episode; 4) posttraumatic stress disorder, most frequent among combat veterans or survivors of major physical trauma; and 5) the phobias (e.g., fear of snakes, crowds, confinement, heights, and many other things), which on a minor scale affect about 12% of people in the U.S. Drugs that have proven effective against anxiety disorders are beta-blockers, which act on adrenaline receptors; anxiolytics; antidepressants; and serotonergic drugs. Regular exercise has also sometimes proved beneficial.

anx·i·e·ty dis·or·ders

(ang-zī'ĕ-tē dis-ōr'dĕrz) Disorders involving various manifestations of panic or nervosity.

Patient discussion about anxiety disorders

Q. Was this true Asperger's syndrome, or a social anxiety disorder? I've been told multiple times by multiple people (though none of them doctors) that I probably have Ausperger's syndrome, or at least suffered from it through most of my childhood. I have struggled socially a GREAT deal, and have overcome many things, though I still am socially awkward and easily confused in social situations. Conversely, I am a secretary and receptionist by trade, and seem to have most people 'fooled' when I have medication for my diagnosed medical condition. Was this true Asperger's syndrome, or a social anxiety disorder?A. Well, I like to share my experience from which you find an answer. My 19 year old brother has AS, and I would not say he is at all retarded, although once people get to know him they assume that he is. His intellectual/IQ level isn't any lower than the "normal", but he definitely struggles socially, always has, always will. Hell, so do I... and I wouldn't be surprised if I have a touch of AS myself. Anyhow he is able to work, pay bills, follow commitments through, etc., He's actually very responsible…can't say that for many "normal" folk. His main quirk is that he really fixates on things...for example if his favorite TV show is "Lost", he'll talk about it and run it into the ground until he makes you absolutely hate it from overkill. Other than that he's not much different from the rest of us.

More discussions about anxiety disorders

单词	anxiety disorders
释义	DictionarySeeanxiety disorder Anxiety disorders Anxiety disorders A group of distinct psychiatric disorders characterized by marked emotional distress and social impairment, including generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and posttraumatic stress disorder. Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is characterized by excessive worry, tension, and anxiety. Accompanying physical symptoms include muscle tension, restlessness, fatigability, and sleep disturbances. GAD occurs in around 4–6% of the population and is the most frequently encountered anxiety disorder in primary care, where sufferers may seek help for the physical symptoms of the disorder. Studies of fear in animals and clinical studies of people with GAD suggest that similar brain circuits are involved in both cases. For example, numerous complex connections to other brain areas allows the amygdala to coordinate cognitive, emotional, and physiological responses to fear and anxiety. Thus in the “fight or flight” response, the organism makes cognitive-affective decisions about how to respond to the perceived danger and has a range of somatic (increased heart and respiration rate) and endocrine (release of stress hormones) responses that act together to increase the likelihood of avoiding the danger. Various neurotransmitter systems are responsible for mediating the communication between the functionally connected regions. Medications acting on these systems are thus effective in treating GAD. Although benzodiazepines have often been used, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and noradrenergic/serotonergic reuptake inhibitors (NSRIs) are currently viewed as first-line options because of their favorable safety profile. Psychotherapy has also proven effective in the treatment of GAD. Cognitive-behavioral psychotherapy focuses on using behavioral techniques and changing underlying thought patterns. Panic disorder (PD) is characterized by repeated, sudden, and unexpected panic attacks. Panic attacks are accompanied by a range of physical symptoms, including respiratory (shortness of breath), cardiovascular (fast heart rate), gastrointestinal (nausea), and occulovestibular (dizziness) symptoms. The prevalence of PD is approximately 2% in the general population, is more common in women, and is often complicated by depression. The same brain circuits and neurotransmitters implicated in fear and GAD are also likely to play a role in PD. For treatment the first-line choice of medication should be an SSRI or NSRI. Benzodiazepines are effective alone or in combination with SSRIs, but their use as the only medication is generally avoided due to the potential for dependence and withdrawal. Cognitive-behavioral principles that address avoidance behavior and irrational dysfunctional beliefs are also effective. Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is characterized by obsessions (unwanted, persistent, distressing thoughts) and compulsions (repetitive acts to relieve anxiety caused by obsessions). The disorder occurs in 2–3% of the population and often begins in childhood or adolescence. OCD is also seen in the context of certain infections, brain injury, and pregnancy. A range of evidence now implicates a brain circuit between the frontal cortex, basal ganglia, and thalamus in mediating OCD. Key neurotransmitters in this circuit include the dopamine and serotonin neurotransmitter system. SSRIs are current first-line treatments for OCD, with dopamine blockers added in those who do not respond to these agents. Behavioral therapy focuses on exposure and response prevention, while cognitive strategies address the distortions in beliefs that underlie the perpetuation of symptoms. Social anxiety disorder (SAD) is characterized by persistent fears of embarrassment, scrutiny, or humiliation. People with SAD may avoid social situations and performance situations, resulting in marked disability. For some, symptoms are confined to one or more performance situations, while others may be generalized to include most social and performance situations. Generalized SAD is usually more severe and sufferers are more likely to have a family history of SAD. SAD is particularly common, with prevalence figures in some studies upwards of 10%. SAD is often complicated by depression, and people with SAD may self-medicate their symptoms with alcohol, leading to alcohol dependence. Brain-imaging studies have found that effective treatment with medication and psychotherapy normalizes activity in the amygdala and the closely related hippocampal region in SAD. SSRIs, NSRIs, and cognitive-behavioral therapy are all effective in the treatment of SAD. Monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs) and benzodiazepines are also known to be effective treatments, but have a number of disadvantages. Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is an abnormal response to severe trauma. PTSD is characterized by distinct clusters of symptoms: reexperiencing of the event (for example, in flashbacks or dreams), avoidance (of reminders of the trauma), numbing of responsiveness to the environment, and increased arousal (for example, insomnia, irritability, and being easily startled). Although exposure to severe trauma occurs in more than 70% of the population, PTSD has a lifetime prevalence of 7–9% in the general population. Risk factors for developing PTSD following exposure to severe trauma include female gender, previous psychiatric history, trauma severity, and absence of social support after the trauma. Brain-imaging studies have suggested that in PTSD frontal areas of the brain may fail to effectively dampen the “danger alarm” of the amygdala. Whereas stress responses ordinarily recover after exposure to trauma, in PTSD they persist. There is growing evidence that functioning of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal hormonal axis is disrupted in PTSD. However, other systems, such as serotonin and noradrenaline, may also be involved. Both SSRIs and cognitive-behavioral therapy are effective in decreasing PTSD symptoms. Behavioral techniques (using different forms of exposure in the safety of the consultation room) or cognitive retraining (addressing irrational thoughts on the trauma and its consequences) can both be helpful. anxiety disorders Anxiety Disorders Definition The anxiety disorders are a group of mental disturbances characterized by anxiety as a central or core symptom. Although anxiety is a commonplace experience, not everyone who experiences it has an anxiety disorder. Anxiety is associated with a wide range of physical illnesses, medication side effects, and other psychiatric disorders.The revisions of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) that took place after 1980 brought major changes in the classification of the anxiety disorders. Prior to 1980, psychiatrists classified patients on the basis of a theory that defined anxiety as the outcome of unconscious conflicts in the patient's mind. DSM-III (1980), DSM-III-R (1987), and DSM-IV (1994) introduced and refined a new classification that considered recent discoveries about the biochemical and post-traumatic origins of some types of anxiety. The present definitions are based on the external and reported symptom patterns of the disorders rather than on theories about their origins. Description Anxiety disorders are the most common form of mental disturbance in the United States population. It is estimated that 28 million people suffer from an anxiety disorder every year. These disorders are a serious problem for the entire society because of their interference with patients' work, schooling, and family life. They also contribute to the high rates of alcohol and substance abuse in the United States. Anxiety disorders are an additional problem for health professionals because the physical symptoms of anxiety frequently bring people to primary care doctors or emergency rooms.DSM-IV defines 12 types of anxiety disorders in the adult population. They can be grouped under seven headings: Panic disorders with or without agoraphobia. The chief characteristic of panic disorder is the occurrence of panic attacks coupled with fear of their recurrence. In clinical settings, agoraphobia is usually not a disorder byitself, but is typically associated with some form of panic disorder. Patients with agoraphobia are afraid of places or situations in which they might have a panic attack and be unable to leave or to find help. About 25% of patients with panic disorder develop obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Phobias. These include specific phobias and social phobia. A phobia is an intense irrational fear of a specific object or situation that compels the patient to avoid it. Some phobias concern activities or objects that involve some risk (for example, flying or driving) but many are focused on harmless animals or other objects. Social phobia involves a fear of being humiliated, judged, or scrutinized. It manifests itself as a fear of performing certain functions in the presence of others, such as public speaking or using public lavatories. Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). This disorder is marked by unwanted, intrusive, persistent thoughts or repetitive behaviors that reflect the patient's anxiety or attempts to control it. It affects between 2-3% of the population and is much more common than was previously thought. Stress disorders. These include post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and acute stress disorder. Stress disorders are symptomatic reactions to traumatic events in the patient's life. Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). GAD is the most commonly diagnosed anxiety disorder and occurs most frequently in young adults. Anxiety disorders due to known physical causes. These include general medical conditions or substance abuse. Anxiety disorder not otherwise specified. This last category is not a separate type of disorder, but is included to cover symptoms that do not meet the specific DSM-IV criteria for other anxiety disorders. All DSM-IV anxiety disorder diagnoses include a criterion of severity. The anxiety must be severe enough to interfere significantly with the patient's occupational or educational functioning, social activities or close relationships, and other customary activities.The anxiety disorders vary widely in their frequency of occurrence in the general population, age of onset, family patterns, and gender distribution. The stress disorders and anxiety disorders caused by medical conditions or substance abuse are less age- and gender-specific. Whereas OCD affects males and females equally, GAD, panic disorder, and specific phobias all affect women more frequently than men. GAD and panic disorders are more likely to develop in young adults, while phobias and OCD can begin in childhood. Anxiety disorders in children and adolescents DSM-IV defines one anxiety disorder as specific to children, namely, separation anxiety disorder. This disorder is defined as anxiety regarding separation from home or family that is excessive or inappropriate for the child's age. In some children, separation anxiety takes the form of school avoidance.Children and adolescents can also be diagnosed with panic disorder, phobias, generalized anxiety disorder, and the post-traumatic stress syndromes. Causes and symptoms The causes of anxiety include a variety of individual and general social factors, and may produce physical, cognitive, emotional, or behavioral symptoms. The patient's ethnic or cultural background may also influence his or her vulnerability to certain forms of anxiety. Genetic factors that lead to biochemical abnormalities may also play a role. Key terms Agoraphobia — Abnormal anxiety regarding public places or situations from which the patient may wish to flee or in which he or she would be helpless in the event of a panic attack.Compulsion — A repetitive or ritualistic behavior that a person performs to reduce anxiety. Compulsions often develop as a way of controlling or "undoing" obsessive thoughts.Obsession — A repetitive or persistent thought, idea, or impulse that is perceived as inappropriate and distressing.Panic attack — A time-limited period of intense fear accompanied by physical and cognitive symptoms. Panic attacks may be unexpected or triggered by specific cues.Anxiety in children may be caused by suffering from abuse, as well as by the factors that cause anxiety in adults. Diagnosis The diagnosis of anxiety disorders is complicated by the variety of causes of anxiety and the range of disorders that may include anxiety as a symptom. Many patients who suffer from anxiety disorders have features or symptoms of more than one disorder. Patients whose anxiety is accounted for by another psychic disorder, such as schizophrenia or major depression, are not diagnosed with an anxiety disorder. A doctor examining an anxious patient will usually begin by ruling out diseases that are known to cause anxiety and then proceed to take the patient's medication history, in order to exclude side effects of prescription drugs. Most doctors will ask about caffeine consumption to see if the patient's dietary habits are a factor. The patient's work and family situation will also be discussed. Often, primary care physicians will exhaust resources looking for medical causes for general patient complaints which may indicate a physical illness. In 2004, the Anxiety Disorders Association of American published guidelines to better aid physicians in diagnosing and managing generalized anxiety disorder. Laboratory tests for blood sugar and thyroid function are also common. Diagnostic testing for anxiety There are no laboratory tests that can diagnose anxiety, although the doctor may order some specific tests to rule out disease conditions. Although there is no psychiatric test that can provide definite diagnoses of anxiety disorders, there are several short-answer interviews or symptom inventories that doctors can use to evaluate the intensity of a patient's anxiety and some of its associated features. These measures include the Hamilton Anxiety Scale and the Anxiety Disorders Interview Schedule (ADIS). Treatment For relatively mild anxiety disorders, psychotherapy alone may suffice. In general, doctors prefer to use a combination of medications and psychotherapy with more severely anxious patients. Most patients respond better to a combination of treatment methods than to either medications or psychotherapy in isolation. Because of the variety of medications and treatment approaches that are used to treat anxiety disorders, the doctor cannot predict in advance which combination will be most helpful to a specific patient. In many cases the doctor will need to try a new medication or treatment over a six- to eight-week period in order to assess its effectiveness. Treatment trials do not necessarily mean that the patient cannot be helped or that the doctor is incompetent.Although anxiety disorders are not always easy to diagnose, there are several reasons why it is important for patients with severe anxiety symptoms to get help. Anxiety doesn't always go away by itself; it often progresses to panic attacks, phobias, and episodes of depression. Untreated anxiety disorders may eventually lead to a diagnosis of major depression, or interfere with the patient's education or ability to keep a job. In addition, many anxious patients develop addictions to drugs or alcohol when they try to "medicate" their symptoms. Moreover, since children learn ways of coping with anxiety from their parents, adults who get help for anxiety disorders are in a better position to help their families cope with factors that lead to anxiety than those who remain untreated. Alternative treatment Alternative treatments for anxiety cover a variety of approaches. Meditation and mindfulness training are thought beneficial to patients with phobias and panic disorder. Hydrotherapy is useful to some anxious patients because it promotes general relaxation of the nervous system. Yoga, aikido, t'ai chi, and dance therapy help patients work with the physical, as well as the emotional, tensions that either promote anxiety or are created by the anxiety.Homeopathy and traditional Chinese medicine approach anxiety as a symptom of a systemic disorder. Homeopathic practitioners select a remedy based on other associated symptoms and the patient's general constitution. Chinese medicine regards anxiety as a blockage of qi, or vital force, inside the patient's body that is most likely to affect the lung and large intestine meridian flow. The practitioner of Chinese medicine chooses acupuncture point locations and/or herbal therapy to move the qi and rebalance the entire system in relation to the lung and large intestine. Prognosis The prognosis for recovery depends on the specific disorder, the severity of the patient's symptoms, the specific causes of the anxiety, and the patient's degree of control over these causes. Prevention Anxiety is an unavoidable feature of human existence. However, humans have some power over their reactions to anxiety-provoking events and situations. Cognitive therapy and meditation or mindfulness training appear to be beneficial in helping people lower their long-term anxiety levels. Resources Periodicals "Guidelines to Assist Primary Care Physicians in Diagnosing GAD." Psychiatric Times (July 1, 2004): 16. anxiety [ang-zi´ĭ-te] a multidimensional emotional state manifested as a somatic, experiential, and interpersonal phenomenon; a feeling of uneasiness, apprehension, or dread. These feelings may be accompanied by symptoms such as breathlessness, a choking sensation, palpitations, restlessness, muscular tension, tightness in the chest, giddiness, trembling, and flushing, which are produced by the action of the autonomic nervous system, especially the sympathetic part of it. Anxiety may be rational, such as the anxiety about doing well in a new job, about one's own or someone else's illness, about passing an examination, or about moving to a new community. People also feel realistic anxiety about world dangers, such as the possibility of war, and about social and economic changes that may affect their livelihood or way of living. Most persons find healthy ways to deal with their normal quota of anxiety.Nursing Diagnosis. Anxiety was accepted as a nursing diagnosis by the North America Nursing Diagnosis Association and defined as “a vague, uneasy feeling of discomfort or dread, accompanied by an autonomic response (the source often nonspecific or unknown to the individual); a feeling of apprehension caused by anticipation of danger.” It is an alerting signal that warns of apprehension caused by anticipation of danger and enables the individual to take measures to deal with the threat. It is differentiated from fear in that the anxious person cannot identify the threat, whereas the fearful person recognizes the source of fear. Factors that can precipitate an attack of anxiety include any pathophysiological event that interferes with satisfaction of the basic human physiological needs. Situational factors include actual or perceived threat to self-concept, loss of significant others, threat to biological integrity, change in environment, change in socioeconomic status, and transmission of another person's anxiety to the individual. Other etiologic factors are associated with a threat to completion of developmental tasks at various life stages, for example, a threat to an adolescent in the completion of developmental tasks associated with sexual development, peer relationships, and independence. Interventions. Measures to assist the individuals suffering from anxiety are aimed at helping them recognize their anxiety and their usual means of coping with it, and providing alternate, more healthful coping mechanisms that give a sense of physiological and psychological comfort.anxiety disorders a group of mental disorders in which anxiety is the most prominent disturbance or in which anxiety is experienced if the patient attempts to control the symptoms. Everyone occasionally experiences anxiety as a normal response to a dangerous or unusual situation. In an anxiety disorder, the person feels the same emotion without any apparent reason and cannot identify the source of the threat that produces the anxiety, which actually has its origin in unconscious fears or conflicts. People with anxiety disorders experience both the subjective emotion and various physical manifestations resulting from muscular tension and autonomic nervous system activity. This can produce a variety of symptoms, including sweating, dizziness, shortness of breath, insomnia, loss of appetite, and palpitations. The source of the anxiety lies in unconscious fears, unresolved conflicts, forbidden impulses, or threatening memories. Symptoms are often triggered by an apparently harmless stimulus that the patient unconsciously links with a deeply buried, anxiety-producing experience. Chronic anxiety can lead to various somatic alterations. The onset of anxiety may be gradual or sudden. Some persons experience incapacitating acute anxiety (as in panic disorder) while others manifest their anxiety through avoidant behavior patterns (phobias, obsessive-compulsive disorder). Anxiety disorders include: panic disorder, agoraphobia, social phobia, specific phobia, obsessive-compulsive disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder, acute stress disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, and substance-induced anxiety disorder.free-floating anxiety severe, generalized anxiety having no apparent connection to any specific object, situation, or idea.performance anxiety a social phobia characterized by extreme anxiety and episodes of panic when performance, particularly public performance, is required.anxiety reaction a reaction characterized by abnormal apprehension or uneasiness; see also anxiety disorders.separation anxiety apprehension due to removal of significant persons or familiar surroundings, common in infants 12 to 24 months old; see also separation anxiety disorder.situational anxiety that occurring spcifically in relation to a situation or object. anx·i·e·ty dis·or·ders a group of disorders involving various manifestations of anxiety that are grouped together nosologically in the DSM. These include panic disorder (see also panic attack), specific phobia, formerly simple phobia (see phobia); social phobia that was formerly called social anxiety disorder; obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD); (see also obsession, compulsion, obsessive-compulsive); posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD); acute stress disorder; generalized anxiety disorder (GAD); and anxiety disorders secondary to medical conditions or substance-induced or not otherwise specified. See: neurosis. See also: neurosis, anxiety. anx·i·e·ty dis·or·ders (ang-zī'ĕ-tē dis-ōr'dĕrz) A category of interrelated mental illnesses involving anxiety reactions in response to stress. The types include: 1) generalized anxiety, by far the most prevalent condition, which strikes slightly more females than males, mostly in the 20-35-year-old age group; 2) panic disorder, in which a person suffers repeated panic attacks. Some 2-5% of U.S. residents are subject to this ailment, about twice as many women as men; 3) obsessive-compulsive disorder, afflicting 2-3% of the U.S. population. About two thirds of these patients go on to experience a major depressive episode; 4) posttraumatic stress disorder, most frequent among combat veterans or survivors of major physical trauma; and 5) the phobias (e.g., fear of snakes, crowds, confinement, heights, and many other things), which on a minor scale affect about 12% of people in the U.S. Drugs that have proven effective against anxiety disorders are beta-blockers, which act on adrenaline receptors; anxiolytics; antidepressants; and serotonergic drugs. Regular exercise has also sometimes proved beneficial. anx·i·e·ty dis·or·ders (ang-zī'ĕ-tē dis-ōr'dĕrz) Disorders involving various manifestations of panic or nervosity. Patient discussion about anxiety disorders Q. Was this true Asperger's syndrome, or a social anxiety disorder? I've been told multiple times by multiple people (though none of them doctors) that I probably have Ausperger's syndrome, or at least suffered from it through most of my childhood. I have struggled socially a GREAT deal, and have overcome many things, though I still am socially awkward and easily confused in social situations. Conversely, I am a secretary and receptionist by trade, and seem to have most people 'fooled' when I have medication for my diagnosed medical condition. Was this true Asperger's syndrome, or a social anxiety disorder?A. Well, I like to share my experience from which you find an answer. My 19 year old brother has AS, and I would not say he is at all retarded, although once people get to know him they assume that he is. His intellectual/IQ level isn't any lower than the "normal", but he definitely struggles socially, always has, always will. Hell, so do I... and I wouldn't be surprised if I have a touch of AS myself. Anyhow he is able to work, pay bills, follow commitments through, etc., He's actually very responsible…can't say that for many "normal" folk. His main quirk is that he really fixates on things...for example if his favorite TV show is "Lost", he'll talk about it and run it into the ground until he makes you absolutely hate it from overkill. Other than that he's not much different from the rest of us. More discussions about anxiety disorders LegalSeedisorder
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