Unpacking anxiety disorders
The exact cause of anxiety disorders is unknown, but anxiety disorders like other forms of mental illness are not the result of personal weakness, a character flaw, or poor upbringing.
EVERYONE feels anxious now and then. It’s a normal emotion. Many people feel nervous when faced with a problem at work, before taking a test, or making an important decision.
Anxiety disorders are different, though.
They can cause such distress to the extent of interfering with your ability to lead a normal life.
This type of disorder is a serious mental illness.
For people who have one, worry and fear are constant and overwhelming and can be disabling.
But with treatment, many people can manage those feelings and get back to a fulfilling life.
There are several types of anxiety disorders, including: Panic disorder — People with this condition have feelings of terror and impending doom that strike suddenly and repeatedly with no warning. Other symptoms of a panic attack include sweating, chest pain, palpitations (unusually strong or irregular heartbeats) and a feeling of choking. It can feel like you’re having a heart attack or “going crazy”. Social anxiety disorder — Also called social phobia involves overwhelming worry and self-consciousness about everyday social situations. The worry often centres on a fear of being judged by others or behaving in a way that might cause embarrassment or lead to ridicule. Specific phobias is when there is intense fears of a specific object or situation, such as heights, flying, spiders and snakes just to mention a few. The level of fear is usually inappropriate to the situation and may cause you to avoid common, everyday situations. Generalised anxiety disorder is when there is excessive, unrealistic worry and tension over multiple areas of life. The mind will be racing from one issue to the next with no rest, even if there’s little or nothing to provoke the anxiety. Symptoms of anxiety disorders depends on the type of anxiety disorder, but general symptoms include: Feelings of panic, fear, and uneasiness Not falling asleep Cold or sweaty hands or feet Shortness of breath Heart palpitations Not being able to be still and calm Dry mouth Numbness or tingling in the hands or feet Nausea Muscle tension Dizziness The exact cause of anxiety disorders is unknown, but anxiety disorders like other forms of mental illness are not the result of personal weakness, a character flaw, or poor upbringing.
As scientists continue their research on mental illness, it is becoming clear that many of these disorders are caused by a combination of factors, including changes in the brain and environmental stress as discussed in the previous article on causes of mental illness.
Like other brain illnesses, anxiety disorders may be caused by problems in the functioning of brain cir- cuits that regulate fear and other emotions. Studies have shown that severe or long-lasting stress can change the way nerve cells within these circuits transmit information from one region of the brain to another.
Other studies have shown that people with certain anxiety disorders have changes in certain brain structures that control memories linked with strong emotions.
In addition, studies have shown that anxiety disorders can run in families, which means that they can at least partly be inherited from one or both parents, similar to the genetic risk for heart disease or cancer. Moreover, certain environmental factors such as a trauma or significant event may trigger an anxiety disorder in people who have an inherited susceptibility to developing the disorder.
Fortunately, much progress has been made in the last two decades in the treatment of people with mental illnesses, including anxiety disorders.
Although the exact treatment approach depends on the type of disorder, one or a combination of the following therapies may be used for most anxiety disorders:
Medication used to reduce the symptoms of anxiety disorders include many of antidepressants, low-dose anti-psychotics and other anxiety-reducing drugs.
Psychotherapy, a type of counselling in its simplest form addresses the emotional response to mental illness.
It is a process in which trained mental health professionals seek to help people by talking through strategies for understanding and dealing with their disorder.
Next week I will look at how local medical funders a.k.a medical aid societies deal with mental health patients.