February 7th, 2007
An Introduction to Anxiety Disorders
Anxiety disorders are the most common type of mental sickness known world-wide. In the United States alone there are more than 40 million sufferers of anxiety disorders. Anxiety disorders are characterized by persistent, excessive and unrealistic worries about everyday life. Excessive worrying is very hard to control and can ultimately become a chronic condition. It affects every aspect of life including social, work, education and family. The physical symptoms of anxiety disorders include muscle tension, fatigue, restlessness, difficulty in sleeping and irritation. The nature of anxiety disorders and stress are quite similar and the only difference between them is their duration. Unlike the relatively mild anxiety caused by a stressful event, anxiety disorders tend to last longer, at least six months or more. There is also the possibility that the disorder will get worse if not treated promptly, and properly.
Treatment of Anxiety Disorders
Most anxiety disorders are treatable. It is believed that anxiety disorders are caused by a combination of several factors. Anxiety disorders can be easily treated with the right help. Success of the treatment depends upon the individual. Some people are found to respond to treatment within a few days, and some are found to need treatment for more than a year. The treatment of anxiety disorders can be complicated. That is because many people are found to suffer from more than one type of anxiety disorder or depression, and even substance abuse at the same time.
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February 7th, 2007
Stress Causing Factors
Stress is also known as The Twentieth Century Syndrome. There can be innumerable factors that cause stress. This is because different people react to the same stressful situation in different ways. A situation which is extremely stressful for one person can be mild for another. For someone else, the same situation might not even qualify as a stressful situation at all. The conditions for stress can be real or perceived. But in both cases the brain reacts the same way, releasing amounts of stress hormones equal to the degree of stress felt. The human brain does not differentiate between real or imagined stress.
General Symptoms of Stress
Medical studies have found that chronic stress is capable of seriously affecting the immune system. No matter what the cause, the subconscious mind reacts with the same physiological response to worry or a sense of threat. The three classic symptoms of stress include mental, physical and emotional exhaustedness. There are a lot of invisible symptoms that occur within the body while encountering a stressful situation. They include changes in the body’s biochemical state accompanied by the release of epinephrine and other adrenal steroids, such as hydrocortisone, into the bloodstream. The body responds with an increased heart rate, palpitations, and elevated blood pressure. Sometimes there are mental responses such as anger, fear, worry or aggression.
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February 6th, 2007
Meaning Of Stress
The stress reaction of the body is meant to protect and sustain. The body adjusts to its environment in order to maintain stability. When a physical or mental event threatens this stability, the body has a reaction. This reaction is called the fight response. When people face a difficult situation their body automatically goes into overdrive and activates the fight response. Instantly, hormones are released. These are the same hormones that enabled ancient humans to move and think faster, hit harder, see better, hear more acutely and jump higher than they normally would. The heart rate increases, the blood pressure rises, and breathing quickens.
Signs And Symptoms Of Stress
Stress arises when a situation is identified as frightening. Stress is often linked with situations that are difficult to handle. How we view things also affects stress levels. High expectations can cause high stress levels. The stress response can also have a positive effect like motivation and awareness, and can provide the stimulation to cope with challenging situations. Stress affects mind, body and behavior in many ways. The signs and symptoms of stress differ from person to person, but all have the potential to harm the health, emotional well-being and relationships with others. Stress can take a serious toll on health.
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February 6th, 2007
Reactions To Anxiety
There are millions of people around the world who have either gone through or are going through anxiety at some stage of their lives. Medical science has proved that it is very normal for the body to respond strongly to a frightening or threatening situation. This is known as the fight or flight response. This response causes an increase in heart beat, muscles to become tensed and ready for action, rapid increase in breathing, and sweating. The main purpose of all these symptoms is to prepare the body and mind to face the situation. While facing such an encounter the individual might feel unpleasant but this is only a natural response. However, in some stressful events in our daily life, these symptoms do not help. Anxiety has become a chronic condition for some people. In extreme situations, anxiety self-help skills are often the most helpful. Self-help techniques help in overcoming the symptoms of anxiety and enable the sufferer to handle stressful situations more effectively.
Self-Help Books
Self-help books for handling anxiety reveal different methods for controlling physical symptoms in order to reduce the severity of a given situation. Self-help books show anxiety sufferers how to deal with insecure feelings, panic, and depression. Self-help books are an excellent remedy for anxiety, and they can administer a change in the way of thinking, and at the same time develop a healthy and adaptive way of living.
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February 6th, 2007
Stress Causing Factors
The definition of stress in the Oxford dictionary is written as a state of affair that involves demand on both physical as well as mental energy. Stress can also be the result of a condition or circumstance that disturbs the normal physical and mental balance of an individual. Medical science has stated that moderate stress is normal, and in many cases might prove useful. However, extremely stressful conditions are considered detrimental to human health. Occasionally, all of us have encountered stress in life. It has been established scientifically that chronic stress has the potential to seriously damage the immune system of the body. Stress may also account for drastic changes in the body’s biochemical state.
The Effects Of Stress On The Body
The effects of stress can be measured when it is understood that stress is the body’s reaction to changes that require the body to adjust or respond. By nature the human body is designed to experience stress and react to it accordingly. In some ways stress can be positive while in others it can have a negative impact upon the health. The negative effects of stress are seen when the person suffering is unable to cope and faces continuous challenges without any relief or relaxation. This can lead to other negative side effects and health problems.
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February 6th, 2007
What Is Anxiety?
Anxiety is the feeling we experience when our body responds to a frightening or threatening situation. It is called the fight or flight response and happens when the body prepares for action either to fight danger or avoid it. The physical symptoms of anxiety prepare the body to cope with threat. To understand what happens in the body, imagine that you are about to face an attack. As you become aware of the threat, your muscles tense and become ready for action. Your heart beats faster to carry blood to the muscles and brain, where it is needed the most. You start breathing faster to provide oxygen to the heart, which is needed for energy. You start sweating, to keep your body from overheating. Sometimes your mouth goes dry. The fear dissolves only after you are assured that the person across is, in fact, a friend, but the shaky feeling may linger for some time.Â
Self Help
People who successfully recover from anxiety disorders use a combination of treatment methods that often include self-help. Whether it is through self-help books or their own creativity, many people have overcome major obstacles using self-help techniques. Lack of sleep can hamper the efforts to recover from an anxiety disorder. If someone is having trouble sleeping, it is important to find out why and to make changes that will help get them back on track.
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January 16th, 2007
Causes Of Anxiety Attacks
Anxiety attacks are caused by a number of biological changes that occur within the body when it encounters a stressful situation. Anxiety attacks are characterized by a sudden rush of uncomfortable physical symptoms such as difficulty breathing, chest pains, and thoughts of impending doom. Anxiety attacks are always unpredictable. A person who has suffered from anxiety attacks often remains in a state of worry and fear. Many report they have gone through unexpected irrational episodes of intense terror and fear. But their perception of danger is very real. Those who have suffered from anxiety attacks also report that they sometimes feel like they are about to pass out, or even die.
Symptoms Of Anxiety Attacks
The symptoms of anxiety attacks can be put into two main categories; psychological symptoms and physical symptoms. Some of the most common symptoms of anxiety attacks include shortness of breath, pounding of the heart, chest pain, trembling and shaking, dizziness, nausea or stomach distress, fear of losing control or going crazy, and hot and cold flashes. Anxiety attacks cause changes within the body, and also in the brain. Because everyone is different, the symptoms of anxiety attacks can be quite varied.
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January 15th, 2007
About Anxiety Attacks
Anxiety is the normal reaction to stress. Anxiety helps us in coping with tense situations. But sometimes levels of anxiety can become excessively high and we irrationally dread everyday life situations. It then becomes a disabling disorder. These reactions are medically termed as anxiety attacks. They are characterized by sudden surges of overwhelming fear that comes without warning or obvious reason. Attacks of anxiety are far more intense than normal anxiety or the feeling of being stressed out. Anxiety attacks are capable of bringing fast and complex changes within the human body. Those who have experienced anxiety attacks have reported it as an overwhelming, uncontrollable dread; more like a terrible illness. The attacks can cause drastic changes in the functioning of the heart, lungs, stomach, intestines, pancreas, kidneys, bladder and the eyes.
Causes And Risk Factors For Anxiety Attacks
The complex factors linked to anxiety attacks are numerous. All of them contribute to the development of anxiety disorders on a long-term basis. Factors such as environment, personality, family background, brain chemistry and genetics each play a significant role in the occurrence of anxiety attacks. Major life stresses such as financial difficulties, marital problems and bereavement can often trigger the onset of an anxiety attack. When an anxiety attack occurs, it should be realized that it is not caused by one factor alone. All the risk factors of anxiety attacks are interrelated with each other, and they can interact with or impact upon each other.
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January 15th, 2007
Effects Of Stress
It is very important for everyone to pay attention to the symptoms of stress and learn how to identify them. The persistence of various stress symptoms can lead to the risk of serious health problems. Stress related diseases affect two thirds or more of the population in the United States. Moreover, 55 % of Americans report feeling stressed at work. The damage caused by stress can remain subtle or unseen. Studies have shown that psychological stress can cause the body to take longer to clear heart-damaging fats from the bloodstream. The various symptoms of stress are triggered by the release of hormones and other brain chemicals. These hormones and chemicals can have hazardous and lethal effects in both the body and the brain. The worst effects of persistent stress are seen in cases of children, where stress has even caused stunted growth.
Tests For Stress
Stress can be detected through numerous ways. There are many types of stress tests through which the signs and symptoms of stress can be detected. The two most common types of stress tests are psychological and medical. There are also different types of measuring devices for stress such as the stress thermometer. This conventional device is capable of determining stress levels. The medical tests for checking stress are also very common. They are done with electrodes placed on the chest and arms and other different parts of the body in order to record heart activity. Most of the stress tests are generally considered safe.
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January 14th, 2007
An Introduction To Anxiety
In common language, anxiety can be described as a feeling of uneasiness. Anyone can experience anxiety when faced with a stressful situation. These situations can include an exam or an interview, or a stressful time such as when a person is ill. Experts claim that it is normal to be a little anxious, especially when facing a difficult, dangerous or stressful situation. Mild anxiety can even be considered positive, and may be seen as a useful experience. But studies have shown that one person in every five has anxiety levels that interfere with their normal life. This negative type of anxiety is called excessive anxiety and is often associated with complex psychiatric conditions, including depression. Abnormal anxiety occurs when anxiety remains for a prolonged period and happens even in the absence of a stressful event.
Symptoms of Anxiety
The symptoms of anxiety can be broadly categorized into two groups, the physical and the psychological. The physical symptoms of anxiety include the following: abdominal discomfort, diarrhoea, dry mouth, increased heartbeat or palpitations, shortness of breath, dizziness, frequent urination, and difficulties in swallowing. The psychological symptoms include: insomnia, irritability or anger, inability to concentrate, fear of madness and depersonalization (such as feeling unreal or not in control of one’s actions). The symptoms of anxiety are mainly caused when the brain sends messages to different parts of the body to prepare for the fight or flight response when a person is in a stressful situation. This causes the heart, lungs and the other parts of the body to function at a much faster, very rapid rate.
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