Everyone is afraid or anxious about something sometimes. When this fear becomes so bad, occurs often and sometimes about something unreal or something that is not there at all, we call it an anxiety disorder. In this article 4 different disorders; panic disorders, phobias, obsessive-compulsive disorders and post-traumatic stress disorders.
Fear
Fear affects everything you do. This improves performance for some people, but if the fear is too strong it only has negative effects. There are a number of different types and forms of anxiety;
Fear
Fear of a specific object, for example fear of water or heights.
Situational anxiety
Repeated anxiety in certain circumstances.
Anticipation anxiety
Fear that occurs before confronting the feared situation.
Generalized or diffuse anxiety
Common fear in very different situations.
Panic
Fear or anxiety that occurs suddenly, in attacks. It is accompanied by severe physiological symptoms and strong disturbance of cognitive functions.
Real fear
A fear response to a truly threatening situation.
Pathological anxiety
Regular anxiety for no apparent reason.
Characteristics and expression of anxiety
- accelerated breathing,
- Increased heartrate,
- vibrate,
- pale face,
- Muscle tensions,
- Nausea.
Panic disorders
A panic disorder is an exceptional, irrational fear that manifests itself in sudden panic attacks. Symptoms of panic disorder include shortness of breath, choking sensations, dizziness, palpitations, tremors and nausea. There is often agoraphobia: a strong fear of places or situations where fleeing in an emergency is difficult and where you are left to yourself in an emergency.
Therapy
A panic disorder is often treated with the help of cognitive therapy (explaining why the panic occurs) or behavioral therapy (seeking fearful situations and getting used to them).
Phobias
There are 2 different types of phobias; the simple phobia and the social phobia. Single phobia involves intense, unreasonable fear of a specific object or situation. Social phobia consists of persistent, intense fear of situations in which others may judge or ridicule them. People with a phobia realize that their fear is unreasonable, but cannot get rid of it themselves.
Therapy
A phobia is often treated by having conversations with the patient, but also by behavioral therapy (exposure to the frightening situation). Social phobia can also be treated by cognitive therapy, relaxation exercises (voodoo, yoga, etc.) or medication.
Compulsive disorders
People with obsessive-compulsive disorder suffer from obsessive thoughts and compulsive actions. Obsessive thoughts are recurring, disturbing ideas or images. These thoughts give rise to compulsive actions, which are actions that must be done to reduce the compulsive thoughts. Symptoms of an obsessive-compulsive disorder include anxiety, feelings of panic, depressive symptoms and problems at home or at work.
Therapy
Behavioral therapy, cognitive therapy and medication can help people with obsessive-compulsive disorder.
Posttraumatic stress disorders
If someone has experienced a traumatic event (death of a parent, witnessed a serious accident, was sexually abused, etc.) a post-traumatic stress disorder can develop. The patient suffers from anxiety symptoms, tension complaints, numbness, alienation, concentration and sleep problems, irritability and indifference.
Therapy
Cognitive therapy, behavioral therapy and medications also offer a solution for this disorder. But hypnosis and psychodynamic therapy can also help you get over the event.