Is feeling anxious normal or abnormal?
All emotions are normal by nature. Feeling anxious is just as normal as feeling happy or sad. Many different situations in everyday life can cause us to worry about events that affect us. It is normal to feel anxious about situations such as exams, financial stressors, preparing for a new beginning, and health conditions.
Anxiety at normal levels is necessary and protective. What does this mean?
Anxiety helps protect our sense of self and inner balance in response to the problems we encounter in everyday life and to internal and external circumstances.
When does anxiety become a ‘disorder’?
If, instead of the necessary and normal level of anxiety described above, we are talking about persistent, excessive worry that is out of proportion to the situation, the concept of an anxiety disorder becomes relevant.
What is generalized anxiety disorder?
Although there are many subtypes of anxiety disorders, one of the most common is generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). Generalized anxiety disorder involves ongoing worry and apprehension almost every day. This worry follows a chronic course with occasional flare-ups, causing symptoms that significantly impair the person's quality of life. For a person to be diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder, their symptoms must have persisted for at least 6 months.
How common is generalized anxiety disorder?
On average, five out of every hundred people experience generalized anxiety disorder during their lifetime.
Who is more likely to develop generalized anxiety disorder?
It is more common in women than in men. It often begins before the age of 20. It may occur more frequently in people who have another mental illness, use alcohol or other substances, have a family history of mental illness, experience substantial environmental stressors, or also have a personality disorder.
What are the symptoms of an anxiety disorder?
The person experiences excessive anxiety, worry, and apprehension about many events almost every day.
They cannot let go of these worries and concerns, even when they want to. Restlessness, heightened arousal, worry, fatigue, difficulty concentrating, irritability, feeling on edge, becoming angry easily, muscle tension, and sleep problems develop. These symptoms cause difficulties in important areas of functioning.
What causes an anxiety disorder?
Like many mental illnesses, generalized anxiety disorder cannot be explained by a single cause. It appears to result from an interaction between biological and psychosocial factors. Both family and twin studies indicate that the disorder has a genetic basis, but that genetics cannot fully explain it. Imaging studies using techniques such as PET and fMRI in people with generalized anxiety disorder have also found abnormalities in the volume and metabolism of certain brain regions.
From a psychodynamic perspective, anxiety represents a symptom that emerges when the defense mechanisms used to cope with unconscious conflicts are insufficient.
Various theories within the cognitive model have also attempted to explain generalized anxiety disorder. In general, people with an anxiety disorder perceive uncertainty as a threat or danger.
Can anxiety disorders be treated?
Yes, treatments are available for anxiety disorders. A detailed assessment by a mental health professional is needed first to determine the most appropriate approach and the type of treatment to choose for the individual. The assessment should establish whether another mental or medical illness, or an alcohol or substance use disorder, underlies the anxiety disorder.
How are anxiety disorders treated?
Alongside various forms of psychotherapy and medication, noninvasive treatments such as TMS (transcranial magnetic stimulation) have been used in recent years for anxiety disorders accompanied by depressive symptoms.
Among medication options, antidepressants and anxiolytics (for short-term use) are commonly used. Among psychotherapy approaches, cognitive behavioral therapy in particular provides psychoeducation about the anxiety disorder and addresses the core symptoms of anxiety, cognitive distortions, automatic thoughts, intermediate beliefs, and the person's core beliefs.
Dialectical behavior therapy, schema therapy, and psychodynamically oriented psychotherapies are also among the main approaches used.
The choice of treatment or combination of treatments should be tailored to the individual patient by a specialist physician.
How long does treatment for an anxiety disorder take?
Although the duration of treatment can vary from person to person and according to the course of the disorder, it may last at least 6 months on average. This period may be shorter or longer depending on factors such as whether medication is used alone or combined with psychotherapy, and the person's history of the disorder.
The most important point here is to consider all scientifically proven treatment methods and use the lowest effective medication dose and the fewest medications needed.
Can an anxiety disorder recur?
Yes, it can recur. Unfortunately, recurrence is more common when medication alone is used. Treatment must be supported by psychotherapy to reduce the likelihood of recurrence.
What is the difference between an anxiety disorder and a panic attack?
Anxiety involves worry, apprehension, and accompanying symptoms that are more pervasive and chronic. A panic attack, on the other hand, begins suddenly and unexpectedly, usually lasts a few minutes, and resolves on its own even if the person does nothing (the key point). Also unlike an anxiety disorder, a panic attack involves symptoms such as fear of dying, feeling as though you are having a heart attack, dizziness, chest pain, hot flashes, chills, and stomach discomfort, which resolve shortly afterward as the attack ends.
