...What are Anxiety Disorders? A cover term for a variety of mental disorders in which severe anxiety is a salient symptom. Anxiety disorders are the most common of emotional disorders and affect more than 25 million Americans. Many forms and symptoms may include: • Overwhelming feelings of panic and fear • Uncontrollable obsessive thoughts • Painful, intrusive memories • Recurring nightmares • Physical symptoms such as feeling sick to your stomach, “butterflies” in your stomach, heart pounding, startling easily, and muscle tension Anxiety disorders differ from normal feelings of nervousness. Untreated anxiety disorders can push people into avoiding situations that trigger or worsen their symptoms. People with anxiety disorders are likely to suffer from depression, and they also may abuse alcohol and other drugs in an effort to gain relief from their symptoms. Job performance, school work, and personal relationships can also suffer. Types of Anxiety Disorders Panic disorder People with this condition have feelings of terror that strike suddenly and repeatedly with no warning. Other symptoms of a panic attack include sweating, chest pain, palpitations (irregular heartbeats), and a feeling of choking, which may make the person feel like he or she is having a heart attack or "going crazy." Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) People with OCD are plagued by constant thoughts or fears that cause them to perform certain rituals or...
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...Anxiety Torrie Jauregui Com/172 August 20th, 2014 Brendan Praniewicz Anxiety Anxiety is a disorder where people live in fear. The people who suffer with this disorder worry all the time about if something will go wrong. This disorder destroys how people suffering with it live on a daily basis. People suffering with this disorder fear from being judged by others. They fear going out and being a part of society, they fear that they will have a massive panic attack out of know where. This disorder creates social anxiety, affects personal life, and creates panic attacks in the person suffering. Social anxiety is the extreme fear of being scrutinized and judged by others in social or performance situations “Anxiety and depression association of America, 2014.” People dealing with social anxiety have a hard time being in situations that make them have to deal with or be around other people. Here is an example about social anxiety effecting a man named Greg. One day Greg got talked into going to a party with his roommate. However, Greg’s roommate suddenly had to work that day and could no longer attend. Greg now was going alone and had not been able to come up with a good reason to no longer go. When he arrived his anxiety was starting to hit him; he was sweating vigorously. Once he entered the party, he no longer wanted to be there. His new objective for the night was to hide in plain sight and get out as soon as he could (Jantz, 2014). The fear of letting down his roommate...
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...ANXIETY DISORDERS The term “anxiety” refers to a general state of dread or uneasiness that occurs in response to an imagined danger. Usually, it is characterized by nervousness, inability to relax, and concern about losing control. Physical symptoms include trembling, sweating, rapid heart rate, shortness of breath, and feelings of lightheadedness (Rathus, 2007). While everyone feels anxious at some point or another, it can turn into a problem for many people. If a person constantly feels anxious, or their anxiety is out of proportion to the situation provoking it, then they may have an anxiety disorder, which can interfere with their daily lives in terms of emotional comfort and life satisfaction. There are many types of anxiety disorders....
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... Goldberg PC15 April 13, 2007 Panic Attacks in Young Adults (18-29) Right before I left for college I experienced the single most terrifying thing that has ever happened to me. This experience and the fear of it happening again stalked me day and night. It is something that has stayed with me and that I deal with and fear on a daily basis. It wasn’t until years later that I sought professional help and found out how common this very personal, ground-shattering experience actually was. I was diagnosed with Panic Disorder with Agoraphobia. I. Introduction Throughout history, anxiety and fear have been recognized as an inherent part of man’s existence. However, in antiquity, as well as late in the Middle Ages, anxiety phenomena were seldom described in a medical context, despite the fact that Hippocrates related obvious cases of phobic avoidance in a book dated around 400 BC (Hippocrates, translated in 1780). Hippocrates described the case of a man who ‘could not go near a precipice or over a bridge, or beside even the shallowest ditch; and yet he could walk in the ditch himself’. It was only in the 19th century that panic emerged as a fundamental problem, and since then, anxiety symptoms in the context of phobic avoidance have become firmly embedded in a medical context. (Den Boer, J.A., S3) II. Defining Panic There have been some revisions to what constitutes panic attacks and panic disorder in recent years. Panic attacks were first defined in 1980...
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...experienced some sort of anxiety feeling before an important event, such as an important exam, going on the 1st date, going on the roller coaster for the 1st time, and etc. during their lifetime. When this anxiety start to be an overwhelming thought in a person’s mind and causes nightmares, fears, and panic attacks, it becomes an illness, called anxiety disorder. It is the fear, apprehension, and often the expectation of unspecified danger. It is considered a normal natural response used everyday to figure out whether a situation is dangerous or not. How to differentiate a normal anxiety form an abnormal disorder: The intensity of the anxiety; whether or not the anxiety matches the circumstance. The length of the anxiety is inappropriate to what is causing the anxiety. Adequately respond to make a decision in what to do in that our body has alarm us to some danger. Anxiety is a total normal thing and is experienced daily. But when you have consistent anxiety you should start to worry. Anxiety is a reaction to stressful situations that helps rather than hinders daily functions. If we didn’t have anxiety we wouldn’t be motivated to do certain things in life that could be a good accomplishment or help us out. Anxiety Disorder is defined as the occurrence of anxiety without obvious external cause, intruding on daily functioning. Now I will discuss Generalized Anxiety Disorder. Generalized Anxiety Disorder is the experience of long-term anxiety with no explanation. Symptoms...
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...Anxiety Disorders While there are millions of individuals who struggle with the symptoms of anxiety on a daily basis, most people do not understand what having an anxiety disorder entails. According to Wood, Wood and Boyd, anxiety disorders are “psychological disorders characterized by frequent fearful thoughts about what might happen in the future” (Wood 459). In other words, anxiety is the constant or intense state of irrational fear that interferes with day-to-day activities. Anxiety disorders are common in both children and adults, the effects are numerous and the treatments are vast and ever-changing. Although there are many types of anxiety disorders, each having its own symptoms, treatments and effects, three that are common are panic disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder. Panic disorder is a term in which an anxiety disorder can be repeated or have unexpected attacks of intense fear. These attacks can last for minutes to hours. Panic attacks cannot be predicted and may result in added anxiety and depression. Over time, people who have panic attacks often worry about the onset of the next panic attack. Shirley Trickett, author of Panic Attacks, reports that symptoms of Panic Disorder include shortness of breath, pounding heart or chest pain, intense fear, sweating, dizziness, chills, tingling, numbness of the fingers and also a fear that the person are losing control or are about to die (5). Most panic attacks can happen...
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...| Panic DisorderPsychology Assignment | Rohit Jayal | 11/20/13 | XI-C | | | Panic DisorderPsychology Assignment | Rohit Jayal | 11/20/13 | XI-C | | Contents 1 Signs and symptoms 2 Causes 3 Psychological Models 4 Medical Model 5 Mediators and moderators of panic disorder 6 Substance abuse 7 Diagnosis 8 Treatment 9 Psychotherapy 10 Medication 11 Other treatments 12 Epidemiology. 13 Panic disorder in juveniles 14 Case Study. Definition Panic disorder is an anxiety disorder characterized by recurring severe panic attacks. It may also include significant behavioural changes lasting at least a month and of ongoing worry about the implications or concern about having other attacks. The latter are called anticipatory attacks (DSM-IVR). Panic disorder is not the same as agoraphobia (fear of public places), although many afflicted with panic disorder also suffer from agoraphobia. Panic attacks cannot be predicted, therefore an individual may become stressed, anxious or worried wondering when the next panic attack will occur. Panic disorder may be differentiated as a medical condition, or chemical imbalance. The DSM-IV-TR describes panic disorder and anxiety differently. Whereas anxiety is preceded by chronic stressors which build to reactions of moderate intensity that can last for days, weeks or months, panic attacks are acute events triggered by a sudden, out-of-the-blue cause: duration is short and symptoms are more intense. Panic attacks...
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...accepted. There are certain disorders that are more common among certain parts of the population. Social factors like gender, race, and culture influence mental health. Social conditions such as poverty, discrimination, and environmental stressors must also be looked at when evaluating abnormal behavior. Anxiety disorder is a disorder marked by excessive apprehension that seriously interferes with a person’s ability to function. Anxiety disorders can be characterized by four components: physical, cognitive, emotional, and behavioral. A physical component of anxiety is dizziness. A cognitive component would be the fear of losing control. An emotional component would be a sense of terror or panic. Coping with abnormal anxiety may include behaviors such as escaping a situation. We all experience anxiety from time to time. People with anxiety disorders have concerns that are unrealistic and out of proportion to the amount of harm that could occur. Approximately 19% of Americans over 18 years of age are diagnosed with an anxiety disorder in a given year. Women have consistently higher rates of anxiety disorders than men do. African Americans have a lower lifetime risk of anxiety disorders than European Americans and Hispanic Americans. Panic disorder is an anxiety disorder characterized by intense fear and anxiety in the absence of danger that is accompanied by strong symptoms. It is estimated that between 1.5% and 5% of people will develop panic disorder at some time in their lives...
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...“Approximately 15 out of 1000 people will experience panic disorder at some point in their life. (p.19)” Actions all over the world have been taken to better treat individuals that suffer from anxiety disorders like panic disorder (Rachman and Silva, 2009, p.x). Although not every panic attack is associated with panic disorder, if untreated, it can become severe and possibly chronic (Rachman and Silva, 2009, p.19). Panic disorder afflicts approximately 1.5 to 3.5 percent of the entire population, specifically women (Root, 2000, p. 1). In the United States of America alone, there is an estimated three to six million individuals who suffer from this disease (Root, 2000, p. x). Panic disorder has an extensive...
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...Panic disorder is an anxiety disorder, which is characterized by multiple panic attacks and the fear of surrounding these attacks. A panic attack is a sudden surge of overwhelming anxiety and fear. Your heart starts pounding and you can’t seem to catch your breath. Sometimes you may even feel like you’re dying or going crazy. If left untreated, panic attacks can lead to panic disorder and other problems. Panic attacks do not have any identifiable stimuli, and can last from a few seconds to several hours. During an attack the individual feel a sense of impending, unavoidable doom without warning. This disorder has been around since the “stone ages”, however the first documented case was in the 18th century. Psychiatrists during that time described...
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...paper on Anxiety Disorder Jeffrey S. Fletcher, M.A. Kathleen B. Stinger Psychopathology and Counseling, Coun 656 4, May 2014 Author Note Jeffrey S. Fletcher, Student, Liberty University. Correspondence concerning this paper should be addressed to Jeffrey S. Fletcher, Jfletcher1@liberty.edu Abstract This research paper is designed to review articles and books of professional journals in anxiety disorders, definition of anxiety disorder, review of current and past treatments of anxiety disorders, the new section and changes to anxiety disorder in the DSM-5, new treatments for anxiety disorders and medications for anxiety disorders. This paper will show spiritual considerations for treating anxiety disorders and how religion can improve one’s condition. It will show how CBT treatment of anxiety disorders have not been very successful and how medication has its limitations in treatment of anxiety disorders. This paper will also show what this clinician has learned and will take forward into the daily practice of treating adolescents with anxiety disorders. Keywords: anxiety, anxiety disorders, DSM-5, treatment Introduction When we talk about anxiety we have to distinguish between healthy anxiety or normal anxiety and anxiety disorders. It is normal to have a certain amount of anxiety for instance when one is in danger it is normal to become anxious. To have an anxiety disorder your anxiety would have to interfere with your life in a negative way. Anxiety and fear...
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...Common but Deadly: Living With Mild to Extreme Anxiety Rebecca keeps experiencing situations where she feels like she is out of control. Whether it is at the grocery store, or driving to school, she will suddenly be overtaken by intense feelings and physiological reactions. Rebecca’s heart will start beating rapidly, and her palms become sweaty. Her lungs feel as if their constricting. The urge to escape becomes almost desperate as she thinks to herself, “I need out. Now!” These instances cause Rebecca to become more fearful. She is afraid of the repercussions these instances will have. Will her overwhelming emotions cause future problems for her health or for family? What are these intense moments that are affecting her quality of life? They are known as panic attacks. Panic attacks are a form of anxiety, a common emotion. Anxiety occurs in all of us, and mild amounts, it is healthy. For some, however, anxiety can take the ugly form of anxiety disorders. Because anxiety is so widespread, and potentially dangerous, it is important to understand what it is, how it affects us, and what we can do to cope with it. Anxiety can take many different levels of severity and emerge from many different emotions or attitudes. It can emerge from a fear of a future event, whether that event is real or perceived. Others may feel general uneasiness all the time. No matter what the trigger for anxiety, one detail is key. Anxiety is illogical. Yet, despite this fact, one of anxiety’s most...
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...Carolina Garcia Aguilar Psychological Disorders Panic disorder is a psychological disorder. The main features are recurrent events of panic abrupt, events of extreme fear, bordering on terror. The person not only experiences the recurrent events, but also a pounding heart, shortness of breath, faintness, and shaking. All these happen unexpectedly and are sometimes unexplainable. These recurrent events can play in the person’s head for up to 10-20 minutes. There is a relatively history of this psychological disorder, different causes and effects, those who are more likely to suffer from panic, and there are also treatments found for panic disorder. Psychological disorders have had different names throughout time, like mentioned in the book Understanding Panic and Other Anxiety Disorders, the author mentions, “During the American Civil War, Dr. Jacob Mendes DaCosta described finding in soldiers what he believed to be a cardiovascular disorder involving chest pains and palpitations of the heart, but, as it turned out, actual heart disease was not usually present” (Root 1). This syndrome became known as neurocirculatory asthenia, also known as effort syndrome, cardiac neurosis, soldier’s heart, and DaCosta’s syndrome. It was linked with the emotional and physical distress of war. During the twentieth century’s two world wars, sufferers of panic disorder slowly but surely came to be treated less often by those in the field of internal medicine and more often by psychiatrists. Observers...
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...given to this client? Panic Disorder with Agoraphobia Background Information Please outline the major symptoms of this disorder. According to the DSM, the major symptoms of Panic Disorder with Agoraphobia are, recurrent panic attacks and enduring anxiety about experiencing another panic attack. The individual is also anxious about going places where escape might be difficult or embarrassing, or where they will be unable to receive assistance in case of emergency. The symptoms cannot be better explained by another medical or psychological effect. Briefly describe the client’s background (age, race, occupation etc). The client is named Annie, and she is a 24 year-old Caucasian woman. According to the case history she had an abusive relationship with her parents, and started experiencing mental health problems during puberty. Annie is currently unemployed, and is receiving disability payments from the federal government. Please describe any factors in the client’s background that might predispose him or her to this disorder. During the interview, Annie states that her childhood was normal. However, during the interview she occasionally alludes to some abusive experiences, but is reluctant to talk about them any further. The client also makes reference to the night terrors she experienced at the young age of four, eight and twelve. These “intense” nightmares terrified her growing up, and she attributes some of her anxiety to them. She believes that...
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...ANXIETY DISORDER AND STRESS Amanda Duncan University of Phoenix After getting into an argument or stressful situation, have you felt like your chest was heavy, it was hard to breathe, or you’re nervous and sweaty? Did you know anxiety disorder affects more than 40 million people in the United States? (ADAA, 2010-2014). That means that approximately 38,667 people go untreated every day. Doing this could cause many health issues and can even end with suicide or death. Stress is the number one cause of anxiety disorder and has solutions to help the victims. When it comes to anxiety, it’s not always a negative thing to endure. Everyone has felt anxiety in some type of way in their lifetime. According to an article titled Anxiety Attacks & Anxiety Disorders, “Anxiety disorders are thought to be a group of related conditions not just one single disorder. One thing that people with anxiety disorders have in common are, persistent or severe fear or worry in situations where most people wouldn’t feel threatened” (Smith, Robinson, & Segal, 2014). It can be caused from medical factors, substance abuse, environmental factors or a combination of all of these. If feeling anxiety before a project’s due, don’t worry this isn’t a bad thing. In this sort of situation it’s a good form of anxiety. When it becomes a form of an anxiety disorder, is when it’s affecting life every day. Symptoms of anxiety could be physical and nonphysical. The Crosta (2009, July 23) website states...
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