...and sometimes people get so overwhelmed, they go into a state panic. Anxiety is actually a normal human reaction to stress. However, in severe cases, anxiety and panic can become disabling and interfere with everyday living. For an adolescent, life is already stressful enough. How does an adolescent, then, live day to day with one or both of these conditions? This paper will take an in depth look at what anxiety, specifically generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), and panic disorder are, signs and symptoms that show severe anxiety and/or panic disorder is present in an adolescent, treatment methods for both GAD and panic disorder, and two websites offering advice and treatment for families with a diagnosed adolescent. While there are several types of anxiety disorders including GAD, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), phobias, and panic disorder, this paper will focus on generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) and panic disorder in the adolescent population. Before we can discuss any aspects of GAD or panic disorder, we have to understand exactly what these two metal disorders are. Anxiety is the less severe disorder of the two. In general, anxiety is present in every human being. Feeling anxious is a normal circumstance in everyone’s life and, at times, can be beneficial in certain situations. Anxiety refers to the brain’s natural response to danger (Anxiety and Anxiety Disorders). To most people, this is referred to as our “fight or flight”...
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...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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...ago, when I was still a little boy, my aunt Tina was diagnosed with panic disorder. I heard that word very often during my family gatherings, when my family members were talking about my aunt's condition and everyone was worried about her. At that time, I was still too young to understand what was really wrong, or what all those big words meant. But, I often heard the word therapy and medication in reference to my aunt. Everybody looked very worried when her condition was discussed. Now that I am ten years older and taking a psychology course, I often think back and wonder what experience means in the professional world. In the frame of this current writing assignment I want to take the time out to find out what actually happened to my aunt and what she really experienced at this time. In order to fulfil this assignment, I will present findings from literature on panic disorder, and some of the experiences that my aunt shared with me in a recent conversation, in order to make make comparisons between literature and the actual experience that my aunt had. In Summery, it appears that panic disorder is characterized by an experience of unable terror that can impair peoples life on many levels and can also cause additional problems such as other anxiety problems and even depression. During the conversations with my aunt, I asked her how she experienced her condition. She said "It started out as one panic attack and then it increased.". When I asked her how those attacks felt...
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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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...With no known cause, Panic Disorder (PD) is a great mystery. Affecting about 5% or 14 million people (Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies, 2000); regardless of race or ethnicity, class or social standing, PD in not nearly researched enough to get the answers we need. Often showing the first symptoms in adolescence or early adulthood, PD affects women two to three times more than men. Though well documented and understood by the medical community, the average person experiencing the symptoms of Panic Disorder can expect to see at least ten doctors before their final diagnosis (helpquide, 2009). Once thought to be a “women’s” disease, it is now known that Panic Disorder affects any and every group of people. Most every person has experienced a “panic attack” in which they have an intense founded fear or dread that causes a “fight or flight” response in their body. The symptoms of fight or flight are commonly: heart palpitations or racing heart rate, shortness of breath, feeling faint or unsteady, shaking and trembling, tingling in the fingers or toes, choking sensations, hot and cold flashes, chest pain, abdominal distress, fear of going crazy, losing control or dying. Panic attacks come on suddenly, usually lasting less than 10 minutes, and peaking within five minutes. Sufferers experience a strong urge to find a safe place, or escape their situation. The difference between panic attacks and Panic Disorder is the frequency and cause of the attacks. As...
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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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...Psychological Disorders Shirley Myers Psy/240 06/26/2011 Gazda There are a plethora of psychological disorders to be discussed and the many theories about these disorders are endless. Along with theories about the disorders there are also many different kinds of treatments with many different effects. There are also levels of severity that come along with each individual mental disorder. Some of these disorders include Schizophrenia, Bipolar Disorder, Panic Disorder, Bulimia Nervosa, and Tourette syndrome. There are treatments for these disorders but with all treatments there can be negative results associated with the treatment. The theories associated with each disorder give professionals some insight into what the mental disorder is exactly and how it is to be treated and has caused psychological medicine to come a very long way from its sordid beginning. Schizophrenia is classified as one of the many major psychological disorders and can be incapacitating. Pinel explained that the term Schizophrenia means, “The splitting of psychic functions” (Pinel, 2009). There are several symptoms associated with the diagnosis of Schizophrenia and they are as follows: delusions, inappropriate affect, hallucinations, incoherent thought, and odd behavior (Pinel, 2009). For most professionals it usually only takes one sort of symptom to form a diagnoses of Schizophrenia. One of the theories that are believed to cause Schizophrenia is that an individual may inherit the...
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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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...Panic Disorders affect people throughout the world in various countries although a major facet of panic disorders, panic attacks, are experienced in differing ways in separate cultures where the certain attack may include wailing, feeling like there is “worms crawling in [the patients] head” and so on(Kohn). With the varying ways that just a portion of a panic disorder is experienced, it is not surprising the amount of differing subsets of panic disorders there are and the range of ways to experience and treat treat these disorders. One such specific subset of a Panic Disorder being “Panic Disorder with Agoraphobia”. Similar to a great amount of other panic disorders, people with Panic Disorder with agoraphobia usually experience panic...
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...Part I As of this date, the best evidenced-based treatment for treating panic disorder, with or without agoraphobia, appears to be a combination of cognitive behavioral therapy and pharmacotherapy. There are numerous studies to support this claim, some of which will be discussed here. There have been a number of comparative studies of psychotherapy, drug treatment, and a combination of both in the treatment of panic disorder and most have indicated that a combination is superior to mono-therapy of either type (Bandelow, Lichte, Rudolf, Wiltink, & Beutel, 2014). There are other methods that are also used, but current research shows that none appear to be as effective as this combination. Anxiety disorders are the most common mental illnesses, although persons suffering from them rarely seek treatment. Specific phobias are the most common type of anxiety disorder followed closely by panic disorder/agoraphobia (PDAG). Anxiety disorders are now thought to originate from an interaction of psychosocial, genetic, and neurobiological factors (Bandelow et al., 2014). Panic disorder (PD) is associated with significant personal, social, and economic costs and ranks among the most expensive psychiatric disorders (White et al., 2013). Merriam-Webster defines panic disorder, panic attack and agoraphobia as...
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...Research 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...
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...Case Study Report What diagnosis has been 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...
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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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...anxiety disorder in which individuals have feeling of afraid to panic and embarrass themselves in front of many people. As result, the trying to avoid themselves from public situation. Individuals who suffer from agoraphobia are afraid of being in situation in which escape would be difficult or embarrassing of panic-like symptoms occurred. Because of their fear of embarrassing themselves, people with agoraphobia may confine themselves to their homes and venture out as little as possible, and when they do go out, they may only do so with someone they believe will able to be help them or becoming their shield when they become anxious. Note that individuals with agoraphobia do not avoid people because of any fear of people; instead they avoid people because “something” might happen that they cannot control and then they will embarrass themselves. Diagnosed that have been carried out noted that amongst female and males, the female have higher percentage of agoraphobia which was 7% whereas the male only 3.5%. THEORIES The available theories suggest that agoraphobia have psychological and physiological components, but it is unclear whether physiological factors cause physiological changes, or vice versa. In considering biological contributors to the development of panic disorder, researchers have been struck by the fact that biological relatives of individuals with panic disorder are 8 times more likely to develop this condition; furthermore, people who develop panic disorder before...
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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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