Anxiety Disorders

Disclaimer: These are my own opinion and views. They may not reflect those of the medical profession or 7 Cups of Tea as a site. I understand these experiences of mental illness will vary per person and this is simply my own opinion and experiences. This is not to be used for diagnosis, only for education, support and insight into the illness.

I am fully aware that all forms of anxiety may display similar symptoms and may be described in similar ways, I?m simply going to attempt to explain how it feels to have them and how they differentiate.

Types of Anxiety:

1) Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)

2) Panic Disorder (PD)

3) Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

4) Phobia

5) Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

6) Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD)

I?m going to be writing about each of these in turn, giving my best possible description of each as well as symptoms. I have not experienced all of these forms of anxiety by any means, however for 9 years I have had; GAD, OCD and SAD so I will try to add my own opinion and experiences in those specifically.

Generalized Anxiety Disorder

GAD is the most common form of an anxiety disorder. This form of anxiety is a constant form of anxiety that affects day to day activities, hobbies and lifestyle.

Symptoms include, but are not limited to:

1) Excessive worry about everyday issues

2) Difficulty getting rid of these concerns

3) Recognition that worries are out of proportion to the situation

4) Physical symptoms like fatigue, headaches, muscle aches, irritability, nausea, and lightheadedness

5) Generally lacking confidence

This is an anxiety disorder I have had for such a long time and it can cause a lot of issues, especially with being able to function daily. You always seem to feel nearing unable to cope and as a result of all the anxiety you can struggle to sleep which results in extreme tiredness, you?re likely to be very restless and irritable, you may also get muscle tension as well as major concentration problems.

It?s a very hard condition to live with simply because, it?s daily. There are no ?on and off? times, it?s a constant state of being in which you?re always anxious about everything, even things that to most people would seem insignificant and it?s hard for people to understand that, in my experience most people try to be supportive but after four or five times, they tend to get annoyed that you?re being ?so silly?, but it?s simply not that easy to stop being anxious.

If anyone reading this does suffer from GAD, I?m awfully sorry to hear that and I hope you reach out for help and support, we?re always here for you!

Panic Disorders

I have not experienced a Panic Disorder personally and I am aware most anxiety disorders contain panic attacks, however from my understanding this is much worse than the odd panic attack, speaking from the perspective of everyone I?ve met with a PD.

Sufferers of PD are in a constant suffering, from ongoing and quite frequent panic attacks, as well as a complete and total fear of the next attack happening. These attacks usually last for 15-30 minutes and do not usually have any obvious trigger or cause. It?s severely hard for people with a PD because it?s near impossible to tell when the next attack will occur and sometimes even the memory of a previous attack can trigger another panic attack.

Symptoms include, but are not limited to:

1) Chest pain or a pounding heartbeat

2) Feelings of dread

3) Problems breathing

4) Dizziness

5) Excessive sweating

6) Nausea

7) Shakiness

8) Fear of impending death or lack of control

I?m not fully aware of the personal experience of suffering a PD however I am aware that it?s a very serious condition, that can be extremely overwhelming to anyone suffering from a PD as the fear of it happening is always there, which can then lead to an attack actually happening, resulting in further fear. It?s an extremely vicious cycle and I can only hope that anyone suffering with a PD, will reach out for the appropriate help, I understand it?s extremely hard but it?s so worth it.

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

OCD is an awful condition to be living with, in many aspects it takes over a section of your life and it can be extremely stressful to the individual affected as other people can be very judgmental to the ?abnormal? habits they display, or at least that?s what I?ve found in my experience of it.

Symptoms include, but are not limited to:

1) Fear of ?contamination? after touching things and/or people

2) Concerns over ?trivial matters? such as locking the door repeatedly, checking the stove a lot or turning lights on/off multiple times

3) An intense desire and need to ensure things are lined up properly or facing the ?right? way

4) Frequent hand washing

5) Frequent hair pulling, sometimes leading to hair loss

6) Counting steps to ensure the ?right? amount of steps is taken from location to location

OCD is a terrible affliction to suffer as it interferes with all aspects of life and activities, in which people want to stop the behaviours but simply can?t do it. Personally speaking, I have found it can cause insane amount of troubles, such as repeatedly turning a light on or off for a few hundred times before it felt ?right?.

I know some people say ?Oh I?m OCD? whenever they simply move a pen around but that?s not the case, it?s an awful affliction in which it feels physically wrong for things to not be ?right?, it irritates you beyond belief if even small things are out of place or if things just don?t ?feel? right. It?s so much more than the small things, it?s a constant issue which impacts your ability to adequately function in day-to-day life, which can lead into a panic attack in extreme circumstances.

Phobia

Phobias are quite common and it?s important to note, although similar, a fear and a phobia are vastly different in terms of how it affects a person. A phobia is, indeed, an acute fear, but the difference between a fear and a phobia is not just the acuteness of it; it is also that a phobia is blown out of proportion in the person's mind to the extent that it can become paralyzing, but at the very least, it is an unreasonably intense fear.

Symptoms can include, but are not limited to:

1) Intense fear and/or dread

2) Knowledge these fears are irrational and aren?t associated with actual danger

3) Automatic reactions that can consume the person?s thoughts

4) Going extremely out of the way to avoid situations that may involve any form of fear

5) Physical reactions, such as a fast heartbeat, urge to flee or shortness of breath

There are phobias that can be caused by just about anything, and it?s important to note that you should try to support people suffering with a Phobia. It may seem simple and easy to some of us, but to the person suffering, whatever their phobia is, it?s going to see extremely overwhelming, painful and might cause extreme panic. Try to remain supportive and look out for those suffering to keep their discomfort to a minimum.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

PTSD is a horrible condition to have to fight on a daily basis. Most of us at some point in our lives will have experienced some form of traumatic event or experience, which is obviously extremely horrific to go through and can be very upsetting for you at the time. With PTSD, they constantly relive those horrific experiences in a way that feels very real, frightening and can invoke physical reactions when they do remember the event, just try to imagine how it would feel, reliving that horrific moment time and time again, it would be really hard! That?s what PTSD sort of feels like, I can?t describe it too well having never experienced it but that?s my general understanding.

The symptoms include, but are not limited to:

1) Reliving the event. These symptoms include having flashbacks, nightmares, and memories of the event that upset you. You may also have intense feelings, often with physical reactions, when remembering the event.

2) Avoidance. You avoid places, situations, people, or anything that might remind you of the event. You start to forget important details of the trauma. Another symptom is that you start separating yourself from your friends and family and you stop caring about anything.

3) Increased emotional arousal and anxiety. This group of symptoms contains issues like sleep problems, lack of concentration, and frequent angry outbursts. You may also feel like you are on alert and tense all of the time.

Try to understand, for the person affected, this is like reliving the event that occurred. It?s very real and very traumatizing to the person affected.

Social Anxiety Disorder

Most people naturally feel a bit anxious going into a new social setting or environment however SAD is extreme fear of being judged or viewed negatively by others which prevents you from engaging socially, at all in a lot of circumstances. It?s very difficult for people with this anxiety disorder to be able to cope, even just a little bit, with social settings and it can feel extremely overwhelming for them, even in small scale situations.

Symptoms include, but are not limited to:

1) Extreme discomfort in social situations

2) Extreme effort to avoid social situations

3) Extreme fear of being judged by other people

4) Physical symptoms including; Rapid heartbeat, blushing, sweating and muscle tension

Having experienced this one personally, it?s horrible. It takes away often, the ability to be able to communicate and socialise with people in most circumstances and can prevent the person doing things that they love doing or really want to try/do.

It can cause intense loneliness, if the person is unable to socialize properly which can lead to further negative self-opinion, which only fuels the anxiety further. It?s a horrible cycle to be trapped in, it?s not just being a bit afraid at the new social situation.

What can be done?

Okay, hopefully all of that made sense! Hopefully now you can see the difference between being anxious and an anxiety disorder, they differ vastly and anxiety has much more dire and severe consequences than just being a bit anxious every now and then.

The good news is that there are therapy and treatments available to help those suffering with any of the above anxiety disorders, you?re not alone in this struggle and you can and you will get through this.

So, how can we support those struggling with anxiety? Try to be supportive. Don?t tell them to ?get over it? or that ?just try?, because that won?t help them. They come here to vent and to be listener too, so do just that - listen. Try to understand how it feels for them to be feeling that way, support them and encourage them.

Additionally, professional help can really help. Most patients find significant relief from their symptoms after treatment begins. There?s always hope no matter how hard things feel right now, please stay strong.

Treatment Options

Some treatment options available include, but are not limited to:

1) Cognitive Therapy - This therapy focuses on changing patterns and beliefs that are associated with, and triggering, anxiety.

2) Behavior Therapy - This therapy largely involves gradual exposure to that anxiety/fear triggering events in small steps that you can handle, which ultimately desensitizes you from the issue(s) making it easier to handle.

3) Medication - There is medication available if a doctor has diagnosed the anxiety disorder, which can help in the short-term while you look into other treatments

4) Other - Things such as breathing techniques and relaxation methods are also known to help with anxiety related issues, you can find a list of these online or from a doctor

I?m always here if you need to talk to someone, lots of care

- Baubs

@EtaAlpha Thanks for the support and proof reading,I appreciate you and everything you did to help! (Especially with editing)