Anxiety Disorders

Orange County Mental Health Treatment

Anxiety is a part of life that everyone experiences occasionally. A typical reaction to stress, anxiety, can result from many factors, including worry about health, money, job, or family issues.

In some situations, anxiety and worry can be helpful. Anxiety can help motivate us to prepare and help people avoid danger by keeping them alert and cautious. Normal anxiety alerts people that a threat exists, and they must prepare and pay attention

What Are Anxiety Disorders?

Anxiety disorders are different than the normal temporary feelings of nervousness or anxiousness that people feel occasionally. Instead, an anxiety disorder involves excessive fear or anxiety that persists and can worsen.

The symptoms of intense fear and distress can be overwhelming and interfere with daily activities, impacting job performance, schoolwork, and personal relationships.

Anxiety disorders are a grouping of mental disorders. There are several types of anxiety disorders, and generally, they cause powerful and uncontrollable feelings of anxiety and fear. Anxiety disorders are the most common mental disorder, and effective treatments are available that can help people lead normal life.

Different Types of Anxiety Disorders

There are many types of anxiety disorders, and each produces different symptoms. However, some of the most common types of anxiety disorders include the following:

Generalized Anxiety Disorder

Generalized anxiety disorder produces persistent, exaggerated, and excessive worry that interferes with everyday life. This continuous worry and tension can make concentrating and finishing daily tasks difficult. People with generalized anxiety disorder spend hours daily consumed by worry and fear, which can become exhausting physically and mentally.

People with generalized anxiety disorder often focus on everyday and even minor problems. The constant worry about jobs, school, family, health, chores, and appointments can take a physical toll. Generalized anxiety disorder can cause physical symptoms, including restlessness, fatigue, headaches, muscle tension, difficulty concentrating, or problems sleeping.

Panic Disorder

Panic disorder is a condition that causes recurrent panic attacks. The primary symptom of panic disorder is sudden feelings of terror which create an overwhelming combination of physical and psychological distress. People with panic disorder experience repeated panic attacks that come suddenly without warning.

The symptoms experienced by a panic attack are often so powerful that they are mistaken for a heart attack. Because they can be so severe, many people will go to great lengths to avoid a panic attack, including social isolation. A panic attack can cause several symptoms, which may include:

Separation Anxiety Disorder

Separation anxiety disorder is a mental condition that causes a person to be excessively fearful or anxious about separation from people. A person with a separation anxiety disorder may be constantly obsessed about losing the person or people closest to them.

The feeling is beyond what is appropriate and causes problems in functioning. For example, the person may be reluctant to leave home or sleep without that person. Or they may experience nightmares about separation.

Social Anxiety Disorder

Social Anxiety Disorder is a mental condition characterized by an intense fear of social interaction. The disorder is more than typical shyness or nervousness and is often caused by an irrational fear of humiliation, such as not knowing what to say or saying the wrong thing.

The significant anxiety and discomfort caused by social anxiety disorder may cause people to avoid social situations. They may not participate in conversations, offer opinions, or share ideas. Panic attacks are a common reaction to foreseen social events. The concern of being embarrassed, humiliated, rejected, or looked down on in social interactions can cause them to become isolated.

Social Anxiety Disorder

A specific phobia is an unreasonable and ongoing fear of something that is generally safe. We all have certain things or situations that we tend to avoid because they make us uncomfortable or even fearful. But certain things or situations can trigger a powerful reaction of strong, irrational fear for someone with a specific phobia.

People with a specific phobia realize that their fear of a particular object, situation, or activity is excessive and irrational, yet they cannot overcome it. The fear of certain places, events, or things that a specific phobia creates can be so distressful that people take extraordinary measures to avoid what they fear. Unfortunately, many people have several triggers, and avoiding the panic that their specific phobia causes can interfere with their life.

Agoraphobia

Agoraphobia is a type of anxiety disorder that causes a person to fear and avoid situations where they might feel trapped, helpless, or embarrassed. For example, people with agoraphobia fear being in situations where leaving may be difficult or embarrassing, or help might not be available if they have panic symptoms.

The fear is unreasonable for the actual situation and can cause problems with daily tasks. A person is considered to have agoraphobia if they experience excessive fear in two or more of the following:

Common Treatments

Each type of anxiety disorder has its unique set of symptoms, which also means each one has a specific treatment plan. However, while each anxiety disorder has distinctive symptoms, most respond well to psychotherapy, medications, or a combination.

Psychotherapy, also called talk therapy, can help people learn to change how they think, react, and behave to help control anxious feelings. While not a cure for anxiety disorders, anti-anxiety medications and antidepressants can provide significant relief from symptoms.

In addition to psychotherapy and medications, many people find relief from their symptoms with complementary health approaches, including:

Supplemental vitamins and minerals

Medical foods

Stress and relaxation techniques

Animal-assisted therapy

Looking For Help

The first step to getting help for an anxiety disorder is to have a physical exam. A thorough examination can rule out any physical problems that may be causing the issues. Then, if an anxiety disorder is diagnosed, effective treatments are available.

At First Light Recovery, we are experts at helping people with anxiety disorders. We strive to help each individual find the best treatment plan and customize our treatments to meet their individual needs. Contact us today to learn more about anxiety disorders and available treatment options.