RADIO TALK

Anxiety is an emotion characterized by an unpleasant state of inner turmoil, often

accompanied by nervous behavior, such as pacing back and forth, somatic complaints,
and rumination. It is the subjectively unpleasant feelings of dread over anticipated events,
such as the feeling of imminent death. Anxiety is not the same as fear, which is a
response to a real or perceived immediate threat, whereas anxiety is the expectation of
future threat. Anxiety is a feeling of uneasiness and worry, usually generalized and
unfocused as an overreaction to a situation that is only subjectively seen as menacing. It
is often accompanied by muscular tension, restlessness, fatigue and problems in
concentration. Anxiety can be appropriate, but when experienced regularly the individual
may suffer from an anxiety disorder.

What Are Anxiety Disorders?

Everyone feels anxious now and then. Its a normal emotion. For example, you may feel
nervous when faced with a problem at work, before taking a test, or before making an
important decision.
Anxiety disorders are different, though. They are a group of mental illnesses, and the
distress they cause can keep you from carrying on with your life normally.
For people who have one, worry and fear are constant and overwhelming, and can be
disabling. But with treatment, many people can manage those feelings and get back to a
fulfilling life.

Types of Disorders

Anxiety disorder is an umbrella term that includes different conditions:

Panic disorder: You feel terror that strikes at random. During a panic attack, you may
also sweat, have chest pain, and feel palpitations (unusually strong or irregular
heartbeats). Sometimes you may feel like youre choking or having a heart attack.
Social anxiety disorder: Also called social phobia, this is when you feel overwhelming
worry and self-consciousness about everyday social situations. You fixate about others
judging you or on being embarrassed or ridiculed.
Specific phobias: You feel intense fear of a specific object or situation, such as heights or
flying. The fear goes beyond whats appropriate and may cause you to avoid ordinary
situations.
Generalized anxiety disorder: You feel excessive, unrealistic worry and tension with little
or no reason.
Symptoms

All anxiety disorders share some general symptoms:

Panic, fear, and uneasiness

Sleep problems
Not being able to stay calm and still
Cold, sweaty, numb or tingling hands or feet
Shortness of breath
Heart palpitations
Dry mouth
Nausea
Tense muscles
Dizziness
Causes

Diagnosis

If you have symptoms, your doctor will examine you and ask for your medical history.
She may run tests to rule out medical illnesses that might be causing your symptoms. No
lab tests can specifically diagnose anxiety disorders.

If your doctor doesnt find any medical reason for how youre feeling, she may send you
to a psychiatrist, psychologist, or another mental health specialist. Those doctors will ask
you questions and use tools and testing to find out if you may have an anxiety disorder.

Your doctor will consider how long and how intense your symptoms are when
diagnosing you. Shell also check to see if the symptoms keep you from carrying out your
normal activities.