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Do You Have an
Anxiety Disorder?
It’s the most common form of
mental illness today
By Jean Jeffers, Staff Writer
Edward is awake at 3 a.m. –
again. He has startled his wife with
his thrashing about in bed; he is
trembling uncontrollably. He also
develops chest pain each time he
has an episode like this.
Edward needs to see his doctor
— he may have an anxiety disorder.
“Anxiety disorders are the most
common form of mental illness
seen today, replacing major depression as the No. 1 diagnosis,” said
Daniel Watson, M.S.W., L.I.S.W., an
individual, marital and family psychotherapist.
Watson says everyone feels fear
and anxiety at times, especially if
there is a precipitating cause. Most
individuals who are anxious feel
this way only a few days, and that is
normal. Anxiety becomes a problem, Watson says, when it interferes
with one’s life, such as being able to
participate in daily activities, and
when functioning is impaired.
There are several major types of
anxiety. According to the American
Psychological Association (APA),
these include:
• Generalized anxiety disorder
— the patient characteristically has
reoccurring fears and worries, primarily about health or finances, and
a persistent expectation that something bad is about to happen.
• Panic disorder – this usually
involves sudden, unprovoked feelings of intense terror and dread.
• Phobias — these are intense
fears about certain objects, such as
animals, or situations, such as getting into an elevator.
• Obsessive-compulsive disorder — usually characterized by
excessive, unwanted and persistent
thoughts or ruminations (obsessions) and routines or rituals
(compulsions) in which the person
engages to try to rid himself or herself of the persistent thoughts.
• Post-traumatic stress disorder
– characterized by certain thoughts
that remind the person of a traumatic event that usually happened
years before.
Diagnosing the type of anxiety a
patient has and then determining
the best form of treatment is the
task of the mental health professional. Working with a mental
health specialist is essential to a
patient’s recovery. Most cases of
anxiety disorder can be treated
effectively by mental health professionals, says the APA. A combination of psychotherapy and
medication(s) is generally recommended.
One approach to treating anxiety is behavioral modification. It
involves training patients in using
relaxation and deep-breathing exercises. These particularly help with
the agitation and rapid, shallow
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breathing that often accompany an
anxiety disorder.
Another important aspect of
treatment is cognitive therapy.
Patients learn to understand how
their thoughts contribute to the
symptoms of anxiety disorder and
how to change these thoughts to
reduce the likelihood of occurrence
and the intensity of the reaction,
says the APA.
Along with psychotherapy,
certain medications are often prescribed. For some types of anxiety,
a powerful group of anti-anxiety
medications are used along with
anti-depressants. It is important to
understand that all drugs have some
side effects. Finding the right dosage and/or combination of drugs
may take some time, and the patient
may need to be monitored closely
by a mental health professional.
The APA says most patients who
suffer from anxiety disorders are
able to reduce or eliminate their
anxiety symptoms and return to
normal functioning after several
months of psychotherapy and drug
therapy. Cooperation is critical to
success. Faithfully taking the medications and keeping appointments
with a mental health professional
are also part of the recovery process.