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Anxiety disorders vary as to symptoms and treatments. No matter the type,
anyone suffering from one or more, knows how debilitating they can be. One
such disorder is known as Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD. Those who are
afflicted with GAD are unable to lead a normal life. They are constantly
tense and worried, apparently without valid reasons. They constantly fret
about things such as money or health and everything in between.
Individuals who experience GAD find it virtually impossible to let down
there guard and relax. As a result, they are often tired, stressed and
irritable. Not uncommonly, some people with GAD will also suffer from
additional mental health problems, including depression, substance abuse or
addictive behaviors.
Panic disorder is another anxiety disorder. These people frequently have
panic attacks that make them believe they are in danger. The fear is so
extreme as to be considered unnatural. These patients may also develop
phobias, such as social phobia or agoraphobia, and will do anything to avoid
the causes. Again, these fears can't be controlled and make life seem almost
unbearable at times.
Things that can cause a social phobic attack can be as simple as meeting
someone new. Most of us are afraid of public speaking, but the socially
phobic person takes that fear to the extreme. Feeling like you they can't
escape a certain situation or that they may be embarrassed defines
agoraphobic people. There are extreme cases when they won't
leave their homes, seeing the whole world as unsafe. In cases of specific
phobias, a person may have an unnatural and exaggerated fear of snakes or
even dogs. Many who suffer from these anxiety disorders even know that they
have unfounded fears, but they still can't escape the attacks. The fear is
just to overwhelming.
Yet another anxiety disorder is obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).
Symptoms include having irrational thoughts that cause the person great
anxiety. They obsess about things such as germs and constantly wash their
hands. Or they may check the stove over and over in fear of having
left it on. These people also know that they are acting in irrational ways,
but without medication or other medical attention, they will be unable to
stop behaviors. Individual suffering with OCD often develop ritual behaviors
that they carry out compulsively. Many times these ritual behaviors can take
up to an hour or two to complete each day resulting in a huge amount of
upheaval in their life.
Although all of these anxieties are most distressful, there are treatments
available. If you or anyone you care about exhibits any of these symptoms,
don't hesitate to seek help. There are trained doctors, psychologists and
therapists who can offer assistance in getting the patient back to a more
normal and less stressful life.
Written by Helen Peters, the owner and operator of Free
Anxiety. For more articles on Anxiety visit:
http://www.freeanxiety.com/articles
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