INTRODUCTION TO ANXIETY DISORDERS

We all have felt apprehensive or frightened, have experienced a pounding heart or butterflies in our stomachs. These feelings and sensations are natural reactions to possibly threatening situations, or even exciting ones, for example, unexpectedly encountering a stranger on a dark street, asking our boss for a raise or taking a ride in an amusement park. We quickly, almost subconsciously, assess whether or not the situation is dangerous. If it is, adrenaline is released to mobilize us to take rapid action.

However, many of us, about one in every ten Americans, experience the above feelings and sensations for no apparent reason and, many times, out of the blue.

You are out to dinner with friends and all of a sudden you are overcome by anxiety; you may experience heart palpitations, sweating, chest pain, faintness, you may fear losing control, going crazy or having a heart attack. You may run out of the restaurant to calm down. Later, even thinking about the event makes you feel anxious and you avoid going to that restaurant again for fear of having another panic attack. That fear may become such a preoccupation that you avoid going to all restaurants, or going out altogether.

Or, you may consider yourself a "worrier." You may feel stressed and fatigued from chronic and exaggerated worry (usually completely unnecessary and unhelpful), about such things as money, health, work or just getting through the day.

Another possibility is that you might spend many hours washing your hands or checking again and again to see if you have locked the door or turned off the stove –– without being able to resist doing so.

Perhaps you continue to fear speaking in public regardless of how many times you have successfully done so in the past.

If you have an anxiety disorder, you react to situations as if they were dangerous even if there is no clear evidence of such danger. Family and friends probably give you well-meaning advice in the belief that sheer willpower will help. You may even have tried to tell this to yourself. However, your symptoms of anxiety are NOT personal weaknesses.

If you have an anxiety disorder, consulting an appropriately-trained psychotherapist can help you. Although treatment is always individually designed for each person, therapists may use a combination of the following treatment approaches as indicated.

Cognitive therapy: Helps you examine how your thoughts affect your feelings, and provides instruction on how to change anxiety-provoking thoughts into reality-based ones.
Behavior therapy: Helps you gain control over unwanted behavior and anxiety, using techniques which may include exposure to feared situations.

Medication: may be helpful as long as it is used in conjunction with the above therapies.

Read on for descriptions of the various anxiety disorders.