Mental Health Awarness

Anxiety

Anxiety Disorders

Occasional anxiety is an expected part of life. You might feel anxious when faced with a problem at work, before taking a test, or before making an important decision. But anxiety disorders involve more than temporary worry or fear. For a person with an anxiety disorder, the anxiety does not go away and can get worse over time. The symptoms can interfere with daily activities such as job performance, schoolwork, and relationships.

There are several types of anxiety disorders, including:

-Panic Disorder and Phobias

-Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

Panic DisorderPanicdisorder is an anxiety disorder. It causes panic attacks, which are suddenfeelings of terror for no reason.

Panic attacks can happen anytime, anywhere and without warning. You may live in fear of another attack and may avoid places where you have had an attack. For some people, fear takes over their lives and they cannot leave their homes.

Panic disorder is more common in women than men. It usually starts when people are young adults. Sometimes it starts when a person is under a lot of stress. Most people get better with treatment. Therapy can show you how to recognize and change your thinking patterns before they lead to panic. Medicines can also help.

Symptoms

You may also feel physical symptoms, such as:

· Fast heartbeat

· Chest pain

· Breathing difficulty

· Dizziness

Phobias

Aphobia is a type of anxiety disorder. It is a strong, irrational fear of somethingthat poses little or no actual danger. There are many specific phobias.Acrophobia is a fear of heights. You may be able to ski the world's tallestmountains but be unable to go above the 5th floor of an office building.Agoraphobia is a fear of public places, and claustrophobia is a fear ofclosed-in places. If you become anxious and extremely self-conscious ineveryday social situations, you could have a social phobia. Other commonphobias involve tunnels, highway driving, water, flying, animals and blood.Symptoms

People with phobias try to avoid what they are afraid of. If they cannot, they may experience:

· Panic and fear

· Rapid heartbeat

· Shortness of breath

· Trembling

· A strong desire to get away

Treatment helps most people with phobias. Options include medicines, therapy or both.

Obsessive-CompulsiveDisorderIfyou have obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), you have repeated, upsettingthoughts called obsessions. You do the same thing over and over again to try tomake the thoughts go away. Those repeated actions are called compulsions.

Examples of obsessions are a fear of germs or a fear of being hurt. Compulsions include washing your hands, counting, checking on things or cleaning. Untreated, OCD can take over your life.

Researchers think brain circuits may not work properly in people who have OCD. It tends to run in families. The symptoms often begin in children or teens. Treatments that combine medicines and therapy are often effective.