Question 1

What is anxiety?

Accepted Answer

Anxiety is “an emotion characterized by feelings of tension, worried thoughts, and physical changes like increased blood pressure,” as defined by the American Psychological Association (APA). Anxiety is generally considered a normal and even necessary emotion; and everyone gets anxiety from time to time.

However, it's when a person experiences severe, relentless anxiety, that he or she may have an anxiety disorder. When anxiety reaches the level of a disorder, it usually interferes with job performance, grades, and relationships, according to The National Institute of Mental Health.

Question 2

What are the symptoms of anxiety?

Accepted Answer

Some of the most common symptoms of anxiety include:

Feeling of nervousness
Weakness
Increased heart rate
Sense of impending danger
Panic
Rapid breathing
Stomach upset

Anxiety is a normal body reaction, but it can sometimes develop into an anxiety disorder. If you have an anxiety disorder, you might experience more intense symptoms for no rational reason. The symptoms of an anxiety disorder include:

Intense worry or fear
Repeat episodes of intense anxious feelings
Sudden terror
Problems sleeping
Concentration issues
Tiredness
Nervousness
Sweating

You can usually tell if you have an anxiety disorder because it will lead to altering your behaviors.

You may avoid situations that trigger anxiety symptoms. It is also common to feel like you have no control over your worry or fear and that it is taking over your life. These extremes are not what should happen with natural anxiety. If you notice you have these symptoms, it's important to speak with your healthcare provider.

Question 3

What is the best treatment for anxiety?

Accepted Answer

The best treatment for anxiety usually is a combination of medication and psychotherapy. However, it is often difficult to find a successful treatment right away, and you will likely have to try different combinations before you find the one that works for you.

Medication often used to treat anxiety include:

Benzodiazepines
Buspirone
Antidepressants

Benzodiazepines are not a standard option, but doctors sometimes prescribe them. It’s important to note that they are habit-forming sedatives for many individuals. If your doctor does decide to prescribe them, it will be for short-term use only. If you have a history of drug or alcohol abuse, let your doctor know as you should avoid taking this medication.

Buspirone is a medication made explicitly for the treatment of anxiety. This is a type of antidepressant that you will need to take daily and long-term. It may not produce results for a few weeks.

Antidepressants, such as serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors, including selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, are among the choice to treat anxiety. Specific medications doctors may prescribe, include venlafaxine, escitalopram, and duloxetine.

Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is a psychotherapy approach that often works best for anxiety treatment. This type of talk therapy or counseling will help you learn skills for dealing with anxiety and the things that trigger it. If you have been avoiding certain things due to anxiety, you will learn through therapy how to overcome these symptoms and incorporate the activities back into your daily life.

Question 4

How can I calm my anxiety?

Accepted Answer

A combination of medication and therapy is the best way to calm anxiety. Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) or talk therapy is the most common treatment for those affected by anxiety disorders. In fact, research has found CBT to be highly effective in the treatment of several types of anxiety disorders.

Medication often used to treat anxiety may include:

Benzodiazepines. Benzodiazepines are not a standard option, but doctors sometimes prescribe them. It’s important to note that they are habit-forming sedatives for many individuals. If your doctor does decide to prescribe them, it will be for short-term use only. If you have a history of drug or alcohol abuse, let your doctor know as you should avoid taking this medication.
Buspirone. Buspirone is a medication made explicitly for the treatment of anxiety. This is a type of antidepressant that you will need to take daily and long-term. It may not produce results for a few weeks.
Antidepressants. Antidepressants, such as serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors, including selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, are among the choice to treat anxiety. Specific medications doctors may prescribe, include venlafaxine, escitalopram, and duloxetine.

Meditation can also be quite effective in calming anxiety. In fact, research suggests that even a single meditation session can help ease anxiety. Besides meditation, yoga has also been proven helpful in reducing anxiety. Research has also found that regular, high-intensity exercise programs can help reduce anxiety.

There are also a few things to do on your own to ease your anxiety symptoms. Deep breathing can help regain control if you experience breathing issues as a symptom. You can either do the breathing alone or as part of a meditation. Either way, you want to focus on taking a deep breath in, holding it for a few seconds, and then releasing it slowly. Keep repeating this until you feel your body relax.

Question 5

What causes anxiety?

Accepted Answer

Anxiety is a natural body reaction caused by perceived danger. Anxiety disorders occur when natural anxiety doesn’t go away or worsens over time. The cause of these disorders is not known, but there are some potential links that show certain factors can lead to a person having an anxiety disorder.

Two factors that seem to largely determine whether a person will develop an anxiety disorder are:

genetics, and
environment.

Scientists also think there may be a link between anxiety and the hippocampus in the brain. They believe that any type of brain injury in the hippocampus area could predispose someone to an anxiety disorder. Another area of the brain that could also connect with anxiety disorders is the amygdala, so injuries in that area also could increase the chances of developing an anxiety disorder.

Question 6

What are the 6 types of anxiety disorders?

Accepted Answer

The six (6) primary types of anxiety are:

separation anxiety disorder
specific phobia
social anxiety disorder (social phobia)
panic disorder
agoraphobia
generalized anxiety disorder

Definitions of each type of anxiety are included below:

Separation anxiety disorder refers to the excessive fear of being apart from a person. The symptoms of separation anxiety tend to first appear in childhood, typically when a child is separated from a parent.
Specific phobia, previously known as simple phobia, specific phobia refers to an irrational fear caused by a specific object or person that, in reality, causes little to no actual threat.
Social anxiety disorder (or social phobia) is an overwhelming fear of being judged by others, combined with feeling extremely uncomfortable in interacting in a social setting.
Panic disorder is a type of anxiety defined by panic attacks or panic-like symptoms that negatively impact their life. Symptoms of a panic attack can include rapid breathing, chest discomfort, nausea, vomiting, sweating, overwhelming feelings of doom, and so on.
Agoraphobia refers to the severe fear of being in specific situations for which escape would be difficult in the event of a panic attack.
Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is when a person worries excessively about a variety of topics such as grades in school, job performance, financial matters, current events, natural disasters such as an earthquake or hurricane, relationships with others, and so on.

What is anxiety?

Other questions about Anxiety

Find a therapist

Find a therapist and request an appointment today via our secure online portal.