Lubna Qasim
Anxiety is a psychological problem that usually all individual experiences. It is basically normal and often regarded as a healthy emotion but when the individual feel disproportionate levels of anxiety, and then it turns into a mental disorder. It’s a total response of human being to threat or danger.
The experience of threat or danger is individualized-unique for that person at a given moment. The situation may look entirely safe and secure to others, but for the anxious individual, each sensory modality goes ‘on alert’ and focuses on the signs of possible harm.
Anxiety Disorders are referred to the most common forms of emotional disorders now days and can have an effect upon anybody of different age group. It is a type of mental illness that can cause significant distress and impairment in daily functioning.
The lifetime prevalence of anxiety disorders is 26 per cent for men and 40 per cent for women. That means about 1 in 4 men and 4 in 10 women will develop an anxiety disorder at some point during their lifetime. This is clearly an issue that needs to be addressed. Anxiety, like depression and other mental health concerns, must be treated with the same attention that we give to physical health concerns.
According to the National Institute of Mental Health, anxiety disorders are the most common mental illness in India, affecting 40 million adults in
age of 18 and older, and also affecting an estimated 20 per cent of the population.
Anxiety disorders impact the quality of life and productivity at an individual level and results in substantial loss of national income. National Mental Health Survey of India aimed to strengthen mental health services across India assessed the prevalence and pattern of public health priority mental disorders for mental health-care policy and implementation.
The different types of anxiety disorders are:-
- Generalized anxiety disorder:-This disorder is characterized by excessive, uncontrollable and unrealistic worry in terms of aspects such as health, family, relationships, education, finances, employment and career. This disorder is the leading disorder and most common disorder that every individual is facing.
- Panic disorder with or without agoraphobia: – The individuals with this form of disorder experience panic attacks to a major extent. These are experienced in situation, in which most of the individuals will not experience any kind of vulnerability and apprehensiveness. For this, immediate attention should be paid.
- Agoraphobia: – This kind of disorder is not regarded as a specific disorder, but it is a component of the anxiety, which is characterized by the fear of being in places or situations from which it may be embarrassing and difficult to get away with and the fear that one will not be able to attain any help or assistance, when they will need it.
- Specific phobia: – Everyone has some irritational fears, but phobias are regarded as intense fears in terms of particular situations or objects. When the individuals feel that certain objects or things are interfering with their lives, they will develop specific phobia. It might include the fear of height, water, darkness, insects and so forth.
- Social phobia: – This type of phobia is considered as the strongest and persistent fear of social as well as performance situations. In this kind the individuals fear that they will be negatively judged by others.
- Obsessive compulsive disorder: – This disorder involves constant and unwanted thoughts and fears [obsession] that leads you to do repetitive behaviours [compulsion] and these obsessions and compulsions interfere with daily activities and cause significant distress and anxiety. For example fear of contamination or dirt, needing things orderly and symmetrical and so forth.
- Post traumatic stress disorder:- In this kind of disorder, the individuals experience any calamitous situation like war, accidents, death, loss of property and financial resources and so forth. These incidents have unfavorable effects upon mind-sets as well as the overall lives of the individuals.
The causes of anxiety disorders aren’t fully understood. Cause of particular disordermay differ and is not all the time possible for the individuals to determine the cause of anxiety disorder in every case. When the individuals are performing a task or an activity for the first time, it is possible that they may experience anxiety but if they are not able to overcome with this, they may develop anxiety disorder. Also some medical conditions can a lead to anxiety disorder like heart disease, diabetes, thyroid problem such as hypertension, drug misuse or withdrawal etc.
Symptoms: – Feeling anxious or tense most of the time, trouble sleeping, difficulty concentrating, irritability, muscle tension, breathing rapidly, feeling weak or tired, experiencing gastrointestinal problems [main symptom], having difficulty controlling worry and so on are some of the symptoms of anxiety disorders.
Management: – Yes, it can be managed, there are a number of things you can do to reduce your risk of developing an anxiety disorder. Here are some beneficial steps to overcome this disorder: –
Step Back: One of the best ways to stop anxious thoughts is to take a step back from the situation. Use this time to focus on your body and not your mind, this will also refuel you to handle the situation better.
Writing: Sometimes writing down your thoughts makes you realise that fears are bigger in your mind and in reality, may be improbable or may have manageable solutions.
Alert for Cause: Identify & learn to manage your triggers. Some are obvious like drinking alcohol, caffeine, or using tobacco. Some may be more occult like unexplored emotions, financial problems etc.
Time management: Get yourself in a routine, make a plan for the day, and don’t procrastinate, your anxiety is prone to worsen near a deadline, and avoid leaving things to the last minute.
Socialization: Spending time with friends and family on a regular basis may help you manage your anxiety. Socialization can help relieve stress, encourage feelings of laughter and togetherness, and decrease loneliness. Research has shown that social connectedness can help you become more resilient to stress in the long run.
Join Remedial Groups: These groups are available in-person and online. They encourage people with anxiety disorders to share their experiences and coping strategies.
Develop hobbies: Develop some kind of hobbies to keep yourself engaged and derive happiness.
Breathing Exercises: Try breathing in for 4 counts and breathing out for 4 counts for 5 minutes. By evening out your breath, you’ll slow your heart rate which should help calm you down.
Apart from these steps if anxiety doesn’t overcome then we need to think of Consultation. There are various types of therapies available for clients to opt for. Few evidence based psychotherapies include: - Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT)
- Mindfulness based cognitive therapy
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
- Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
- Metacognitive Therapy
- Psychodynamic Therapy
- Eye-Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) Therapy
In conclusion, the burden of anxiety disorder is similar to depressive disorders. When the individuals experience anxiety disorders, they need to put into various methods and approaches to overcome this disorder and prevent them from assuming a major form which can be fatal and life threatening.
(The author is a student of Nursing).
