What to know about anxiety

Anxiety is a natural emotion. However, it can also cause physical symptoms, such as shaking and sweating. Anxiety disorders can affect daily life and can improve with treatment.
Anxiety disorders form a category of mental health diagnoses that lead to excessive nervousness, fear, apprehension, and worry.
mental health
This article discusses the symptoms, causes, and treatments for anxiety.
anxiety
What is anxiety?
Share on Pinterest
According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA), around 40 million people in the United States have an anxiety disorder. It is the most common group of mental illnesses in the country. However, only 36.9% of people with an anxiety disorder receive treatment.
Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA)
The American Psychological Association (APA) defines anxiety as “an emotion characterized by feelings of tension, worried thoughts, and physical changes like increased blood pressure.”
defines
Knowing the difference between typical feelings of anxiety and an anxiety disorder requiring medical attention can help a person identify and treat the condition.
Learn more about anxiety in our dedicated hub.
Learn more about anxiety in our dedicated hub
Anxiety is a complex response to real or perceived threats. It can involve cognitive, physical, and behavioral changes.
can involve
Real or perceived danger causes a rush of adrenaline, a hormone and chemical messenger in the brain, which in turn triggers these anxiety reactions in a process called the fight-or-flight response. Some people may experience this response in difficult social situations or around important events or decisions.
rush of adrenaline
fight-or-flight response
The duration or severity of feelings of anxiety can sometimes be out of proportion to the original trigger or stressor. Physical symptoms, such as increased blood pressure and nausea, may also develop. These responses move beyond anxiety into an anxiety disorder.
Once anxiety reaches the stage of a disorder, it can interfere with daily function.
can interfere
Learn more about anxiety disorders here.
Learn more about anxiety disorders here
Symptoms
There are several different anxiety disorders, which can present with different symptoms. Typical symptoms of anxious feelings include the following:
include the following
restlessness
uncontrollable feelings of worry
increased irritability
increased irritability
difficulty concentrating
difficulty concentrating
sleep difficulties
sleep difficulties
While many people will occasionally experience these symptoms in daily life, people with general anxiety disorder (GAD) will experience them at persistent or extreme levels.
Learn more about the physical symptoms of anxiety here.
Learn more about the physical symptoms of anxiety here.
Types
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Health Disorders: 5th Edition, text revision (DSM-5-TR) classifies anxiety disorders into several main types.
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Health Disorders: 5th Edition, text revision (DSM-5-TR)
In previous editions of the DSM-5-TR, anxiety disorders included obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), as well as acute stress disorder. However, the manual no longer groups these mental health difficulties under anxiety.
obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
no longer groups
Anxiety disorders now include the following:
This chronic disorder involves excessive, long lasting anxiety and worries about nonspecific life events, objects, and situations. GAD is the most common anxiety disorder, and people with it are not always able to identify the cause of their anxiety.
Learn more about GAD here.
Learn more about GAD here.
Brief or sudden attacks of intense terror and apprehension characterize panic disorder. These attacks can lead to shaking, confusion, dizziness, nausea, and breathing difficulties. Panic attacks tend to occur and escalate rapidly.
Panic attacks
Panic disorders usually occur after frightening experiences or prolonged stress but may also occur without a trigger.
Learn about panic disorder and panic attacks here.
Learn about panic disorder and panic attacks here.
This is a fear and avoidance of a particular object or situation. Phobias are not like other anxiety disorders, as they relate to a specific cause.
relate to a specific cause
A person with a phobia might acknowledge fear as illogical or extreme but remain unable to control feelings of anxiety around the trigger. Triggers for a phobia range from situations and animals to everyday objects.
Learn more about phobias and how they develop here.
Learn more about phobias and how they develop here.
This is a fear and avoidance of places, events, or situations from which it may be difficult to escape or where help would not be available in emergencies.
People often misunderstand this condition as a phobia of open spaces and the outdoors. A person with agoraphobia may fear leaving home or using elevators and public transport.
often misunderstand
Learn more about agoraphobia here.
Learn more about agoraphobia here.
Some children experience this form of anxiety, in which they cannot speak in certain places or contexts, even though they may have excellent verbal communication skills around familiar people.
cannot speak
Learn more about selective mutism in adults and children here.
Learn more about selective mutism in adults and children here.
This is a fear of adverse judgment from others in social situations or of public embarrassment. Social anxiety disorder includes a range of feelings, such as stage fright, a fear of intimacy, and anxiety around humiliation and rejection.
Social anxiety disorder
a range of feelings
Learn more about social anxiety disorder.
Learn more about social anxiety disorder.
High anxiety levels after separation from a person or place that provides feelings of security or safety characterize separation anxiety disorder. Separation anxiety is most common in young children but can affect people of all ages.
most common
children
Learn all about separation anxiety in adults here.
Learn all about separation anxiety in adults here
Causes
The causes of anxiety disorders are complicated. Many might occur at once, some may lead to others, and some might not lead to an anxiety disorder unless another is present.
Possible causes include:
environmental stressors, such as relationship problems or family issues
genetics
medical factors, such as disease symptoms or the effects of a medication
substance withdrawal
Learn more about anxiety and how it affects the body here.
Learn more about anxiety and how it affects the body here
Treatment
Treatment often consists of psychotherapy, behavioral therapy, and medication.
often consists
Sometimes, alcohol dependence, depression, or other underlying conditions require treatment before treating an anxiety disorder can take place.
Sometimes, a person can treat an anxiety disorder at home without clinical supervision. However, this may not be effective for severe or long-term anxiety disorders.
There are several exercises and actions to help a person cope with milder, more focused, or shorter-term anxiety disorders, including:
stress management
relaxation techniques
relaxation techniques
maintaining support networks
physical exercise
physical exercise
Learn about some other ways to treat anxiety naturally.
Learn about some other ways to treat anxiety naturally.
A standard way of treating anxiety is psychological counseling. This can include cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), psychotherapy, or a combination of therapies.
counseling
cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)
psychotherapy
CBT is a type of psychotherapy that aims to recognize and change harmful thought patterns that form the foundation of anxious and troublesome feelings.
Learn more about different types of therapy here.
Learn more about different types of therapy here.
A person can support anxiety management with several types of medication.
several types
Medicines that might control some physical and mental symptoms include antidepressants, benzodiazepines, and tricyclic antidepressants.
antidepressants
benzodiazepines
tricyclic antidepressants
Benzodiazepines: A doctor may prescribe these for certain people with anxiety, but they can cause addiction. Diazepam, or Valium, is a common benzodiazepine.
addiction
Diazepam
Antidepressants: These commonly help with anxiety, even though they also target depression. Serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), fluoxetine, and citalopram are examples.
Serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs)
fluoxetine
citalopram
Tricyclic antidepressants: These are an older class of drugs that benefit most anxiety disorders other than obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Imipramine and clomipramine are two examples of tricyclics.
Additional drugs a person might use to treat anxiety include:
monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs)
monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs)
beta-blockers
beta-blockers
buspirone
buspirone
Seek medical advice if the adverse effects of any prescribed medications become severe.
Learn more about anxiety medications here.
Learn more about anxiety medications here.
Prevention
There are ways to reduce the risk of anxiety disorders. Remember that anxious feelings are a natural factor of daily life, and experiencing them does not always indicate the presence of a mental health disorder.
People may benefit from the following:
reducing caffeine intake
caffeine
checking with a health professional before using over-the-counter or herbal remedies
maintaining a balanced, nutritious diet
balanced, nutritious diet
keeping a regular sleep pattern
sleep pattern
regularly exercising
regularly exercising
avoiding alcohol, cannabis, and other recreational drugs
alcohol
cannabis
Learn about some foods that can help prevent anxiety.
Learn about some foods that can help prevent anxiety.
Frequently asked questions
Below are some commonly asked questions about anxiety.
The Anxiety & Depression Association of America recommend a person with anxiety try the following coping strategies:
Anxiety & Depression Association of America
take a time-out
eat well-balanced meals
limit alcohol and caffeine
get enough sleep
exercise daily
take deep breaths
learn what triggers their anxiety
The National Health Service (NHS) of the UK recommend a person try the following breathing exercises to calm anxiety:
National Health Service (NHS)
Let your breath flow as deep down into their belly as is comfortable, without forcing it.
Try breathing in through your nose and out through your mouth.
Breathe in gently and regularly. Some people find it helpful to count steadily from 1 to 5.
Then, let it flow out gently, counting from 1 to 5 again.
Keep doing this for at least 5 minutes.
Stressful life events and sleep deprivation may worsen anxiety, which is why it is important a person with anxiety finds stress management techniques that work for them.
Stressful life events
sleep deprivation
Also, the Anxiety & Depression Association of America claim that alcohol and caffeine can worsen anxiety and trigger panic attacks.
Anxiety & Depression Association of America
A person can see both a primary care doctor or psychiatrist for anxiety.
Generally speaking, if a person has mild to moderate anxiety, they can often get effective treatment from their primary care doctor, but if their condition is more severe or complex, they probably need to see a psychiatrist.
Takeaway
Anxiety is not a medical condition but a natural emotion that is vital for survival when an individual faces danger.
An anxiety disorder develops when this reaction becomes exaggerated or out-of-proportion to the trigger that causes it. There are several types of anxiety disorders, including panic disorder, phobias, and social anxiety.
Treatment involves a combination of therapy, medication, and counseling alongside self-help measures.
An active lifestyle with a balanced diet can help keep anxious emotions within healthy limits.
Read the article in Spanish.
Read the article in Spanish