Clinical Condition · Clinical Module 09

Anxiety

When feelings of anxiety last for weeks, months, or years and interfere with daily life, specialized anxiety therapy focuses on addressing root causes of distress and developing healthier coping mechanisms.

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Anxiety
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Anxiety · Section 01

What is Anxiety?

What is Anxiety?

Are you anxious? Maybe you’re feeling worried about a problem at work with your boss. Maybe you have butterflies in your stomach while waiting for the results of a medical test. Maybe you get nervous when driving home in rush-hour traffic as cars speed by and weave between lanes.

In life, everyone experiences anxiety from time to time. This includes both adults and children. For most people, feelings of anxiety come and go, only lasting a short time. Some moments of anxiety are more brief than others, lasting anywhere from a few minutes to a few days.

But for some people, these feelings of anxiety are more than just passing worries or a stressful day at work. Your anxiety may not go away for many weeks, months, or years. It can worsen over time, sometimes becoming so severe that it interferes with your daily life. When this happens, it’s said that you have an anxiety disorder.

If you are struggling to manage your symptoms, seeking anxiety treatment in Mohali can provide much-needed support. Many individuals benefit from anxiety therapy in Mohali, which focuses on addressing the root causes of distress and developing healthier coping mechanisms.

Anxiety · Section 02

What Are the Symptoms of Anxiety?

What Are the Symptoms of Anxiety?

There are some symptoms of anxiety that can happen in conditions other than anxiety disorders. This is usually the case with panic attacks. The symptoms of panic attacks are similar to those of heart disease, thyroid problems, breathing disorders, and other illnesses. As a result, people with panic disorder may make frequent trips to emergency rooms or doctor’s offices, believing they are experiencing life-threatening health conditions other than anxiety.

✓Nervousness, restlessness, or being tense
✓Feelings of danger, panic, or dread
✓Rapid heart rate, rapid breathing, or hyperventilation
✓Increased or heavy sweating
✓Trembling or muscle twitching
✓Weakness and lethargy
✓Insomnia
✓Difficulty focusing or thinking clearly about anything other than the thing you’re worried about
✓Digestive or gastrointestinal problems, such as gas, constipation, or diarrhea
✓A strong desire to avoid the things that trigger your anxiety
✓Obsessions about certain ideas, a sign of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
✓Performing certain behaviors over and over again
✓Anxiety surrounding a particular life event or experience that has occurred in the past, a sign of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
✓Nausea or gastrointestinal problems
✓Dizziness, light-headedness, or feeling faint
✓Feeling hot or cold
✓Numbness or tingling sensations (paresthesia)
✓Feeling detached from yourself or reality, known as depersonalization and derealization
✓Fear of “going crazy” or losing control
✓Fear of dying
Anxiety · Section 03

Types of Anxiety Disorders

Types of Anxiety Disorders
Agoraphobia
01

Agoraphobia

People who have agoraphobia have a fear of certain places or situations that make them feel trapped, powerless, or embarrassed. These feelings lead to panic attacks. People with agoraphobia may try to avoid these places and situations to prevent panic attacks.

Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)
02

Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)

People with GAD experience constant anxiety and worry about activities or events, even those that are ordinary or routine. The worry is greater than it should be given the reality of the situation. The worry causes physical symptoms in the body, such as headaches, stomach upset, or trouble sleeping.

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
03

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

OCD is the continual experience of unwanted or intrusive thoughts and worries that cause anxiety. A person may know these thoughts are trivial, but they will try to relieve their anxiety by performing certain rituals or behaviors. This may include hand washing, counting, or checking on things such as whether or not they locked their house.

Panic Disorder
04

Panic Disorder

Panic disorder causes sudden and repeated bouts of severe anxiety, fear, or terror that peak in a matter of minutes. This is called a panic attack. Symptoms of impending doom, shortness of breath, chest pain, and a rapid or irregular heartbeat (palpitations) are common in a panic attack. The attacks can lead to worrying about them happening again, or avoiding the places where they have happened.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
05

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

PTSD occurs after a person experiences a traumatic event such as war, assault, a natural disaster, or an accident. Symptoms include trouble relaxing, disturbing dreams, or flashbacks of the traumatic event or situation. People with PTSD may also avoid things related to the trauma.

Selective Mutism
06

Selective Mutism

Selective mutism is an ongoing inability of a child to talk in specific situations or places, such as school, even when they can talk in other situations, such as at home with family members. Selective mutism can interfere with everyday life, including school and social functioning.

Separation Anxiety Disorder
07

Separation Anxiety Disorder

Separation anxiety disorder is a childhood condition marked by anxiety when a child is separated from their parents or others who have parental roles. The anxiety goes beyond what is typical for the child’s developmental stage and disrupts daily activities.

Social Anxiety Disorder (Social Phobia)
08

Social Anxiety Disorder (Social Phobia)

Social anxiety disorder involves high levels of anxiety, fear, and avoidance of social situations due to feelings of embarrassment, self-consciousness, and concern about being judged or viewed negatively by others.

Specific Phobias
09

Specific Phobias

A specific phobia is a fear of a specific object, event, or situation. This leads to severe anxiety when a person is exposed to the object, event, or situation, and a powerful desire to avoid it. Examples include arachnophobia (fear of spiders) or claustrophobia (fear of small spaces).

Substance-Induced Anxiety Disorder
010

Substance-Induced Anxiety Disorder

Substance-induced anxiety disorder is characterized by severe anxiety or panic that is a direct result of abusing drugs, taking medications, being exposed to a toxic substance, or withdrawal from drugs.

Anxiety · Section 04

What Causes Anxiety & Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) for Anxiety

What Causes Anxiety & Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) for Anxiety

Doctors don’t completely understand what causes anxiety disorders. It’s currently believed certain traumatic experiences can trigger anxiety in people who are prone to it. Genetics may also play a role in anxiety. In some cases, anxiety may be caused by an underlying health issue and may be the first sign of another medical condition.

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is the most widely-used therapy for anxiety disorders. Research has shown it to be effective in the treatment of panic disorder, phobias, social anxiety disorder, and generalized anxiety disorder, among many other conditions.

CBT addresses negative patterns and distortions in the way we look at the world and ourselves. As the name suggests, this involves two main components:

Cognitive therapy examines how negative thoughts, or cognitions, contribute to anxiety.

Behavior therapy examines how you behave and react in situations that trigger anxiety.

The basic premise of CBT is that our thoughts—not external events—affect the way we feel. In other words, it’s not the situation you’re in that determines how you feel, but your perception of the situation. For example, imagine that you’ve just been invited to a big party. Consider three different ways of thinking about the invitation, and how those thoughts would affect your emotions:

Situation: A friend invites you to a big party — Thought #1: The party sounds like a lot of fun. I love going out and meeting new people! — Emotions: Happy, excited.