Anxiety Disorders

Anxiety Disorders: GAD & OCD

Many people suffer from stress and anxiety, but this doesn’t necessarily mean that they suffer from an anxiety disorder. The primary distinction between true anxiety disorders and everyday nervousness is that an anxiety disorder impedes a person’s ability to have a normal life. Anxiety disorders make common situations unbearably stressful or cause the person to avoid situations that may cause them anxiety.

What is an Anxiety Disorder?

An anxiety disorder is a blanket term used to describe a variety of interrelated conditions. Some different kinds of anxiety disorders include:

Panic disorder
Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
Phobias
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

Common symptoms of anxiety disorders include an all-consuming panic or fear, obsessions, nightmares, or physical symptoms such as a racing heart, upset stomach, muscles, or jumpiness. It’s not clear what causes these disorders, but some researchers believe that the area in the brain that manages fear could be the culprit and that brain chemistry may have a role. Anxiety is also considered to be genetic.

Generalized Anxiety Disorder

Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is characterized by a persistent, intense tension that makes the sufferer unable to carry on daily life activities. This constant, overpowering worry can result in insomnia, an inability to focus on work, and tense, tight, muscles. People with GAD can often be irritable, which negatively impacts their social and personal relationships.

People suffering from this panic disorder suffer from panic attacks. Someone in the midst of a panic attack feels as though he or she is experiencing a heart attack or other critical illness, which can make the episode worse. Panic attacks typically display more than two of the symptoms below:

Racing, pounding heart
Shortness of breath
Dizziness
A feeling of being disconnected
Nausea
Sweating, hot flashes, or chills
Shaking or trembling
Numbness
Fear of losing control
Feeling like you are “going crazy” or about to die

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), perhaps the most well-known anxiety disorder, is often laughed at, but it is no joke. People suffering from OCD can’t control their habitual irrational obsessions. Some common obsessions include a fixation on cleanliness, a phobia of dirt or germs, a compulsive need to have things in a precise order, or constant, nagging doubts. Often, people with OCD try to control these obsessions by continually repeating whatever action they think will get rid of the obsession. For instance, those fanatical about germs may wash their hands constantly but they never believe they get clean enough. These compulsions make it difficult to conduct normal day-to-day routines or experience normal relationships.

What Are Phobias?

Phobias are irrational and relentless fears. Most people with phobias will go to extreme lengths to avoid that which they fear. There are three types of phobias: social phobias, agoraphobia, and specific phobias. Someone with a social phobia may get nervous or stressed about awkward behavior or being judged in social environments. Agoraphobia is a fear of being unable to escape from an unfamiliar or uncomfortable setting or of getting a panic attack in a crowded, public, or wide open environment. Specific phobias are irrational fears of things or situations that are not necessarily harmful or threatening.

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) often ensues after a traumatic or terrifying experience. PTSD symptoms often involve flashbacks of the experience and nightmares. Those with PTSD will avoid at all cost any situation that might remind them of the incident. Other symptoms of PTSD include irritability, insomnia, and feeling detached from reality.

Anxiety disorders are the most common type of emotional illness: more than 25 million Americans suffer from some type of anxiety disorder. Yet many individuals suffering from anxiety fail to seek help. Many are not even aware that their condition can be treated. Help is out there, typically through medication and/or therapy. With a psychiatrist’s help, many people suffering from anxiety disorders may at least find relief from their worst symptoms.

Anxiety Symptoms

What are the Symptoms of Anxiety?

There are many kinds of anxiety disorders – each manifesting itself with different symptoms and each triggered by a variety of causes. This article outlines a few common types of anxieties and their symptoms.

Panic Attack Symptoms

If you’ve ever found yourself standing in front of an audience, preparing to present a big speech, or anticipating an important interview and your mind suddenly goes completely blank, despite all your careful preparations, then you may be having the symptoms of a panic attack. Some of the symptoms of panic attacks include:

Pounding heart
Sweaty palms
Chills down your spine
Trembling knees
Dry mouth

Traumatic events and emergencies also create anxiety. Whether you are in a hospital emergency room waiting for a doctor, or waiting by a phone for news about a loved one, this can create anxiety. You may find yourself pacing restlessly, feeling nervous, hyperactive, or tense and irritable. As the wait time grows longer, you may end up losing sleep or loss of appetite and end up exhausted and fatigued.

PTSD Symptoms

Victims of a major life trauma, a serious accident, or other tragedy may exhibit the symptoms described above over a prolonged period of time. These could lead to serious psychological and physiological problems. They may be suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

People suffering from PTSD may experience a variety of symptoms including:

Hallucinations
Insomnia
Nightmares
Flashbacks or intense pain
Sweating
Nausea
Diarrhea
Loss of appetite
Fainting
Frequent urination
Weakness

Emotionally, they may experience:

Difficulty concentrating or focusing on work
Radical mood swings
Bursting into tears for no apparent reasons
Emotional numbness
Phobia to certain places, people or situations

People with PTSD may lose interest in the activities they used to enjoy. They can feel lonely, even in a crowd. All of these symptoms can lead to clinical depression.

Separation Anxiety

Children who suffer from separation anxiety may exhibit the following symptoms:

Temper tantrums
Cry endlessly
Refusing to go to sleep or go to school
Clinging to their parents or caregivers

Older children and teenagers who suffer from anxiety can be shy, overly irritable, and argumentative with their parents. They may have a hard time concentrating on school work. They can suffer from physical symptoms such as headaches, upset stomach, trembling/tense muscles or fatigue.

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

Another type of anxiety disorder is Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). OCD symptoms include a number of different categories:

Washers (compusively washes hands)
Checkers (repeatedly checks to see if the doors are locked or oven is off)
Doubters (doubts if anything is ever done correctly or perfectly)
Counters (obsessed with numbers, arrangements or colors)
Hoarders (hoards useless things in the fear that something bad may happen if they throw them away)

Social Anxiety Disorders

People suffering from phobic or social anxiety disorders exclude other people from their lives or avoid social gatherings, certain objects, events, or places. This lets them avoid “triggers” – reminders that could cause their anxiety. These phobias cause them to become aloof and reclusive.

Women often experience symptoms of anxiety more often than men and are more likely to develop anxiety disorders. Some attribute this to their biological hormonal fluctuations such as menstruation, pregnancy, childbirth and menopause. Some physiological symptoms of anxiety include:

Shortness of breath
Heart palpitations
Dizziness
De-realization
Excessive worrying
Headaches
Sleep disorders
Ennui
Elevated blood pressure
Fatigue
Mood swings

While all undergo stressful periods in their lives, there are times when the stress and the symptoms they manifest can become overwhelming and debilitating. When this happens, don’t ignore the anxiety. There are actions you can take to relieve both the symptoms and the causes of the stress.

This website is a guide to help you through this process.

Anxiety Attack Basics

Anxiety, it’s Symptoms, and How to Treat it

Stress is a natural human emotion – a survival mechanism that enables us to cope with threatening situations. Sometimes, however, our brains overreact to a non-threatening stimulus, causing us to respond to ordinary stimuli with panic attacks or anxiety.

Many situations can trigger our fight-or-flight response, from stressful events (an interview or speaking in public), physical trauma (an accident) or dietary causes (too much caffeine, alcohol or sugar). Every individual responds to these triggers differently.

Anxiety’s Toll On The Body

The physical manifestations of an acute anxiety attack or panic attack are often characterized by the following symptoms:

Irrational fear
Pounding heart
Shortness of breath
Sweating
Shaking and trembling

The heart pounds faster as the body pulls blood away from the extremities in order to direct it towards the heart, lungs, and other vital organs. The lungs must now work harder in order to oxygenate this extra blood. This causes our breathing to become labored. Anxiety can also impact the gastrointestinal organs. Many people, when under stress for a long time, suffer from stomach cramps, diarrhea, and vomiting.

Even our skin can react to anxiety and stressful situations. You may find yourself sweating excessively, or having clammy palms or even hives. Hives frequently appear as red blotches on the face, back neck or arms.

Anxiety attacks can take a toll on our body. Those under a great deal of stress may spend their nights lying awake for hours worrying – making it hard to sleep. Too many restless nights can cause fatigue and drowsiness during the day, which may result in a decline in performance at work or school. This also impacts the sufferers mood, making it more short-tempered and irritable. Severe anxiety and stress can also cause headaches and muscle tension in the neck, back and shoulders.

Common Treatments

Doctors who treat anxiety will commonly prescribe medication. While these medications can help with the physical symptoms of anxiety, they don’t address the underlying issues that may be causing the symptoms.

In addition, these drugs often come with harmful, even dangerous side effects. Because of this, we recommend drug-free, alternative therapies and treatments. For most people, the most effective method of combating anxiety attacks is to combine a regimen of medication and some of the following behavioral therapies:

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) involves transforming negative thought processes into positive ones. CBT helps the patient work out the underlying issues causing the anxiety. It is often a lengthy process, but if combined with medication to control the immediate symptoms, such therapy can be an effective long-term treatment option.

Relaxation techniques such as breathing exercises and yoga, relax the mind and the body as well as help to lessen the physical tension that accompanies anxiety attacks. Hypnosis and acupuncture are also popular, whether as an alternative remedy or as a complement to conventional treatment.

Stress and anxiety manifests themselves in all kinds of ways, and can put quite a toll on our bodies and our minds. By taking a multi-pronged approach, we can alleviate some of the physical and emotional damage that anxiety can inflict.

Anti-Anxiety Diets

Foods that Lower Anxiety and Keep You Calm

According to the World Health Organization, approximately 121 million people throughout the world suffer from depression. About 500 million people suffer from various kinds of excessive stress or anxiety. There are numerous methods to help us avoid anxiety and to reduce its intensity and its effect on our bodies.

The most widely recommended and the simplest remedy lies in the foods that we eat. When we are conscious about paying attention to the variety, quality and quantity of the foods we eat, we notice miraculous changes in the way our body functions. This article discusses anti-anxiety diets and their impact on our body and emotions.

Water

Our brains need a sufficient supply of water to function properly. Water reduces fatigue, flushes toxins out of the body, transports nutrients to cells, and encourages a balanced emotional state. Water also dilutes excess hormones and enzymes, which neutralizes their effects. Experts recommend drinking 8 to 10 glasses of water a day.

Fruits and Vegetables

Leafy green vegetables are high in nutrients and low in calories. Leafy vegetables contain vitamins and minerals such as iron, vitamin K, magnesium, and vitamin B – a natural stress reducer. Foods rich in vitamin B include low-fat milk, soybeans, liver, yeast extract, lean meat, and cereals. These foods are excellent for lifting spirits.

Try to consume vegetables and fruits in their natural state instead of processing them by heating and cooking, which can destroy the useful enzymes. Eat a wide variety of berries such as cranberries and raspberries that contain flavonoids that promote a healthy heart. Grape skins contain resveratrol, which prevents artery plaque buildup.

Milk

Drinking a glass of warm, low-fat milk can lower stress and tension – regardless of the time of day. Milk contains tryptophan, which produces serotonin – a chemical in the brain, that is essential for its calming effect and ability to enhance mood.

Acid vs. Alkaline Foods

Acidic foods such as spicy chili, peppers, garlic and turmeric, pickles, dairy products, eggplant, tomatoes, caffeinated beverages (cola, coffee and tea) and alcohol, can reduce our body’s ability to absorb magnesium. Magnesium is a mineral that helps relax muscles and shuts down adrenaline. When magnesium is low, muscles tighten, adrenaline levels increase and stomach acids surge – causing indigestion, which may lead to anxiety.

On the other hand, alkaline foods such as smoothies made from fresh fruit are the ideal way to reduce acid levels in the body.

Excess salt lowers potassium levels and may lead to high blood pressure. It’s important to cut down on your salt intake.

Complex Carbohydrates

Foods such as potatoes and whole grains take longer to digest, causing you to feel full and satiated for a longer time. This helps control blood pressure as well as sugar levels, and also helps reduce anxiety.

In addition, oats aid the nervous system and hazelnuts are valuable for healing raw nerves. Try dissolving honey in warm milk or lime juice for a calming effect.

Sugar

Sugar can impact blood sugar levels which may cause mood swings and anxiety. Too much sugar also negatively impacts the brain’s ability to function.

Avoid sugary junk foods like carbonated soda, chocolate, pastries with refined flour and candy. In addition, try to lower your intake of high-fat foods such as ice cream, cheese, chips, butter, and deep-fried foods.

Omega-3 Fatty Acids

Numerous studies have linked diets deficient in omega-3 fatty acids to anxiety and depression. Foods high in omega-3 include fish, walnuts, winter squash, flax seeds, and shellfish.

Green Tea

Green tea is full of compounds that help with digestion and weight loss. It produces antioxidants that fight a variety of illnesses such as cancer. Green tea increases the production of alpha-brain waves, which helps us relax.

Chamomile, a member of the sunflower family, is thought to calm the central nervous system and stimulate healthy sleep patterns.

Indian Ayurvedic Herbs

The use of these herbs for medicinal purposes dates back to as early as 1500 BC. Ayurvedic herbs have been proven to show positive effects.

Ashvagandha (White cherry) contains hypnotic properties and is used as an anti-stress adaptogen.
Tagara (Indian Valerian), shilajeet (mineral pitch) and tulsi (holy basil) have all been found to contain anti-stress properties which relax the mind, promote better sleep, and aid with emotional issues.
Saffron is considered to have anti-stress, anti-anxiety, anti-depressant, anti-heart disease, antioxidant, and anti-cancer properties as well as enhancing sexual performance.

Anti-anxiety diets play a critical function in how our body reacts to stress. A well-fueled body, free of chemicals, preservatives, and empty calories, found in so much of our modern junk food, can help clear your system and your emotions of unneeded toxins that hamper your ability to function properly.