Anxiety Disorders
Anxiety isn’t necessarily a problem. But when it becomes persistent, powerful and interferes with daily life, it’s called an anxiety disorder. It can affect about one in 20 people. But sadly, only a tiny proportion of sufferers will seek treatment.
Background
Everyone experiences anxiety from time to time. It’s that feeling of dread or apprehension accompanied by a tightness in the chest, and physical symptoms like sweating, trembling and rapid heartbeat. It’s often caused by some change in our lives over which we feel we have no control. It might be a new date, an exam result, or a work performance review. Or it could be something more serious - a major accident, illness or the death of someone close. It can last for weeks, even months. For most people, the anxiety fades once the event is over or the problem is solved. Sometimes simply the passage of time helps. But for others, the anxiety persists and becomes much greater - even overwhelming - and quite out of proportion to the situation. It can make normal, daily activities difficult or impossible. These people are said to have an anxiety disorder. It might be brought on by specific situations such as heights, open spaces, closed spaces, or spiders. For others, it follows a horrific event. Or there may be no apparent trigger at all. About one person in 20 suffers from anxiety disorders and unfortunately, only a small percentage will seek treatment. But the good news is that most anxiety disorders can be successfully treated.
Causes
What causes anxiety disorders? Nobody knows for sure. But one theory argues that it is an abnormal response of the body to stress. Many of the symptoms and signs of anxiety disorders mimic a normal reaction called the flight or fright response. This is a biochemical and physiological reaction the body undergoes when exposed to danger. It involves hormones like adrenaline and cortisol being released into the body. They cause the heart to pump harder and faster and make the person more alert. The skin goes pale, breathing increases and the person may sweat. The effect of all this is that the person is able to think more quickly, run faster, perform better and so, escape from danger. Once the threat is over, the symptoms fade. However, if the perceived danger is something persistent like say, a financial difficulty or a relationship in conflict, the anxiety it provokes may be ongoing.
One of the intriguing aspects of the problem is that there can be large variations in individuals’ responses to stressful events. Some people survive a traumatic event without getting any anxiety, while others are almost incapacitated by seemingly trivial events. Researchers have identified the following risk factors:
* Genetic predisposition. Anxiety disorders tend to run in families, suggesting there’s a genetic factor involved in the cause. Studies show that if one identical twin has an anxiety disorder, the second twin is more likely to have an anxiety disorder than if they were unrelated.
* Personal characteristics. Researchers believe that people who have low self-esteem and poor coping skills may be prone to anxiety disorders.
* Biochemistry. It’s theorised that some people who are prone to anxiety may have too many or too few neurotransmitters in the brain, casing the normal anxiety-producing pathways to overreact. Serotonin and gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA) are two of the neurotransmitters that may be involved, though their exact role is poorly understood.
Types of disorders
There are several different manifestations of anxiety disorders:
* Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD). People with this condition have irrational fears and apprehension about minor things
