Anxiety symptoms
Anxiety symptoms, anxiety, is a natural impulse that we perceive when we feel threatened. It affects thoughts, emotions, and physical condition.
Anxiety symptoms occur when we are anxious or nervous, or when we are afraid, especially when we are concerned about possible future situations. Anxiety is a normal and often healthy emotion. However, if there is an unusual concern regularly, it will become a medical illness.
Anxiety Symptoms
• Panic, fear and restlessness,
• Not being able to stay calm,
• Sleep problem,
• Cold, sweaty, sleepy or tingling hands or feet,
• Shortness of breath,
• Dry mouth,
Heart palpitations,
• Nausea,
• We can count dizziness.
In anxiety symptoms, we can list the situations where excessive anxiety is a mental health problem as follows.
• Anxiety states feel very strong or take a long time,
• If the fear or anxiety is not proportional to the situation,
• Avoiding situations that may cause anxiety,
• Concerns cause difficult situations to control,
• If anxiety symptoms appear regularly in panic attack style,
• If it is difficult to get involved in daily life or to enjoy things, this is a mental discomfort.
If you show such symptoms, it is useful to consult a doctor. Tests reveal whether there are different conditions that can cause these symptoms. However, no test can specifically diagnose anxiety disorder. Drug therapy and psychotherapy are methods used in the treatment of anxiety disorder.
The symptoms of anxiety disorder last long and when this happens, there may be difficulties in daily life. There is an opportunity to manage some of the symptoms with some behavior;
• Caffeinated foods and beverages such as coffee, tea and cola should be reduced.
• Eating right, sleeping well and exercising will help.
• Sleeping problem is a condition that increases anxiety. It is necessary to develop a good sleeping routine first.
Restlessness, inability to stay in place, and the desire to wander can accompany these symptoms.
Anxiety symptoms are mainly associated with changes in levels of nerve conduction substances such as serotonin, GABA, which enable communication between brain cells, caused by external stimuli or internal processes. It can mimic all neurological symptoms, from anxiety to hand tremors to paralysis.
In anxiety, when a potential danger is detected, anxiety comes into play, preventing the organism from being damaged and ensuring life. For example, when a bear walks in the forest, anxiety center goes to alarm and gives the organism a "run" message. Heartbeat and breathing accelerate, which allows more oxygen to be delivered to the muscles. So we can run faster.
If anxiety occurs with exaggerated violence and negatively affecting one's quality of life, as if there is danger without a real threat; This is a pathological phenomenon that we can refer to as “abnormal anxiety”, which deserves clinical attention, if it is associated with chronic feeling of anxiety or terror.
The frequency, duration and severity of pathological anxiety (anxiety) varies considerably. Short-term, intense anxiety that occurs spontaneously at an unexpected moment is called a “panic attack”. In this case, the person begins to show excessive attention to his physical sensations. For example, heart palpitations can be interpreted as a heart attack. Anxiety that occurs when specific situations or objects are encountered is called "phobia" or "situational anxiety". For example, in agoraphobia, one does not want to go to crowded shops, cinema or theater. He thinks that if he experiences an anxiety attack, it will be difficult to escape from these places, no one can help, and he will not be able to reach the doctor and hospital. Phobias can be specific or related to social situations. For example, presenting to other people in school or at work, eating in places where other people are, going to invitations is quite frightening for the person with social phobia. He is in an intense struggle with thoughts such that he will be the subject of ridicule and disgrace to other people. The type of anxiety accompanied by repetitive behaviors is called “obsessive compulsive disorder” in order to eliminate the anxiety caused by obsessive thoughts. For example, a person who is concerned about contamination and contamination will wash their hands many times to clean. After a frightening, sad, worrying incident that has happened to the person, the beginning of experiencing fear and the emergence of bodily sensations accompanying this fear is called “post-traumatic stress disorder”. Being exposed to events such as war, torture, rape, natural disaster and the symptoms of anxiety after these are the core of the discomfort. In anxiety, the person is relieved in the form of pictures or thoughts, which reveal the negative moments again. Insomnia, sudden movements and hypersensitivity to sounds and physical pain are among the most common symptoms in this condition.
What is Anxiety Treatment?
If you experience one or more of the symptoms mentioned above, consult a psychiatrist as soon as possible. First of all, you should be diagnosed with your condition and then the appropriate treatment should be given. The main treatment options are anxiolytic and antidepressive drugs and cognitive-behavioral therapy. Stepped exposure studies, breathing exercises and cognitive and behavioral interventions to be performed by a specialist clinical psychologist have a significant effect on the outcome of treatment.
Anxiety treatment is a treatment that responds positively in a very short period of time. The duration and duration of treatment varies depending on the severity of anxiety. Some medications and psychotherapy are used in the treatment of anxiety. These drugs are antidepressant and anxiolotic drugs. The intensity of the patient's anxiety helps to determine the dose of the drug. These drugs should be given by a specialist and taken under the supervision of a specialist. It should be noted that the effect of antidepressant drugs will not start before a week or two. Psychotherapy in anxiety treatment can be applied together with drug treatment or separately. Cognitive behavioral therapy is a psychotherapy method applied in the treatment of anxiety. Since it is very effective, its use in anxiety treatment is often preferred. After 5-6 sessions, patients can now keep their anxiety under control. In addition, the patient is given relaxation exercises. There may be other psychiatric diseases that can cause anxiety. These diseases should be diagnosed and the patient should be treated with anxiety.
How is Anxiety Diagnosed?
As with any disease, anxiety gives some symptoms. If at least three of these symptoms are observed for more than six months and anxiety has started to affect the individual's life negatively, a specialist is applied and anxiety is diagnosed as a result of physical examination and tests performed by the specialist. Anxiety treatment is started after the diagnosis is made.
