Anxiety disorders are the commonest psychiatrist disorders of the world. The ailment can take any one of the following forms –
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Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)
Obsessive and Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
Phobias
Social Disorders
Among these, the most common occurrence is GAD. OCD is usually said to be a result of flawed heredity and PTSD is a result, usually of the patient’s traumatic experiences of the past. Phobia causes are very difficult to characterize – they may be clear cut in some cases and confused in others.
The human mind is the subject of high degree of scientific research. The scientific community is paying a great deal of attention to the human mind’s secrets these days. The Diagnostic and Statistic Manual IV (DSM IV) and the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD 10) have given a set of guidelines regarding the diagnosis of mental disorders.
Anxiety disorders truly disorder life. They increase pessimism in the patient and it becomes difficult for him to think or act positively. The overall symptoms of the disease enervate and tire the patient.
Anxiety disorder help can be sought at your nearest psychotherapist’s. Psychotherapists have been trained as good listeners and help ease the mind of the patient by allowing him to talk himself out of his worries. Sometimes, a few conversations have been proved to have curative powers.
The therapist is also capable of bettering the thought process and will power of the patient through a therapeutic regime called as Cognitive and Behavioural Therapy, often abbreviated as CBT. CBT involves two steps – the patient taking cognizance of his thoughts and the patient taking control of his behavioural response to his panic attack. CBT has proved to be pivotal in tackling anxiety bouts in patients.
At times CBT is not used alone, but along with biofeedback technique. Biofeedback means attaching several small portable instruments to the patient’s body which measure body variables like heartbeat, blood pressure, body temperature and sweat gland activity. As the patient’s panic mounts, he observes how his heartbeat increases and his blood pressure rises. This creates an indelible impression on his mind and eggs him to try and control these reactions by controlling his thoughts. At times, the biofeedback technique is used in combination with CBT. In this, the patient’s heartbeat, blood pressure, body temperature and sweat gland activity are constantly measured by attaching to his body small machines for doing so. So now as the patient goes into a panic attack, he can see for himself how his body functions touch abnormality. Seeing this repeatedly makes the patient realize how important it is to control his panic-stricken thoughts.
It is also possible to get anxiety disorder help by making some changes in the way one lives life. For example:
• Controlling food intake – reduction in the intake of caffeine containing food, like chocolates, tea, coffee, soft drinks et cetera helps curb anxiety attacks
• Relaxation & Exercise – The antithesis to anxiety is relaxation. Several techniques for the same are available, some of which are –
o Deep Sleep – the easiest vehicle of relaxation, which in turn is the best anxiety disorder help. It has been called as ‘Tired Nature’s Sweet Restorer’ and so it surely is.
o Long hot baths, steam baths, spa treatments – one thing that has the capacity to flush away negativity is water.
o Massage – trained masseuses knead the stress out of your muscles and the anxiety out of our system. A wide variety of aromatic and ayurvedic oils are available in the market. Specialized massage techniques from the orient, viz., the Acupressure and the Acupuncture also help relax mind and body.
o Yoga and Thai Chi are forms of physical exercises that help in the treatment of anxiety.
Anxiety attack medications are usually used in addition with some other therapeutic method instead of being used singly. This is so because anxiety is a psychotic disorder with the mind being the worst affected and hence a behavioural therapy must form part of the treatment. Also, drugs usually prescribed as Anxiety attack medications are downed by having side-effects. They may also make the patient get addicted to them, some can get abused by the takers also and some also cause withdrawal symptoms.
The anxiety attack medications majorly fall under following categories:
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Benzodiazepines – alprazolam, clonzepam, diazepam
Buspirone
Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs) – paroxetine, sertraline, fluvoxamine
Serotonin Norepinephrine Reuptake Inhibitors (SNRIs) – Venlafaxine, Tramadol
Tricyclic Antidepressants – Amitriptyline, Trimipramine
These are all majorly sedatives or tranquilizers and the others like SSRIs and SNRIs affect the serotonin (the happiness hormone) and norepinephrine level in the brain.
Posted by bethkaminski
Posted by bethkaminski
Posted by bethkaminski 