Anxiety, pain, worry, fear, confusion, and other related things are common to people of all ages. Everyone experience such things in life, and no one can claim to be invulnerable to these things – even to their simplest form. However, it is attested that these things could also become drastically unpleasant. Considering anxiety, this can become a [serious] disorder when the symptoms become chronic and interfering with one’s daily life and ability to act/function (Grohol, 2010). When it worsens, an individual can no longer work, eat, and even do the essential responsibilities a human being should be doing in life. Like any other [clinical] disease, anxiety has the capability of destroying one’s self. Nevertheless, it is important to understand what anxiety really it and how it affects a person. This paper will include the discussion on: the various categories of anxiety; the symptoms of anxiety disorder; the medical treatment and [psychological] diagnostic approach for anxiety; and the conclusion and position on anxiety.
Anxiety is widely defined as “the tense, unsettling anticipation of a threatening but vague event; a feeling of uneasy suspense” (Rachman, 2004, p.3). It is a psychological and physiological condition of an individual that involves his/her cognitive, behavioral, and emotional systems. Often, anxiety is taken directly in relation to fear. However, the difference between the two is determined by the causes, duration, and maintenance. Fear becomes present when the problem, danger, or threat is actually indentified and witnessed by a person. Moreover, when the threat is no longer at sight, fear is gone. In fear, the person has a specific object of fear, like in snake-phobia and claustrophobia. In anxiety, however, the individual also has a difficulty in identifying the problem of his/her uneasy feeling as well as the treatment to the problem. He/she cannot even determine the cause of the tension for the unanticipated disaster (Rachman, 2004). Unlike fear, it is not obviously determined and it is more persistent.
Although anxiety is a normal human behavior when faced with problem at work, before taking a test or making critical decisions (Katz, 2012), it can worsen into becoming disorders. First, it can become a panic disorder. People having this disorder experiences terror that suddenly and unexpected occurs. Its symptoms include heavy sweating, chest pain, choking, and irregular heartbeats. The person usually fears an impending catastrophe, like heart attack, and some distressing bodily sensations, including faintness and shaking, occurs (Rachman & de Silva, 2010). Mostly, such disorder could lead into the development of extreme avoidance behavior. This is what they call as agoraphobia, wherein the person has fear of shopping, encountering crowds, and travelling (Tripp, 2011).
Another type of anxiety disorder is the obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). People with such disorder are [excessively] filled with constant thoughts or fears that compel them to do certain rituals or routines (Katz, 2012). The thoughts and fears are the person’s obsessions, while routines are the compulsions. Often, people who arrive into this condition are those who are mostly too concerned about many things. For instance, a manager “too concerned” with a particular activity or aspect in his work, wherein he already goes with the most precise details of every information he has to gain about the said work and he continually thinks of it even at home, is more likely to be “obsessed” with such thoughts/concerns. Such person can keep on writing and planning even if he could not get to his desired output. Another example is a person who becomes “too concerned” with germs that he/she washes his/her hand from time to time.
Another disorder is the social anxiety disorder – which is also known as the social phobia. People with this disorder suffer from intense fear of becoming judged and/or humiliated in the public (Grohol, 2011). They become too self-conscious, so as not to be self-embarrassed with how they act, talk, and interact with people around. Symptoms of this disorder include heart palpitations, diarrhea, sweating, shaky voice, tremors, blushing, and even dry mouth. There are two categories under of social phobia: performance and interactional. In performance, the person experience excessive anxiety on how he behaves in front of the public audience. In interactional, the person becomes anxious with how he/she converses or engages with other individuals, such as in meeting with new people (Grohol, 2011).
Another anxiety disorder is the post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). It is a condition that often develops after a traumatic experience, such as sexual/physical assault, the unexpected death of a loved one, or a disastrous natural calamity (Katz, 2012). This is more prevalent on sexual assault survivors. The Rape Trauma Syndrome (RTS), which affects not only the rape victims but also those who experienced sexual violence (Wilson, 2006), is more likely to lead to a post-traumatic stress disorder compared to unexpected death or natural calamity. One’s thoughts about the aforementioned experiences could last, and it can make the person emotionally and psychologically numb. Moreover, in relation to becoming numb, a person suffering from such disorder may lose concentration. For instance, a child who witnessed a sudden accident and death of his/her father or mother may become inactive in school. The thoughts implanted into the mind make him/her captive to it, so that other things that happen around cannot take his/her attention and understanding.
Another type of anxiety disorder is specific phobias. Many people have specific phobias, intense, irrational fears of certain things or situations, such as dogs, heights, tunnels, flying, injuries, and blood (Grohol, 2005). No one knows the real cause of such disorder, although studies affirm that this can be hereditary. Also, this is more common in women. Phobias that start to occur during adulthood become lasts longer than childhood phobias. Childhood phobias – such as in animals – are more likely to disappear as the child grows older (Grohol, 2005). Nevertheless, the most interesting part of this disorder is how it can be defined. It is an irrational fear over something. For instance, many fear blood although it is something natural and that it doesn’t hurt anyone at all. For some, they fear “getting out” of their blood, although the blood is still few and/or that they do not have any medical validity for such reason at all. That makes specific phobias irrational. The most common symptom for this is predisposed panic attacks. In children, for instance, this could be manifested by crying, tantrums, freezing, or clinging (Grohol, 2005). People who have this disorder resort into avoidance, anxious anticipation, or even marked distress in the feared situations or things.
Lastly, one type of anxiety disorder is the generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). This involves excessive, unrealistic worry and tension (Katz, 2012). This becomes unrealistic since the feared event/thing is not present, therefore, suggesting that there is nothing to provoke such worry and anxiety. For instance, a person may excessive worry about what will happen to him the next day. He may think that his boss will not guarantee what he prepared the whole day. Such worry becomes unrealistic and irrational since the he has not even met the boss yet. The fear associated with this disorder interferes with the person’s ability to sleep/rest, think, or function in some other ways (Edwards, n.d.).
In general, the symptoms for anxiety disorders are the following: feelings of panic, fear, and uneasiness; uncontrollable, obsessive thoughts; repeated thoughts or flashbacks of traumatic experiences; nightmares; ritualistic behaviors; sleeping problems; sweating; shortness of breath; palpitations; inability to be calm and still; dry mouth; numbness or tingling; nausea; muscle tension; and dizziness (Katz, 2012).
If any of these symptoms is present, the doctor will make an evaluation by asking the person about his/her medical history and undergo a physical examination (Katz, 2012). Included in this evaluation is a “self-test”, allowing the person to assess him/herself regarding the risk of anxiety disorder (Edwards, n.d.). First, the diagnosis being taken by persons with such anxiety disorders is medical treatment – particularly the taking of medical drugs. Biological psychology is said to be the study of the cells and organs of the body and the physical and chemical changes that affect the behavior and mental processes of an individual (Bernstein, Penner, Stewart, & Roy, 2007). This is how many professional suggest that anxiety is not just in the mind of a person but also in the brain (Hart, 2001). They claim that thoughts can trigger stress and anxiety, but they do not constitute anxiety by themselves; biochemical changes do (Hart, 2001). Some drugs taken to reduce the symptoms include anti-depressants and anxiety-reducing drugs (Katz, 2012). Tranquilizers are also given in order to make the person calm.
When no physical illness is found, looking for a psychologist and/or mental professional is necessary. Another form of treatment for this disorder is psychotherapy. In this diagnosis, mental health professionals help people by talking about strategies in understanding and dealing with their disorder (Katz, 2012). Another is cognitive-behavioral therapy, wherein the person is taught and clinically “trained” to recognize and change thought patterns and behaviors that lead into troublesome and anxious feelings (Katz, 2012). For instance, people with social phobia disorders undergo social activities, wherein they are gradually exposed to other people from time to time. Some undergo dietary/lifestyle changes and relaxation therapies. Some go to some spas, have vacations with their families – away from work, and so on.
Furthermore, anxiety must be followed by escape or avoidance or coping (Rachman, 2004). According to Dr. Kubler-Ross, the five things involved in grief are denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. To some, dealing with anxiety is by denying the presence of the problems in life. Others become angry with the circumstances they are in. Some go to bargaining. A person might become guilty for not being the person God would have preferred (England, 2010). Some go deeper into depression, losing hope and thinking that such negative circumstance in life cannot be dealt with. But other will go with acceptance, being in a position to deal with all the issues (England, 2010).
The best approach to deal with anxiety is not merely taking of anti-depressant drugs or having relaxation therapies. It is by facing the issue deep within the issue of anxiety. Anxiety is defined as an excessive worry or fear of something. But people must realize that problems are natural, and they have to have that truth. People should look at life differently. For instance, it is necessary to ask someone who worries much about tomorrow about why other people who have the same circumstances still get through life’s hardships. Having concern about some things is necessary by it should not lead into excessive worry. People should learn to be. People seem to believe that their needs can never be met (MacArthur, 2006). That is one reason why they become anxious in life. Moreover, people should learn to accept and do responsibilities. Phobias are “the ego’s way of warding off a confrontation with the real problem” (Tripp, 2011, n.p.). For instance, taking an anti-depressant drug will only address the condition of the person’s mind. But the real problem that makes his mind anxious is not dealt with at all. Also, witnessing a sexual assault cannot be dealt with mere medical treatments; people must take practical actions that will help them escape sexual assaults. Simply being anxious is not the right way of facing problems and fears in life. Therefore, people must learn to accept whatever happens in life, and should take responsible actions to deal with any problem and fear instead of becoming merely anxiously thoughtful about it. In dealing with problems and fears, they should be faced practically.
References
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