Anxiety Disorder Essay

Anxiety disorder

If you have ever been tense before an exam, a date, or a job interview, you have some idea of what anxiety feels like. Increased heart rate, sweating, rapid breathing, a dry mouth, and a sense of dread are common components of anxiety. But episodes of modern anxiety are a normal part of the life for most people. But what anxiety is so intense and long lasting that it impairs a person’s daily functioning is called an anxiety disorder. It is a general term for several disorders that cause apprehension, nervousness, fear, and worrying. These disorders affect how we feel and behave, and they can manifest real physical symptoms. Mild anxiety is vague and unsettling, while severe anxiety can be extremely debilitating, having a serious impact on daily life.

People often experience a general state of worry or fear before confronting something challenging such as a test, examination, recital, or interview. These feelings are easily justified and considered normal. Anxiety is considered a problem when symptoms interfere with a person's ability to sleep or otherwise function. Generally speaking, anxiety occurs when a reaction is out of proportion with what might be normally expected in a situation

There are many types of anxiety disorder but the most common psychological disorders are: phobia, generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, and traumatic stress disorder.

An intense, irrational fear of an object or situation that is not likely to be dangerous is called phobia. Phobia is the Greek word for “morbid fear,” after the Greek god photos. Phobias are usually named using Greek word for the feared object or situation, followed by the suffix phobia. There are thousands of phobias like A...

... middle of paper ...

...ents, resulting in anxiety and desperation when feared events do occur. As example, consider the development of panic attack. Whereas the appearance of unexplained symptoms of physical arousal may make a panic attack more likely, the person cognitive interpretation of those symptoms can determine whether or not the attack actually develops. One study, for instance, found that panic attacks were much less likely if panic disorder patients believed they could control the source of their discomfort. In another study, panic disorder patients were asked to inhale carbon dioxide which typically causes panic attack in such patients. Those who inhaled this substance in the presence or a person they associated with safety where significantly less fearful than patients whose safe person was not present. Results like these suggest a role for cognitive factors in panic disorder