Others signs and symptoms of anxiety disorders

In addition to the primary symptom of excessive and irrational fear and worry, other common emotional symptoms include:

• Feelings of apprehension or dread.
• Watching for signs of danger.
• Anticipating the worst.
• Trouble concentrating.
• Feeling tense and jumpy.
• Feeling like your mind’s gone blank.

But anxiety is more than just a feeling. As a product of the body’s fight-or-flight response, it also involves a wide range of physical symptoms, including:

• Pounding heart.
• Stomach upset.
• Frequent urination or diarrhoea.
• Shortness of breath.
• Muscle tension or twitches.
• Shaking or trembling.
• Insomnia.

Because of these physical symptoms, anxiety sufferers often mistake their disorder for a medical illness. They may visit many doctors and make numerous trips to the hospital before their anxiety disorder is finally recognized.

There is also a strong link between anxiety symptoms and developing a depression. Since depression makes anxiety worse (and vice versa), it is important to seek professional treatment for both conditions. If you try to fix one without addressing the other you are unlikely to see improvement.

What is an anxiety attack?

Anxiety attacks, also known as panic attacks are episodes of intense panic or fear. They usually occur suddenly and without warning. Sometimes there is an obvious trigger (getting stuck in an elevator, for example, or thinking about the big speech you have to give), but in other cases, the attacks come out of the blue.

Anxiety attacks usually peak within 10 minutes, and they rarely last more than 30 minutes. But during that short time, you may experience terror so severe that you feel as if you are about to die or totally lose control, or go insane. The physical symptoms are themselves so frightening that many people think they’re having a heart attack. After an anxiety attack is over you may worry about having another one, particularly in a public place where you cannot easily escape.

Anxiety attack symptoms include:

• Surge of overwhelming panic.
• Feeling of losing control or going crazy.
• Heart palpitations or chest pain.
• Feeling like you’re going to pass out.
• Trouble breathing or choking sensation.
• Hot flashes or chills.
• Trembling or shaking.
• Nausea or stomach cramps.
• Feeling detached or unreal.

It is important to seek help if you are starting to avoid certain situations because you are afraid of having a panic attack. The truth is that many people are panic free within just 5 to 8 treatment sessions.

Types of anxiety disorders and their symptoms

Anxiety disorders and closely related conditions include:

Excessive worrying (Generalized Anxiety Disorder – GAD)

To cope with all of life’s  uncertainty many of us use worrying as a tool for trying to predict the future and avoid unwanted surprises. Worrying can make it seem like you have some control over uncertain circumstances. You may believe that it will help you find a solution to your problems or prepare you for the worst. Maybe if you just agonize over a problem long enough, just think through every possibility, or read every opinion online, you will find a solution and be able to control the outcome. Unfortunately, none of this works. Chronic worrying cannot give you more control over uncontrollable events; it just robs you of enjoyment in the present, saps your energy, and keeps you up at night. But there are healthier ways to cope with uncertainty and that begins with adjusting your mindset.

If constant worries and fears distract you from your day-to-day activities, or you are troubled by a persistent feeling that something bad is going to happen, you may be suffering from generalised anxiety disorder (GAD). People with GAD are chronic worrywarts who feel anxious nearly all of the time, though they may not even know why. GAD often manifests in physical symptoms like insomnia, stomach upset, restlessness, and fatigue.

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder  (OCD)

Is characterized by unwanted thoughts or behaviours that seem impossible to stop or control. If you have OCD you may feel troubled by obsessions, such as a recurring worry that you forgot to turn off the oven or that you might hurt someone. You may also suffer from uncontrollable compulsions, such as washing your hands over and over.

Phobias and irrational fears

Phobias are among the easiest of disorders for Psychologists to cure. A phobia is an unrealistic or exaggerated fear of a specific object, activity, or situation that in reality presents little to no danger. Common phobias include fear of animals (such as snakes and spiders), fear of flying, and fear of heights. In the case of a severe phobia, you might go to extreme lengths to avoid the object of your fear. We have seen people who have avoided promotion because of phobia about getting into an elevator. Unfortunately, avoidance only strengthens the phobia. 

Social Anxiety Disorder

If you have a debilitating fear of being viewed negatively by others and humiliated in public, you may have social anxiety disorder also known as social phobia. It can be thought of as extreme shyness and in severe cases, social situations are avoided altogether. Performance anxiety (better known as stage fright) is the most common type of social phobia.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

Is an extreme anxiety disorder that can occur in the aftermath of a traumatic or life-threatening event. PTSD can be thought of as a panic attack that rarely, if ever, lets up. Symptoms of PTSD include flashbacks or nightmares about the incident, hypervigilance, startling easily, withdrawing from others, and avoiding situations that remind you of the event.