Anxiety Disorders - Going Through Life in Distress (Part 1)

What is an Anxiety Disorder?

Anxiety disorders are described as persistent anxiety, nervousness, unease or fear, perceived in the absence of a specific threat, that prevents someone from living a normal life, or carrying out everyday tasks. It is considered a mental health issue and can be extremely distressing for sufferers.

Anxiety in itself however, is a perfectly normal human response, and from an evolutionary perspective, was essential for our survival, since it ensured we remained alert and protected ourselves duly against danger.

Nevertheless, according to experts, the same part of the brain that experiences anxiety is also responsible for learning and adapting. Therefore anxiety reduces a person’s ability to respond adequately to new situations. The result of this is a reduced capacity to cope with stressful circumstances, thus adding to the levels of anxiety experienced.

The Effects of Anxiety Disorders

Neurologists explain that a reduction in the brain’s capacity to adapt, over time can result in the breakdown of the brain’s coping mechanisms. This can trigger chemical imbalances in brain chemistry and can give rise to feelings of haplessness, disillusionment and depression. This adds to the levels of anxiety experienced by the person. And thus a vicious cycle of anxiety, depression and negative behaviours occurs.

Such cycles are characterised by anxiety, then haplessness, followed by depression. As a result a person can develop avoidance mechanisms like needing someone present during stressful situations, or inability to cope without someone’s emotional support, or obsessive repetitive behaviours, and finally in some severe cases, dependencies like substance abuse.

Besides affecting the nervous system, in the long run, anxiety disorders can also have a damaging effect on various essential physical processes. These includes the immune system, autoimmune system, cardio-vascular system, digestive system and endocrine system. All of this of course can be severely detrimental for a person’s long-term mental and physical health.

Symptoms of Anxiety Disorders

Physical symptoms that can occur as a result of anxiety disorders include disturbed sleep patterns, gastrointestinal issues, heart palpitations and breathing issues. Other disorders include immuno-related conditions like skin problems, allergies, or reduced ability to fight off viruses and other infections. All of these can make every day life extremely difficult to cope with, and can potentially become serious issues like hypertension, asthma, hormonal imbalance, and a number of other potentially serious conditions.

Furthermore, as coping mechanisms start to falter, the sufferer can also start to experience further distressing and at times difficult symptoms. These can be inability to focus, reduced concentration, brain fog, forgetfulness, absent mindedness, irritability, anger and / or sudden mood swings along with restlessness, and / or sleep disorders,.

Anxiety disorders can also result in acute physical symptoms like hyperventilating, trembling, uncontrollable shaking, rise in blood pressure and heart rate, loss or increase in appetite, weakness, sense of dizziness or fainting, or sudden sweating.

And finally, perhaps the most distressing of all – persistent and prolonged, unaddressed anxiety disorders can trigger autoimmune disorders, which to date sadly, seem to be irreversible. These include various allergies, and chronic physical conditions like fibromyalgia, irritable bowel syndrome, eczema, asthma, and chronic fatigue to name a few.

Types of Anxiety Disorders

There are a number of conditions which psychologists class as forms of anxiety disorders, these are: generalised anxiety disorder (GAD), very closely related to chronic fear, panic disorder, social anxiety disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) and post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD)

GAD is when chronic anxiety or fear is experienced without the presence of any specific threat or danger. This could be an occasional sensation, or a persistent one. Sufferers may feel uneasy, overly worried and unable to cope. This can lead to other unpleasant or distressing emotional states such as anger, nervousness, tension and feelings of hopelessness.

Panic Disorder

Panic disorder is the condition when the sufferer experiences repeated episodes of intense uncontrollable fear, often for no apparent reason. It can be unbearable when sufferers are in unfamiliar surroundings, or new situations. Furthermore, at times, it can be intense enough to trigger physical symptoms like chest pain, heart palpitations, shortness of breath, dizziness, or gastrointestinal problems like abdominal pain and / or diarrhoea.

Social Anxiety Disorder

Social anxiety disorder is described as a heightened fear, uneasiness, or sense of self-consciousness when in a social environment. It usually affects suffers when they are among strangers, and it can take a number or forms which include phobias that someone is watching, a fear of public speaking, or giving a public performance. This is different from normal nervousness in that it can be completely uncontrollable and overwhelming.

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

OCD is the uncontrollable need to repeat certain tasks, or think obsessively about certain events or situations. Sufferers may often find themselves repeatedly doing mundane tasks like cleaning or handwashing.

This occurs as a means of relief from unpleasant thoughts or feelings, and the person may feel compelled to engage in the task despite a desire to stop. However, such tasks only offer temporary relief, and thus the need for repetition occurs. Hence people suffering from an OCD get trapped in a vicious cycle of repetitive behaviours, without which they may experience unbearable levels anxiety and stress.

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

PTSD is a condition that we have probably all heard of, due to the greater awareness in recent times, of the issues suffered by military personnel after combat. This condition however, is not restricted to the military, and anyone who has experienced or witnessed a severely traumatic, or life-threatening event like a natural disaster, violent personal assault, or serious accident like a train crash can develop PTSD.

In such cases, sufferers may experience repeated nightmares, terrifying flashbacks, severe depression, or even suicidal thoughts. In many cases, sufferers may also experience distressing physical symptoms such as those described earlier.

Other Types of Related Disorders: Dissociative Disorders

Dissociative disorders can be described as a type of coping mechanism, where the brain cannot accept the stressful situation and goes into denial. These disorders are usually temporary and don’t normally have a lasting emotional or physical effect on the sufferer, nonetheless however, they may be just as traumatic.

Dissociative disorders are not actually classed as types of anxiety disorders, but they are very much stress related and can occur due to, or as well as, the various anxiety disorders.

There are three main types of dissociative disorders, depersonalisation-derealisation disorder, dissociative amnesia and dissociative identity disorder (DID), also sometimes referred to as multiple personality disorder.

Depersonalisation-Derealisation Disorder

The symptoms of depersonalisation-derealisation disorder can be an inability to relate to circumstances and events taking place. Short episodes of partial or complete memory loss may be involved. The two aspects of depersonalisation-derealisation may occur together or separately.

Depersonalisation Disorder can involve a sense of fogginess, or confusion, or of being outside of the self. The person may feel disconnected with his / her own thoughts, as if the thoughts originate from elsewhere, from a distance. The sensation of time may also feel altered.

Derealisation Disorder may feel like a sense of sudden disorientation in what would normally be familiar surroundings. Or it may feel like a sort of numbness, or apathetic state of disconnection from the real world.

The world may appear dream-like or surreal or strangely flat without depth. Colours may seem altered, in some cases more enhanced while in others duller. The sufferer may also feel a sense of floating or being disjointed from the immediate environment.

Dissociative Amnesia

Dissociative Amnesia describes the condition where the a person is unable to remember information about oneself, or one’s environment.

It can be momentary or last longer, sometimes for days, weeks or even months. (Permanent memory loss is very rare, and if / when it occurs, usually involves some physical neurological trauma.)

The sufferer may suddenly become disorientated, in a seemingly unrecognisable place, but which would otherwise normally be familiar surroundings. Sometimes this can involve a person not remembering how he / she got there, or for what purpose.

Dissociative Identity Disorder

DID is a severe form of dissociative disorder, and is attributed to numerous psychological factors. It usually involves the sufferer experiencing two or more distinct personalities being present in the self. These personalities may or may not be aware of each other, and the condition may involve periodic amnesia.

This condition can be extremely traumatic for the sufferer and can lead to many other emotional and mental issues, including suicidal tendencies.

Causes of, and Treatment for, Anxiety Disorders:

There are no rules as to why someone might develop an anxiety disorder, but a number of common factors have been identified. These include a history of significant and distressing upheaval in life, childhood trauma, or other severely disturbing life event.

Other factors include prolonged harrowing circumstances, severe long-term illness, mental health disorders, or a genetic predisposition, as well as substance abuse which can also give rise to various other conditions like paranoia, phobias and personality disorders.

Anxiety disorders can develop at any age, and thankfully, are mostly treatable. However, being the malfunction of a normal emotional response, they are not necessarily curable. Thus, unfortunately, dealing with them is often a case of managing them effectively, and learning coping techniques, as apposed to looking for a cure. Nevertheless, successful rehabilitation is possible and, sufferers can very often recover enough to live healthy, normal lives.

Therapies available for anxiety disorders include cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), applied relaxation techniques, which focus on specific relaxation and breathing techniques, counselling, psychotherapy, and / or medication. Alternate therapies like yoga, tai chi and meditation in some instances, can also be quite effective for some people.

In some instances, as in cases involving dissociative identity disorder, treatment may include hypnotherapy and adjunctive therapy. The latter involves engaging in artforms like movement therapy and fine art which has been shown to help sufferers re-engage with parts of the brain they have cut themselves off from due to trauma.

(Continued in Part 2…)