The Big Question: What is Anxiety Disorder?

An anxiety disorder can be an incredibly difficult thing to deal with and before you can really find a proper method of treatment it is important that you learn about what an anxiety disorder actually is.

Anxiety

Although anxiety is typically considered as being a normal and healthy emotion there are many cases in which it becomes too much and begins to be disabling on the sufferer. When anxiety becomes so persistent and severe that it creates serious difficulties, it is important that proper help is sought and that the condition is dealt with.

If anxiety is left untreated it often leads to other problems such as depression, relationship difficulties, drug and alcohol abuse, and related problems.

Symptoms

There are some very obvious symptoms that are commonly associated with an anxiety disorder, including rapid gastric emptying, weakness and tingling in arms and legs, dry mouth, insomnia, nightmares, pain or numbness in the head, excessive perspiration, lump in throat, difficulty swallowing, chest pain, smoothing sensations and shortness of breath, aggression, and hallucinations.

Treatment

If it has been determined that you are in fact suffering from an anxiety disorder then the next step is treatment. Cognitive behavioural therapy is one of the most commonly recommended methods of treatment for anxiety, and basically involves changing the patient's way of thinking in order to change their pattern of behaviour as a result of this.

Working with a mental health professional is going to be vital to your success her and the worst part of an anxiety disorder is often the fact that you feel as though you are going crazy and losing control and that no one seems to understand. A therapist or counsellor will be someone that you can talk to, someone who will understand and who has seen conditions like yours before and is not going to be surprised by anything that you say.

You can feel comfortable talking to a mental health professional about your anxiety disorder and know that they are going to be able to guide you in the right direction and help you get the treatment that you need.

The most important thing is to remember that you are not alone and that there is help out there and ways for you to relieve your anxiety and feel normal again. Anxiety does not have to take over your life and as long as you are dedicated and have patience you can fight it and win your life back.