Among the most common emotional disorders are anxiety disorders, which affect more than 25 million Americans.  These disorders go beyond ordinary feelings of nervousness and can lead to debilitating emotional problems if left untreated.  People with anxiety disorders might suffer from depression or abuse alcohol or other substances as a way to find relief from symptoms.  These abuses can themselves lead to further medical complications, and treating symptoms in this way does not address the underlying problem.

  Although there are different kinds of anxiety disorders, the general symptoms include feelings of panic and fear that might be overwhelming.  This might be accompanied by obsessive thinking or intrusive and painful memories.  Sleep can be affected, either due to not being able to fall asleep or because of recurring nightmares related to the anxiety.  There may also be physical symptoms such as “butterflies” in the stomach or other physical symptoms of tension like shortness of breath or heart palpitations.  A lack of sleep and other physiological factors can cause fatigue, headaches, or even trembling.

The causes of anxiety disorders aren’t well understood, but might include a genetic predisposition.  They are definitely not the result of personality flaws or weaknesses of character, or even poor parenting.  Some research suggests anxiety disorders might be triggered by changes in the brain or by stress in the environment.  The physiological causes seem to be centered in the way the brain is wired, for example in the way in which the brain circuits handle fear or other related emotions.  Because some studies have demonstrated that anxiety disorders run in families, they may be genetically heritable.  Thus it seems that people may have a predisposition for an anxiety disorder due to genetics, and some environmental factor such as a trauma might trigger it.

Treatment is always based on the specific type of anxiety disorder that is diagnosed, but can include such things as medication or psychotherapy.  Certain anti-depressants or anxiety-reducing drugs can help reduce the symptoms, while psychotherapeutic counseling tries to address the emotional reaction to the mental illness.  Counselors will talk through strategies of coping with their patients to help them understand, and through understanding to begin to mitigate the problems.  Sometimes diet and exercise might be changed in an attempt to help patients.

  Although anxiety disorders affect millions of Americans, there is treatment if people who suffer from these disorders seek a doctor’s help.  Although everyone gets nervous or anxious from time to time, if anxiety begins to take over someone’s life, that may be a sign of a serious problem, and they should seek a doctor’s advice.  If you have any questions about anxiety or about any mental health issues, try searching IPALC for a doctor specializing in mental health at www.ipalc.org/find or email IPALC at info@ipalc.org for further information.