The feeling of anxiety is a genetically inherent feature of a person: new activities, changes in personal life, changes in work, in the family, etc., should cause mild anxiety.
The expression “only a fool is not afraid” has lost its relevance in our time, because for many people panic anxiety appears out of nowhere, then the person simply overwhelms himself, and far-fetched fears increase like a snowball.
With the accelerating pace of life, constant feelings of anxiety, restlessness and the inability to relax have become commonplace conditions.
Neurosis, according to classical Russian taxonomy, is part of anxiety disorders; it is a human condition that is caused by long-term depression, severe stress, constant anxiety, and against the background of all this, autonomic disorders appear in the human body.
It is important to understand that neurosis can also arise against the background of the inability to relax; workaholics become its “target” in the first place.
It's okay, I'm just worried and a little scared
One of the preceding stages of the appearance of neurosis can be the unreasonable occurrence of anxiety and worry.
A feeling of anxiety is a tendency to experience a situation, to be constantly worried. Depending on the character of the person, his temperament and sensitivity to stressful situations, this condition can manifest itself in different ways. But it is important to note that unreasonable fears, anxiety and worry, as a pre-stage of neurosis, most often appear in tandem with stress and depression.
Anxiety, as a natural feeling of a situation, not in a hyper form, is useful for a person. In most cases, this condition helps to adapt to new circumstances. A person, feeling anxious and worried about the outcome of a particular situation, prepares as much as possible, finds the most suitable solutions and solves problems.
But as soon as this form becomes permanent, chronic, problems begin in a person’s life. Everyday existence turns into hard labor, because everything, even the little things, scares you.
In the future, this leads to neurosis, and sometimes to phobia, and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) develops.
There is no clear boundary of transition from one state to another; it is impossible to predict when and how anxiety and a feeling of fear will turn into neurosis, and that in turn into an anxiety disorder.
But there are certain symptoms of anxiety that appear constantly without any significant reason:
- sweating;
- hot flashes, chills, trembling throughout the body, tremors in certain parts of the body, numbness, severe muscle tone;
- chest pain, burning stomach (abdominal distress);
- fainting, dizziness, fears (of death, madness, murder, loss of control);
- irritability, a person is constantly “on edge”, nervousness;
- sleep disturbance;
- any joke can cause fear or aggression.
Symptoms
Somatic manifestations of anxiety can be expressed by various types of pain and suffocation , motor restlessness, and increased blood pressure . In general, they represent a whole multisystem syndrome, including vestibular disorders, thermoregulatory, respiratory, gastrointestinal and cardiovascular disorders. Patients complain of palpitations, lack of air, sudden faintness or pre-stroke-like state, dizziness, paresthesia , chills , muscle tension, tremor , convulsions , headache .
Symptoms of anxiety
Important! A separate manifestation of internal restlessness is akatasia, which is characterized by a constant or periodic unpleasant feeling and a desire to move or change position. Such people are called restless, as they are unable to sit for a long time or remain immobile in one position. The condition is usually caused by antipsychotics, antidepressants , psychostimulants , opiate, alcohol, benzodiazepine or barbiturate withdrawal syndrome , and in rare cases, Parkinson's disease .
Increased anxiety and feelings of restlessness, in addition to physiological reactions, affect a person’s actions and behavior:
- people experience a more acute fear of failure and become extremely sensitive to failures, productivity decreases and in order to increase it, information about success is needed, even fictitious;
- Often there is anxiety over trifles, impatience, irritability, tension, stiffness, confusion, nervousness, constantly bordering on breakdown, difficulty in wanting to relax or concentrate, memory impairment.
Anxiety neurosis - the first steps to madness
Anxiety neurosis can manifest itself differently in different people, but there are main symptoms and features of the manifestation of this condition:
- aggressiveness, loss of strength, complete despair, anxiety even in a minor stressful situation;
- touchiness, irritability, excessive vulnerability and tearfulness;
- fixation on one unpleasant situation;
- fatigue, low performance, decreased attention and memory;
- sleep disturbances: shallow, there is no lightness in the body and in the head after waking up, even the slightest overexcitement deprives one of sleep, and in the morning hours, on the contrary, there is increased drowsiness;
- autonomic disorders: sweating, pressure surges (mostly downward), disruption of the gastrointestinal tract, rapid heartbeat;
- a person during a period of neurosis reacts negatively, sometimes even aggressively, to changes in the environment: a decrease in temperature or a sharp increase, bright light, loud sounds, etc.
But it should be noted that neurosis can manifest itself both openly in a person and hidden. There are often cases when a trauma or situation preceding a neurotic failure occurred a long time ago, and the very fact of the appearance of an anxiety disorder has only just taken shape. The nature of the disease itself and its form depends on environmental factors and the person’s personality.
GAD - fear of everything, always and everywhere
There is such a concept as generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) - this is one of the forms of anxiety disorders, with one caveat - the duration of this kind of disorder is measured in years, and affects absolutely all areas of a person’s life.
We can conclude that it is precisely this monotonous state of “I’m afraid of everything, I’m afraid always and constantly” that leads to a complex, painful life.
Even ordinary cleaning of the house, not done according to schedule, upsets a person, going to the store for a necessary thing that was not there, calling a child who did not answer on time, but in his thoughts “they stole, killed”, and many other reasons why There is no need to worry, but there is anxiety.
And all this is generalized anxiety disorder (also sometimes called phobic anxiety disorder).
In children
Anxiety that develops in children is called basal and is expressed in the form of isolation and helplessness in front of the outside world and other people. It is usually caused by the child’s need for a sense of security and develops as a result of disrupted relationships with parents or other adult relatives who do not understand that the child is a separate, integral person in need of freedom and security. As a result, the child is unable to become attached, behaves aggressively, is prone to loneliness and often withdraws into himself.
Anxiety occurs in response to a lack of basic self-confidence and is most often caused by neurotic conditions or genetic predisposition.
And then there’s the depression...
Anxiety-depressive disorder, as a form of neurosis, according to experts, by 2022 will take second place after coronary heart disease among disorders that lead to disability.
The states of chronic anxiety and depression are similar, which is why the concept of TDR appeared as a kind of transitional form. The symptoms of the disorder are as follows:
- mood swings;
- sleep disturbances for a long period;
- anxiety, fears for yourself and loved ones;
- apathy, insomnia;
- low performance, decreased attention and memory, inability to learn new material.
There are also vegetative changes: increased heartbeat, increased sweating, hot flashes or, conversely, chills, pain in the solar plexus, gastrointestinal disorders (abdominal pain, constipation, diarrhea), muscle pain and more.
Anxiety-depressive syndrome is characterized by the presence of several of the above symptoms over several months.
Causes of anxiety
The causes of anxiety disorders cannot be divided into one clearly defined group, because each person reacts to one or another circumstance in life differently.
For example, a certain decline in the exchange rate of the currency or ruble may not worry a person during this period of life, but problems at school or college with peers, colleagues or relatives can lead to neurosis, depression and stress.
Experts identify some causes and factors that can cause anxious personality disorder:
- dysfunctional family, depression and stress suffered in childhood;
- problematic family life or the inability to arrange it in time;
- predisposition;
- female sex - unfortunately, many representatives of the fair sex are already by nature predisposed to excessively “take everything to heart”;
- Experts have also identified some dependence on the constitutional composition of the human body: obese people are less predisposed to the appearance of neuroses and other mental disorders;
- setting the wrong goals in life, or rather exaggerating them, already the initial failure leads to unnecessary worries, and the ever-accelerating pace of modern life only adds fuel to the fire.
What do all these factors have in common? The importance and significance of a psychotraumatic factor in your life. And as a result, a feeling of anxiety and fear arises, which from a normal natural form can develop into a hypertrophied, causeless one.
Features of anxiety “for no reason” - constant worry about something that even theoretically cannot happen. Sometimes, a person simply saw a similar situation on TV, with neighbors or relatives, and the slightest reminder of any similar facts already raises the alarm “what if this happens now.”
But it must be said that all similar factors only predispose, and the rest of the twisting occurs in a person’s thoughts.
Hope for a miraculous healing
This incorrect behavior is typical of those who believe that they are experiencing anxiety for no reason. In fact, there is a reason. Only it, as a rule, is not recognized by the neurotic himself. And sometimes it is realized, but ignored.
Hoping for a miraculous cure for such unreasonable anxiety is very similar to the process of denial. Only in this case the very fact of the presence of anxiety is not denied. But the need to seek professional psychological help to combat this anxiety and the need for serious work on oneself are rejected.
Instead, you console yourself with the hope that one fine day you will wake up and your anxiety will be gone. And if yesterday you could not walk around the city on your own or meet a girl, today you can do all this freely.
Obviously, such hopes never come true; no “wizard in a blue helicopter” ever arrives. But day by day, anxiety increases and depression increases. You begin to worry that your anxiety won’t go away, and it’s unclear when it will go away. And at the same time he becomes depressed about this.
Complex of manifestations
Symptoms of anxiety disorders are divided into two groups:
- Somatic symptoms . Characterized by pain, deterioration of health: headaches, sleep disturbances, darkening of the eyes, sweating, frequent and painful urination. We can say that a person feels changes on the physical level, and this further aggravates the anxious state.
- Mental symptoms : emotional stress, a person’s inability to relax, fixation on the situation, constantly turning it over, forgetfulness, inability to concentrate on something, inability to remember new information, irritability and aggression.
The transition of all of the above symptoms into a chronic form leads to such unpleasant consequences as neurosis, chronic depression and stress. Living in a gray, scary world, where there is no joy, no laughter, no creativity, no love, no sex, no friendship, no delicious dinner or breakfast... all these are the consequences of untreated mental disorders.
Consequences and complications
Increased anxiety, accompanied by somatic diseases, can lead to serious consequences - mental disorders, autonomic and basic biological disorders:
- loss of appetite ;
- apathy;
- insomnia;
- hyperventilation syndrome;
- phobias;
- disorders in the sexual sphere ( premature ejaculation , decreased libido , frigidity , etc.);
- arrhythmia;
- panic attacks;
- psychogenic vertigo ;
- psychogenic seizures.
Help needed: diagnostics
Diagnosis should only be made by a specialist. The symptoms show that all anxiety states are intertwined; there are no clear objective indicators that can clearly and accurately separate one form of anxiety disorder from another.
Diagnosis by a specialist is made using color techniques and conversation. A simple conversation, a leisurely dialogue, which is a “secret” survey, will help reveal the true state of a person’s psyche. The treatment stage begins only after the correct diagnosis has been made.
Do you suspect the development of anxiety disorders? You need to contact your local physician. This is the first stage.
Then, based on all the symptoms, the therapist will tell you whether you need to see a psychotherapist or not.
When searching for a doctor, you need to take into account several rules: do not rush into dubious advertisements; it is better if the psychotherapist has recommendations and experience; During the sessions it should be comfortable; if the patient feels constrained, there will be no result.
All interventions should be made only depending on the degree and severity of the disorder. It is important to note that treatment is tailored only individually. There are techniques and general recommendations, but the effectiveness of treatment is determined only by the correct approach to each patient separately.
How to overcome fears, worries and anxiety
To get rid of fear, anxiety and anxiety today there are two main approaches.
Psychotherapy sessions
Psychotherapy sessions, alternative name for CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy). During such therapy, the causes of mental vegetative and somatic disorders are identified.
Another important goal is a call for proper stress relief and learning to relax. During sessions, a person can change his stereotypical thinking; during a calm conversation in a conducive environment, the patient does not fear anything, which is why he opens up completely: calmness, a conversation that helps to understand the origins of his behavior, realize them, and accept them.
Next, a person learns how to deal with anxiety and stress, get rid of unreasonable panic, and learns to live. The psychotherapist helps the patient accept himself, understand that everything is fine with him and his environment, that he has nothing to be afraid of.
It is important to note that CBT is carried out both on an individual basis and in groups. This depends on the severity of the disorder, as well as the patient's willingness to be treated in one way or another.
It is important that a person must consciously come to a psychotherapist; he must at least understand that this is necessary. Forcibly pushing him into the office, and for longer also forcing him to talk - such methods will not only not give the desired result, but will also aggravate the situation.
In combination with psychotherapy sessions, a massage session and other physical procedures can be performed.
Medicines for fear and anxiety - a double-edged sword
Sometimes the use of medications is practiced - these are antidepressants, sedatives, beta blockers. But it is important to understand that medications will not cure anxiety disorders, nor will they be a panacea for getting rid of mental disorders.
The purpose of the medication method is completely different; drugs help you keep yourself under control and make it easier to bear the severity of the situation.
And they are not prescribed in 100% of cases; the psychotherapist looks at the course of the disorder, the degree and severity, and already determines whether there is a need for such medications or not.
In advanced cases, strong and fast-acting medications are prescribed to obtain the fastest effect in order to relieve an anxiety attack.
Specialists tell their patients what these medications are, why they are needed, and what course is needed in this particular case. It is important to convey to the patient that once you have started taking medications, you should not suddenly stop taking them.
The combination of two methods gives results much faster. It is important to consider that a person should not be left alone: family, his relatives can provide irreplaceable support and thereby push him towards recovery. How to cope with anxiety and worry - video tips:
Emergency situation - what to do?
In emergency cases, an attack of panic and anxiety can be relieved with medication, and also only by a specialist; if he is not present at the time of the peak of the attack, it is important to first call medical help, and then try with all your might not to worsen the situation.
But this does not mean that you have to run and shout “help, help.” No! You need to show calm by all appearances; if there is a possibility that a person could cause injury, leave immediately.
If not, try to talk in a calm voice and support the person with the phrases “I believe in you. WE are together, WE will get through this." Avoid saying “I feel it too”, anxiety and panic are individual feelings and everyone feels them differently.
Don't make it worse
Most often, if a person applies at an early stage of the development of the disorder, doctors recommend several simple preventive measures after the situation has resolved:
- Healthy lifestyle.
- Getting enough sleep, proper quality sleep is the key to peace of mind, the key to overall health of the whole body.
- Eat properly . Varied, high-quality, beautiful (and this is also important) food can lift your spirits. Who would refuse a freshly baked, fragrant, hot apple pie with a small scoop of vanilla ice cream? Just these words make your soul feel warm, let alone the meal itself.
- Find a hobby , something you like, perhaps change jobs. This is a kind of relaxation, relaxation.
- Learn to relax and deal with stress , and for this, with the help of a psychotherapist or independently study relaxation methods: breathing exercises, using special points on the body, when pressed, relaxation occurs, listening to your favorite audiobook or watching a good (!) movie.
It is important to note that doctors and specialists use forced rehabilitation only in very severe cases. Treatment in the early stages, when almost all people tell themselves “it will go away on its own,” is much faster and of better quality.
Only the person himself can come and say “I need help,” no one can force him. That is why it is worth thinking about your health, not letting everything take its course and contacting a specialist.
Treatment
If anxiety interferes with your normal life, you need to consult a psychiatrist who will prescribe effective treatment. If this is the initial stage, which has not developed into chronic, simple over-the-counter medications will help and can eliminate the symptoms:
- Persen is indispensable for sleep disorders and anxiety. Take the drug 1 tablet three times a day, and the duration of the course is prescribed by the doctor, guided by the individual characteristics of the patient;
- Novo-passit is similar in action to the first medicine. Take 2 or 3 tablets the same number of times a day, and the course of treatment is no more than 6-8 weeks;
- Valerian tablets - a course of two to three weeks, dosage regimen - two tablets every day.
In more severe cases, antidepressants are prescribed, but these are also mild.
Along with medications, cognitive behavioral therapy is used to treat anxiety. This version of psychotherapy has proven its effectiveness in practice.
The patient, with the help of a specialist, “pulls out” negative thinking patterns that contribute to anxiety, and puts positive, rational ones in their place.
During the sessions, anxiety is recreated, frightening situations are played out again, but under the supervision of a psychotherapist, the person learns to control them.
