An anxiety disorder is a mental health condition that goes beyond the usual worries of everyday life, causing overwhelming feelings of anxiety, fear, and terror.
Feeling anxious is an uncomfortable but normal reaction to stress, especially in challenging situations that you may face daily. While it is common to experience mild anxiety, intense and prolonged anxiety may indicate an anxiety disorder.
For those dealing with an anxiety disorder, the persistent anxious feelings don't go away over time. Instead, they worsen and start affecting their daily functioning.
Anxiety disorders can disrupt work, social life, and relationships, causing significant distress. In severe cases, they can also lead to panic attacks. Additionally, physical symptoms that accompany anxiety can complicate matters further.
At Kimball Health Services, we recognize the complex nature of anxiety and provide personalized support to help you navigate through the complexities of anxiety disorders.
Anxiety manifests in various types of disorders and conditions. Understanding these variations is crucial for identifying the specific challenges that come with the particular anxiety disorder.
A common anxiety disorder, GAD, involves excessive and constant anxiety and worry about various aspects of daily life. This continuous worry gives rise to physical symptoms like disrupted sleep, tense muscles, concentration problems, and restlessness.
Panic disorder may appear after prolonged stress and involves unexpected and frequent panic attacks. These are typically marked by intense fear, discomfort, and a sense of losing control. Physical symptoms can include a racing heart, sweating, trembling, and chest pain.
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a common anxiety disorder. It is a more complex condition than the stereotypical portrayal of needing cleanliness or order often depicted in popular culture.
OCD is a specific and serious condition that can significantly impact your everyday life. It involves experiencing unreasonable thoughts, fears, or worries, which people attempt to manage through rituals.
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental health condition that can develop after experiencing or witnessing a severely traumatic event. PTSD can manifest in symptoms like nightmares, insomnia, flashbacks, and severe anxiety.
If you're dealing with PTSD, you might find yourself struggling with intense intrusive thoughts and emotions connected to the traumatic event.
A phobia includes intense fear and aversion to specific objects or situations, leading to avoidance. Phobia-related disorders include:
Specific Phobias: When you have a phobia of a particular thing, you will experience an excessive and irrational amount of fear than the real danger. Some specific phobias include fear of:
People afflicted by phobias will typically go to extreme lengths to avoid the feared object.
Social Anxiety Disorder: Also known as social phobia, social anxiety disorder involves intense fear of being judged, criticized, or humiliated in social situations. It can lead people to avoid such scenarios actively.
In severe cases, it can lead to difficulty in forming social relations.
Agoraphobia: It involves a fear of situations where help is not readily available and escape might be difficult. Agoraphobia can severely limit your ability to sustain social connections and engage in daily activities.
Anxiety and excessive fear of being separated from attachment figures, like parents or caregivers, can lead to separation anxiety. While some degree of separation anxiety is typical in young children, this disorder involves extreme distress and disruption in daily functioning. It can also impact adults, causing challenges in relationships and daily activities.
While they may share some commonalities, each type of anxiety disorder has unique triggers, features, and symptoms. At Kimball Health Services, we acknowledge these variations and can guide you to understand your specific type of condition.
While anxiety disorders come in various forms, their shared symptoms may include:
Anxiety can arise from various factors beyond typical stress. The exact causes of anxiety disorders remain unclear, but a combination of factors can contribute to their development.
Some factors that can potentially induce anxiety disorder include:
Anxiety disorders are diagnosed by a psychiatrist, psychologist, or mental health specialist with expertise in mental health conditions. At Kimball Health Services, our team of professionals can support you with a comprehensive diagnostic process for your condition.
The diagnosis process relies on comprehensive evaluations by trained professionals following the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) criteria from the American Psychiatric Association.
A targeted interview with assessment questions is usually conducted to identify the disorder. The assessment focuses on your symptoms, their severity, and duration. Additionally, they will explore how these symptoms impact your daily life.
Treatment for anxiety disorders can involve psychotherapy and medications, or sometimes a combination of both. Our mental health professional will guide you toward the right treatment plan based on your symptoms and needs.
Also known as talk therapy, psychotherapy involves a collaborative approach with a therapist to address the emotional aspects of the condition. The therapist actively listens to your thoughts and feelings and offers guidance to understand and manage both your emotions and anxiety disorder.
You can also take medications to alleviate your symptoms and regain control over your life. Prescribed medications can include:
At Kimball Health Services, we work with you to understand your unique anxiety profile and create a personalized treatment plan that suits your needs.
In case of an emergency, call 911 or walk into our emergency department anytime. For appointments, call ahead or fill out our online form. We're here for you whenever you need us.
