Anxiety
Featured Article
Some degree of anxiety is perfectly normal. We all experience situations that make us fearful and apprehensious. However, there are some people who feel anxious even when there is no discernible cause. In these cases, the anxiety usually becomes overwhelming and may interfere with day to day functioning.
Getting Help For Your Fear, Bipolar, And Anxiety Problems
It is not easy to deal with your fears, bipolar, or anxiety problems. The first step is that you should talk to a professional who can get you started in the right path of getting better. Getting help from a counselor or other professional is very important and can provide you much help and insights in dealing with your current problem.
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Managing your Specific Phobias and Panic Attacks
Overcoming your phobias can sometimes be difficult. One of the ways to manage your particular phobia is to find out what exactly is your fear. If you have trouble finding out what that fear may be, then try to talk to a professional who can help you figure out what the fear may be. Once you know what the fear is, then the next step is to find the ways to deal with that fear.
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Kava Kava as a Treatment for Anxiety
Kava Kava is a member of the pepper family which grows as a bush in the South Pacific. Captain James Cook first discovered kava, and gave the plant the botanical name which means intoxicating pepper. Kava has been used for thousands of years for its medicinal effects as a sedative, muscle relaxant, diuretic, and a remedy for nervousness and insomnia. Kava has also found to be a very effective pain reliever comparable to aspirin, acetaminophen and ibuprofen.
Panic Disorder: The Heart That Goes Thump in the Night – and Day
More than a million Americans suffer from panic disorder, according to a statement issued by a panel of experts at a National Institutes of Health (NIH) consensus development conference. It is not a new phenomenon; among its many past rubrics it has been known as “housewife’s disease” and “soldier’s heart. For most, the attacks begin in the middle teens or early adult years, but they can start at any age.
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Escaping the Prison of a Past Trauma: New Treatment for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
In a given year, more than 10 million Americans (about 4 percent) will experience the life-disrupting symptoms of PTSD, which was first widely recognized during World War I and known as “shell shock” or “battle fatigue.” Like combat horrors, other “manmade” tragedies such as criminal assaults or sexual attacks can provoke PTSD symptoms, as can a fire, earthquake, or other natural disaster. Accidents–car and airplane crashes, for example–are also common precipitators of PTSD.
Social Phobia’s Traumas and Treatments
Social phobia is far different from the run-of-the-mill nervousness associated with stressful situations. It’s the intensity of the fear that distinguishes the condition from the almost inevitable butterflies that most people feel when they are about to give a speech or go to an interview or even a party. When people with social phobia perceive that others will judge their “performance” in a certain situation, their bodies undergo physical changes, which typically include profuse sweating, rapid heartbeat, shortness of breath, faintness, and blushing.
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Anxiety Disorders: Treatments Work
Anxiety disorders like panic disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder are more common than most people realize. Over 19 million adults in America suffer from these chronic conditions, which can seriously interfere with work and personal relationships. Dr. Dennis Charney, director of the Mood and Anxiety Disorders Program at the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) wants you to know that there are effective ways to treat these conditions. “Treatment works as well as, if not better than, most treatments for other serious medical disorders,” he says.
Anxiety and Stress Found to Promote Cocaine Use in Rats
Although cocaine users typically report that the drug enhances their feelings of well-being and reduces anxiety, cocaine also is known to bring on panic attacks in some individuals. What’s more, studies have shown that long-term cocaine use leads to increased anxiety. Severe anxiety, along with restlessness and agitation, is also among the major symptoms of cocaine withdrawal.
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Alcohol Researchers Relate a Genetic Factor to Anxiety in Women
Researchers have identified a genetic factor that appears to influence anxiety in women. Combining DNA analysis, recordings of brain activity, and psychological tests, investigators at the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) found that Caucasian and American Indian women with the same gene variant had similarly high scores on tests that measure anxiety. These women also had similar electroencephelograms (EEG) — recordings of brain electrical activity as unique as an individual’s fingerprints — that showed characteristics of anxious temperament, further strengthening the association of this shared genetic factor with anxiety.
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Understanding Anxiety Disorders
Anxiety disorders are the most commonly diagnosed of all psychiatric conditions. Both children and adults are susceptible to these conditions. In the US, approximately 19 million adults suffer from some type of anxiety disorder. These conditions affect people�s lives on a daily basis, restricting their ability to work, relax, eat, and even sleep. Anxiety disorders are chronic, relentless, and they can grow progressively worse if not treated. Here�s a closer look at some common anxiety disorders such as generalized anxiety disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, panic disorder, phobias, post traumatic stress disorder, and social anxiety disorder.