Anxiety Disorders Research Paper Sample

Anxiety Disorders
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Anxiety Disorders
Anxiety disorders are a group of mental disorders characterized by constant overwhelming apprehension and fear. Unlike the usual temporary anxiety, people with anxiety disorders are incessantly worried and their nervousness often affects their ability to function in social and occupational interactions. There are several types of anxiety disorders but they are generally classified into generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, and phobia-related disorders which include specific phobias, social anxiety disorder, agoraphobia, and separation anxiety disorder.
Generalized anxiety disorder includes incessant and excessive worrying about events or activities, even those that are mundane and routine. Panic disorder entails recurrent episodes of intense disquiet or terror often accompanied by feelings of imminent doom. Social anxiety disorder involves extreme levels of anxiety and avoidance of social situations owing to feelings of self-consciousness, embarrassment or the worry about being viewed negatively by others. Separation anxiety disorder is characterized by anxiety upon separation from persons who assume parental roles. People with agoraphobia have an intense horror of public transportation, being in open spaces, staying in closed spaces, standing in a crowd, or being outside of their homes alone. There are numerous other anxieties or phobias that fail to meet the precise criteria for the mentioned anxiety disorders but are significant enough to affect the person’s quality of life.
Anxiety disorders are the most prevalent mental health conditions in the country and up to 30% of adults are affected by the illnesses at some point in their lives. The mental illnesses tend to start in childhood, adolescence, or early adulthood. While symptoms vary depending on the type of anxiety disorder, the most common anxiety symptoms are feelings of nervousness or tenseness, increased heart rate, trembling, feelings of imminent danger or doom, rapid breathing, weakness or tiredness, trouble focusing or thinking about anything except the present concern, insomnia, gastrointestinal problems, avoiding things that trigger anxiety, and difficulty managing worry CITATION Cle20 \l 1033 (Cleveland Clinic, 2020). The causes of anxiety disorders are yet to be understood but the mental illnesses have been tied to genetic and environmental factors such as temperamental behaviors of timidity or behavioral inhibition, as well as, exposure to traumatic and negative environmental events in childhood. Other risk factors are a history of fretfulness or other mental disorders in biological relatives and certain physical health conditions such as heart arrhythmias, thyroid problems, or substances/medications use.
Depending on the type and severity of the anxiety disorder, the patient is usually treated using psychotherapy, medication, or both. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is the most employed type of psychotherapy and patients are taught new ways of identifying and neutralizing distorted thoughts in addition to new ways of confronting their underlying fears CITATION Wel99 \l 1033 (Wells, 1999). The most common classes of medications used to treat anxiety disorders include anti-anxiety drugs like benzodiazepine or buspirone, beta-blockers, and antidepressants. These medications only help to relieve anxiety disorder symptoms and new ways of thinking as well as stress management techniques are critical to addressing the mental illnesses.
Anxiety disorders have significant societal implications on the affected individual especially in social or performance situations. Unlike normal shyness, anxiety disorders interfere with most areas of life and undermine the affected person’s overall quality of life. For instance, social anxiety disorder results in significant functional impairment in numerous life domains like family life, social and professional relationships, and academic as well as professional performance. In several ways, anxiety disorders affect one’s occupational functioning and persons with the mental illnesses often turn down employment opportunities or promotions as a consequence of their social fears. Because they are unable to assert themselves in the workplace setting, they may also be passed up for promotion or leadership roles. Persons with anxiety disorder report impaired work productivity over and above increased absences and intentions of quitting. Their diminished professional abilities often result in reduced income, financial dependence, and unemployment CITATION Lin07 \l 1033 (Linden & Muschalla, 2007). Anxiety disorders have also been associated with chronic unemployment, lower educational attainment and income, as well as reduced prospects of successful return to work.
Because their social life is impaired, people with social anxiety disorders have difficulty maintaining or developing new relationships and are consequently lonely. They are also less likely to marry or even have children, and are more likely to divorce. Social fears interfere with a wide range of mundane and routine activities such as shopping, getting a haircut, using the telephone, and other everyday activities that involve interacting with ...