What is anxiety?
Anxiety is a common human experience characterized by feelings of worry, nervousness, fear, and apprehension. It is a normal reaction to stressful or dangerous situations, but sometimes anxiety can become excessive, persistent, and out of proportion to the actual threat.
Anxiety disorders are the most common mental illnesses in the U.S., affecting over 40 million adults. There are several different types of anxiety disorders:
- Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) involves chronic, exaggerated worrying about everyday issues. People with GAD may have both physical and psychological symptoms like restlessness, fatigue, muscle tension, and difficulty concentrating.
- Social anxiety disorder causes intense fear of social situations due to concern about embarrassment or judgment. People with social anxiety may avoid social events and public speaking.
- Panic disorder involves sudden, unexpected panic attacks featuring symptoms like rapid heartbeat, shortness of breath, dizziness, and terror. People with panic disorder live in fear of another attack.
- Phobias are intense, irrational fears triggered by specific objects or situations like heights (acrophobia), flying (aerophobia), and enclosed spaces (claustrophobia). Phobias cause people to avoid their feared object.
- OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder) causes upsetting, uncontrollable thoughts (obsessions) and behaviors (compulsions) done to try to control anxiety. For example, obsessive fears about germs triggering repetitive hand-washing.
If you struggle with anxiety, know that you're not alone and help is available. Consider contacting the knowledgeable doctors at Prime Hormone Solutions, who can provide customized hormone therapy to help regulate anxiety levels. With an integrative treatment approach, most people with anxiety see great improvement. Don't lose hope!
What has your experience with anxiety been? Do you have any tips for managing anxiety symptoms effectively? Let's have an open discussion in the comments!