Anxiety Disorders

Anxiety is a very common emotion. In healthy individuals, it generally has a positive impact. However, when such emotions interfere with normal functioning, they may result from anxiety disorder. The anxiety disorders represent a heterogeneous group of diseases of variable etiology. While their effects can be quite devastating, these conditions do respond well to several treatment approaches. In fact, anxiety disorder therapies are probably the most effective of the psychiatric treatment options. Despite this fact though, the need persists for longterm anxiety disorder research.

A complex emotion, anxiety is ubiquitous among human beings. Basically, it involves feelings of apprehension or nervousness which often focus on some future event. Adaptive anxiety serves to increase a person's alertness and vigilance. Such anxiety increases both motivation and physiological responsiveness. This helps people anticipate, prepare for, and, possibly, avoid harmful situations.

Subdivided into its component parts, anxiety may be found to have cognitive, physiological, and behavioral dimensions. Common cognitive symptoms include psychic distress or dread. In addition, physiologic arousal may be evidenced by increases in heart rate, breathing, and muscular tension. Behavioral signs of anxiety may include pleading for help or attempts to escape (1:65).

In most individuals, these tendencies comprise a normal part of their psychological framework. I

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supported by evidence from family, adoption and twin, and animal studies (1:67). In contrast, psychosocial factors generally relate to a patients' stresses and conflicts. Lastly, behavioral etiologies for anxiety disorders emphasize "conditioned responses that lead to acquisition of symptoms in accordance with classic learning theory" (3:167). In reality, however, all of these factors typically interact to produce symptomatology. Perhaps the most common diagnosis involving anxiety in primary medical care is "adjustment disorder with anxious mood." This condition represents a maladaptive reaction to an identifiable stressor. It can be caused by, for example, a surgical procedure, a diagnostic evaluation, hospitalization, or financial difficulty. Symptoms such as nervousness and worry should begin within 3 months of the inciting event. The condition usually lasts less than 6 months (3:159). Perhaps the moststudied of the anxiety disorders, panic disorder, involves "unexpected recurrent panic attacks, with periods of intense fear that usually last for several minutes" (3:159). These discrete attacks tend to appear spontaneously. Moreover, victims may also develop a generalized anxiety known as anticipatory anxiety. Panic

Category: Psychology - A