Anxiety disorders involve a state of distressing chronic but fluctuating nervousness that is inappropriately severe for the person's circumstances.
Anxiety disorders are more common than any other category of mental health disorder and are believed to affect about 15% of adults in the United States. However, anxiety disorders often are not recognized by people who have them or by health care practitioners and consequently are seldom treated.
How Anxiety Affects PerformanceThe effects of anxiety on performance can be shown on a curve. As the level of anxietyincreases, performance efficiency increases proportionately, but only up to a point. As anxietyincreases further, performance efficiency decreases. Before the peak of the curve, anxiety is considered adaptive because it helps people prepare for a crisis and improve their functioning. Beyond the peak of the curve, anxiety is considered maladaptive because it produces distress and impairs functioning.
CausesThe causes of anxiety disorders are not fully known, but genetic factors (including a family history), environment (such as experiencing a traumatic event or stress), psychologic make-up, and physical condition may be involved. Ananxiety disorder can be triggered by environmental stresses, such as the breakup of a significant relationship or exposure to a life-threatening disaster. When a person's response to stresses is inappropriate or a person is overwhelmed by events, an anxiety disorder can arise. For example, some people find speaking before a group exhilarating. But others dread it, becoming anxious with symptoms such as sweating, fear, a rapid heart rate, and tremor. Such people may avoid speaking even in a small group.
Anxiety may also be caused by a physical disorder or the use of a drug . For example, an overactive thyroid or adrenal gland can causeanxiety, as can a hormone-secreting tumor called a pheochromocytoma. Drugs that can causeanxiety include corticosteroids, cocaine, amphetamines, ephedrine, and sometimes caffeine if too much is consumed. Withdrawal from alcohol or certain sedatives can also cause symptoms of an anxiety disorder. In older people, dementia may be the most common cause ofanxiety.
Anxiety tends to run in families. Doctors think some of this tendency may be inherited, but some is probably learned by living with anxious people.
Did You Know...
Anxiety disorders can be so distressing and interfere so much with a person's life that they can lead to depression . People who have an anxiety disorder (except for certain very specific phobias, such as fear of spiders) are at least twice as likely to have depression as those without ananxiety disorder. Usually, the anxiety disorder develops before depression.
DiagnosisThe diagnosis of an anxiety disorder is based largely on symptoms. The ability to tolerate anxietyvaries, and determining what constitutes abnormal anxiety can be difficult. Doctors usually use specific established criteria, based mainly on symptoms and exclusion of other causes of symptoms.
Doctors ask whether family members have had similar symptoms. A family history of an anxietydisorder (except posttraumatic stress disorder, which results from a specific event) may help doctors make the diagnosis. Doctors also do a physical examination. Blood and other tests may be done to check for disorders that can cause anxiety.
TreatmentAccurate diagnosis is important because treatment varies from one anxiety disorder to another. Additionally, anxiety disorders must be distinguished from anxiety that occurs in many other mental health disorders, which involve different treatment approaches. Depending on the anxiety disorder, drug therapy or psychotherapy (such as behavioral therapy), alone or in combination, can significantly relieve the distress and dysfunction for most people.
- Anxiety disorders can make people sweat, feel short of breath or dizzy, have a rapid heartbeat, tremble, and avoid certain situations.
- These disorders are usually diagnosed using specific established criteria.
- Drugs, psychotherapy, or both can substantially help most people.
Anxiety disorders are more common than any other category of mental health disorder and are believed to affect about 15% of adults in the United States. However, anxiety disorders often are not recognized by people who have them or by health care practitioners and consequently are seldom treated.
How Anxiety Affects PerformanceThe effects of anxiety on performance can be shown on a curve. As the level of anxietyincreases, performance efficiency increases proportionately, but only up to a point. As anxietyincreases further, performance efficiency decreases. Before the peak of the curve, anxiety is considered adaptive because it helps people prepare for a crisis and improve their functioning. Beyond the peak of the curve, anxiety is considered maladaptive because it produces distress and impairs functioning.
CausesThe causes of anxiety disorders are not fully known, but genetic factors (including a family history), environment (such as experiencing a traumatic event or stress), psychologic make-up, and physical condition may be involved. Ananxiety disorder can be triggered by environmental stresses, such as the breakup of a significant relationship or exposure to a life-threatening disaster. When a person's response to stresses is inappropriate or a person is overwhelmed by events, an anxiety disorder can arise. For example, some people find speaking before a group exhilarating. But others dread it, becoming anxious with symptoms such as sweating, fear, a rapid heart rate, and tremor. Such people may avoid speaking even in a small group.
Anxiety may also be caused by a physical disorder or the use of a drug . For example, an overactive thyroid or adrenal gland can causeanxiety, as can a hormone-secreting tumor called a pheochromocytoma. Drugs that can causeanxiety include corticosteroids, cocaine, amphetamines, ephedrine, and sometimes caffeine if too much is consumed. Withdrawal from alcohol or certain sedatives can also cause symptoms of an anxiety disorder. In older people, dementia may be the most common cause ofanxiety.
Anxiety tends to run in families. Doctors think some of this tendency may be inherited, but some is probably learned by living with anxious people.
Did You Know...
- Anxiety disorders are the most common type of mental health disorder.
- People with an anxiety disorder are more likely than other people to have depression.
Anxiety disorders can be so distressing and interfere so much with a person's life that they can lead to depression . People who have an anxiety disorder (except for certain very specific phobias, such as fear of spiders) are at least twice as likely to have depression as those without ananxiety disorder. Usually, the anxiety disorder develops before depression.
DiagnosisThe diagnosis of an anxiety disorder is based largely on symptoms. The ability to tolerate anxietyvaries, and determining what constitutes abnormal anxiety can be difficult. Doctors usually use specific established criteria, based mainly on symptoms and exclusion of other causes of symptoms.
Doctors ask whether family members have had similar symptoms. A family history of an anxietydisorder (except posttraumatic stress disorder, which results from a specific event) may help doctors make the diagnosis. Doctors also do a physical examination. Blood and other tests may be done to check for disorders that can cause anxiety.
TreatmentAccurate diagnosis is important because treatment varies from one anxiety disorder to another. Additionally, anxiety disorders must be distinguished from anxiety that occurs in many other mental health disorders, which involve different treatment approaches. Depending on the anxiety disorder, drug therapy or psychotherapy (such as behavioral therapy), alone or in combination, can significantly relieve the distress and dysfunction for most people.