Learn the skills to manage your daily life.
Reduce or eliminate your anxiety and depression.
Improve your communication and relationships.
Live with less worry and concern.
Be positive and engaging with people and opportunities.
Create healthy behaviors and improve your wellness.
Move beyond negative and traumatizing experiences.
Get a good night's sleep.
Go beyond surviving to thriving.
Be calmer, more peaceful, and confident.
Be healthier, empowered, and positive.
Start on a positive path to growth and well-being.
Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) is characterized
by persistent, excessive, and unrealistic worry about everyday things.
People with the disorder experience exaggerated worry and tension, often
expecting the worst, even when there is no apparent reason for concern.
They anticipate disaster and are overly concerned about money, health,
family, work, or other issues. GAD is diagnosed when a person worries
excessively about a variety of everyday problems for at least 6 months.
People with GAD experience constant, chronic, and unsubstantiated worry,
often about health, family, money, or work. This worrying goes on every
day, possibly all day. It disrupts social activities and interferes with
work, school, or family.
Physical symptoms of GAD include the following:
- muscle tension
- fatigue
- restlessness
- difficulty sleeping
- irritability
- edginess
Social Phobia (aka Social Anxiety Disorder)
is the extreme fear of being scrutinized and judged by others in
social or performance situations: Social anxiety disorder can wreak
havoc on the lives of those who suffer from it. Symptoms may be so
extreme that they disrupt daily life. People with this disorder may have
few or no social or romantic relationships, making them feel powerless,
alone, or even ashamed. Although they recognize that the fear is
excessive and unreasonable, people with social anxiety disorder feel
powerless against their anxiety. They are terrified they will humiliate
or embarrass themselves. Social Phobia usually begins in childhood or
adolescence, it affects about 15 million people, and a third of
sufferers live with it for about 10 years before seeking help.
Depression is a condition in which a person feels
discouraged, sad, hopeless, unmotivated, or disinterested in life in
general. When these feelings last for a short period of time, it may be
a case of "the blues." But when such feelings last for more than two
weeks and when the feelings interfere with daily activities such as
taking care of family, spending time with friends, or going to work or
school, it's likely a major depressive episode. It is not uncommon
for someone with an anxiety disorder to also suffer from depression or
vice versa. Nearly one-half of those diagnosed with depression are also
diagnosed with an anxiety disorder. The good news is that these
disorders are both treatable, separately and together.
Panic Disorder (often with Agoraphobia) is when
people experience spontaneous, out-of-the-blue panic attacks (also
called anxiety attacks) and are preoccupied with the fear of a recurring
attack. Panic attacks occur unexpectedly, sometimes even during sleep. A
panic attack is the abrupt onset of intense fear or discomfort that
reaches a peak within minutes and includes at least four of the
following symptoms:
- Palpitations, pounding heart, or accelerated heart rate
- Sweating
- Trembling or shaking
- Sensations of shortness of breath or smothering
- Feelings of choking
- Chest pain or discomfort
- Nausea or abdominal distress
- Feeling dizzy, unsteady, light-headed, or faint
- Chills or heat sensations
- Paresthesia (numbness or tingling sensations)
- Derealization (feelings of unreality) or depersonalization (being detached from oneself)
- Fear of losing control or “going crazy”
- Fear of dyingand are preoccupied with the fear of a recurring attack.
Agoraphobia is typically when people stop going into
situations or places in which they've previously had a panic attack in
anticipation of it happening again. They avoid public places where
they feel immediate escape might be difficult, such as shopping malls,
public transportation, or large sports arenas. About one in three people
with panic disorder develops agoraphobia. Their world may become smaller
as they are constantly on guard, waiting for the next panic attack. Some
people develop a fixed route or territory, and it may become impossible
for them to travel beyond their safety zones without suffering severe
anxiety.
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is
when people who have experienced traumatic events have flashbacks,
nightmares, or intrusive memories after something terrible happens in
their lives. PTSD is a serious, potentially debilitating condition that
can occur in people who have experienced or witnessed a natural
disaster, serious accident, terrorist incident, sudden death of a loved
one, war, violent personal assault such as rape, or other
life-threatening events. People with PTSD often continue to be severely
depressed and anxious for months or even years following the
event. Women are twice as likely to develop posttraumatic stress
disorder as men, and children can also develop it. PTSD often occurs
with depression, substance abuse, or other anxiety disorders.
Specific Phobias are when people experience strong
irrational fear reactions, work hard to avoid common places, situations,
or objects even though they know there's no threat or danger. The fear
may not make any sense, but they feel powerless to stop it. People who
experience these seemingly excessive and unreasonable fears in the
presence of or in anticipation of a specific object, place, or situation
have a specific phobia. Having phobias can disrupt daily routines, limit
work efficiency, reduce self-esteem, and place a strain on relationships
because people will do whatever they can to avoid the uncomfortable and
often-terrifying feelings of phobic anxiety. While some phobias develop
in childhood, most seem to arise unexpectedly, usually during
adolescence or early adulthood. Their onset is usually sudden, and they
may occur in situations that previously did not cause any discomfort or
anxiety. Specific phobias commonly focus on animals, insects, germs,
heights, thunder, driving, public transportation, flying, dental or
medical procedures, and elevators. Although people with phobias realize
that their fear is irrational, even thinking about it can often cause
extreme anxiety.
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is when children
and adults suffer from unwanted and intrusive thoughts that they can't
seem to get out of their heads (obsessions), often compelling them to
repeatedly perform ritualistic behaviors and routines (compulsions) to
try and ease their anxiety. Most people who have OCD are aware that
their obsessions and compulsions are irrational, yet they feel powerless
to stop them. Some spend hours at a time performing complicated rituals
involving hand-washing, counting, or checking to ward off persistent,
unwelcome thoughts, feelings, or images. These can interfere with a
person's normal routine, schoolwork, job, family, or social activities.
Several hours every day may be spent focusing on obsessive thoughts and
performing seemingly senseless rituals. Trying to concentrate on daily
activities may be difficult. Symptoms of OCD may include:
Obsessions — unwanted intrusive thoughts
- Constant, irrational worry about dirt, germs, or contamination.
- Excessive concern with order, arrangement, or symmetry.
- Fear that negative or aggressive thoughts or impulses will cause personal harm or harm to a loved one.
- Preoccupation with losing or throwing away objects with little or no value.
- Excessive concern about accidentally or purposefully injuring another person.
- Feeling overly responsible for the safety of others.
- Distasteful religious and sexual thoughts or images.
- Doubting that is irrational or excessive.
Compulsions — ritualistic behaviors and
routines to ease anxiety or distress
- Cleaning — Repeatedly washing one’s hands, bathing, or cleaning household items, often for hours at a time.
- Checking — Checking and re-checking several to hundreds of times a day that the doors are locked, the stove is turned off, the hairdryer is unplugged, etc.
- Repeating — Inability to stop repeating a name, phrase, or simple activity (such as going through a doorway over and over).
- Hoarding — Difficulty throwing away useless items such as old newspapers or magazines, bottle caps, or rubber bands.
- Touching and arranging
- Mental rituals — Endless reviewing of conversations, counting; repetitively calling up “good” thoughts to neutralize “bad” thoughts or obsessions; or excessive praying and using special words or phrases to neutralize obsessions.
Sourced from Anxiety and Depression Association of America:
http://www.adaa.org