Anxiety Disorders
Anxiety is a normal reaction to a threatening situation and results from an increase in the amount of adrenaline from the sympathetic nervous system. This increased adrenaline speeds the heart and respiration rate, raises blood pressure, and diverts blood flow to the muscles. These physical reactions are appropriate for escaping from danger but when they cause anxiety in many situations throughout the day, they may be detrimental to a normal lifestyle.
An anxiety disorder is a disorder where feelings of fear, apprehension, or anxiety are disruptive or cause distortions in behavior, (Coon, 526); they are psychiatric illnesses that are not useful for normal functioning. At times, an ...
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unpredictable attacks of severe anxiety with symptoms not related to any particular situation. (Hale, 1886). The person experiencing the attack may not be aware of the cause. Symptoms include four or more of the following: pounding heart, difficulty breathing, dizziness, chest pain, shaking, sweating, choking, nausea, depersonalization, numbness, fear of dying, flushes, fear of going crazy.
Heredity, metabolic factors, hyperventilation, and psychological factors may contribute to anxiety causing panic attacks. (Hale, 1886)
Panic disorder tends to run in families with first degree relatives of patients having four to seven times greater risk than the general population.
Metabolically, the levels of three neurotransmitters, nor-epinephrine, gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), and serotonin, may play a role in anxiety. These neurotransmitters act as signals between brain cells. Drugs that change the levels of these neurotransmitters are useful in the treatment of ...
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Anxiety Disorders. (2007, April 24). Retrieved November 20, 2024, from http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Anxiety-Disorders/63852
"Anxiety Disorders." Essayworld.com. Essayworld.com, 24 Apr. 2007. Web. 20 Nov. 2024. <http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Anxiety-Disorders/63852>
"Anxiety Disorders." Essayworld.com. April 24, 2007. Accessed November 20, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Anxiety-Disorders/63852.
"Anxiety Disorders." Essayworld.com. April 24, 2007. Accessed November 20, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Anxiety-Disorders/63852.
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