Signs and Symptoms of Anxiety Disorders

Table of Content

• 9 Common Signs of Anxiety Disorders

• 6 Primary Symptoms of Anxiety Disorders

• When to consult a doctor for Anxiety

Introduction

• Most of you might have experienced occasional anxiety at some point in your life which is normal. Anxiety is a normal response to our stressful life that we have each day, like having financial troubles, health issues, relationship issues, and more. People with anxiety disorders get stressed more than average as they face intense, persistent, and extensive worry and fear for facing the situations going on in their lives. 

• Although we would like to say that it's normal to have anxiety at some point in life or other, excess of anything could be harmful. You will not realize but these feelings of anxiety and panic would interfere with your daily life events. You will find it hard to do anything properly and start avoiding places, situations, and peoples to get out of those feelings. 

• Let's talk about a few common signs and symptoms of anxiety disorders in this article, as it is crucial to know when you'll need to consult a doctor. Sometimes, it can be debilitating but can be managed through proper treatment performed by a psychiatrist. 

9 Common Signs of Anxiety Disorders 

1. Excessive Worrying 

• This  is the commonest symptom of anxiety disorder. In anxiety disorder, worrying becomes disproportionate towards those events that trigger its cause, typically in various everyday situations. If we talk about generalized anxiety disorder signs, excessive worrying will start most of the typical days almost six months later, making it difficult to control.

•  If you experience an anxiety disorder, the worrying will become severe and intrusive, making it difficult to concentrate on various events. It would be challenging to accomplish your daily tasks. Those above the age of 65, primarily single, not much socially active, and the ones having much-stressed life seem to have higher risks of anxiety disorders. 

2. Feeling Anxious 

• An uneasy feeling for someone can cause a severe issue of their health as some parts of their sympathetic nervous system goes into overdrive. This triggers various effects like sweaty palms, shaky hands, dry mouth, racing pulse, and many more symptoms throughout the body. The cause of these symptoms is because your brain senses unnecessary danger and tries to prepare your body to react to it. 

• If you need to run or fight against the danger, your body automatically shunts blood away from your digestive system. Though these effects could help you with any actual dangerous incident, they can deliberately affect your health if fear is all in your head. Researchers claimed that people facing anxiety disorders could not reduce their excitability than those who are not having any such conditions, which gradually means the feeling of anxiety will remain long-term. 

3. Feeling Restless 

• A restless feeling is one of the most common anxiety disorders experienced chiefly by teenagers and children. Whenever someone faces this unsettled feeling, they probably explain it as feeling “on edge" or have an uncomfortable feeling and urge to move. 

• A study report found that out of 124 children, 74% described their anxiety as restlessness which seems to be their main symptom of anxiety disorder. However, we cannot say that people experiencing anxiety disorders will feel stress, but doctors would look at it as a red flag while making a diagnosis. If you have restlessness for more than six months, you must understand that it symbolizes anxiety disorder. 

4. Facing Difficulties in concentrating 

• It is reported that people having anxiety disorders feel difficulty concentrating. A study claimed that out of 157 children and teens facing anxiety disorders claimed to have trouble concentrating. Also, another report of children was noted that their concentration got worse when their anxiety was on a higher level.

• Some studies also reported that this disorder could interrupt your working memory, responsible for holding all the basic and short-term information. People in periods of high anxiety often experience dramatic degradation of their performance on various platforms. There could be many other possible reasons for facing difficulty concentrating, like depression or an attention deficit disorder.

5. Fatigue 

• If you are becoming easily fatigued, you must consider it a potential sign of anxiety disorders. Some of you might be surprised to find this symptom under this category, as it is not unknown that anxiety is linked with hyperactivity and excitement. Although some would experience fatigue as anxiety attacks, there are few for whom fatigue could be chronic. 

• Whether fatigue is due to some other symptoms of anxiety or not remained unclear. Other symptoms of stress that can trigger fatigue include muscle tension or insomnia, but it is also possible that the reason could be related to hormonal effects. It is crucial to be noted that fatigue alone cannot diagnose an anxiety disorder, so it might be a sign of depression or other medical conditions. 

6. Feeling Irritated 

• Excessive irritability is also one of the common symptoms faced by many people experiencing anxiety disorders. Although people get irritated most of the time, you must know when you feel exhausted and annoyed simultaneously without any proper reason to know your anxiety disorder better. 

• This irritating feeling is experienced chiefly by young or middle-aged adults having anxiety disorders who share more than twice uncomfortable feelings in their day-to-day lives. It is not surprising to find it a common symptom as anxiety is associated with excessive worrying and agitation. 

7. Trouble sleeping 

• One of the main symptoms of anxiety disorder is having sleep disturbances. The two most commonly reported problems are waking up in the middle of the night and facing trouble falling asleep again. From several reports, we can conclude that having insomnia during childhood could develop anxiety disorder later in their lives.

• It is known that anxiety and insomnia are firmly linked, but we can't say which contributes to the latter. It is often seen that while treating anxiety, insomnia constantly gets improved so it can be treated more frequently at an early state. 

8. Tensed Muscles

• You can know you are triggered with an anxiety disorder when you have tensed muscles most of the days in a week, which is a frequent symptom. Although having tensed muscles might be an everyday thing, it is still unknown why it is associated with anxiety disorder. 

• We can also conclude that muscle stiffness can trigger the feeling of anxiety. Still, it is not impossible that increased muscle stiffness could be due to pressure or any other factor. You might know that treating muscle tension with muscle relaxation therapy helps many those experiencing anxiety disorders. 

9. Getting Panic attacks

• It is unknown that out of several anxiety disorders, one is a panic disorder associated with getting panic attacks more often. If you ever feel an intense, overwhelming fear sensation, you must know that you are getting panic attacks due to anxiety. 

• The sensation of fear often tends to cause rapid heartbeat, nausea, shaking, sweating, shortness of breath, and more. It can also create a fear of dying or losing self-control. Though panic attacks could happen in isolation, it might be a sign of panic disorder if it becomes frequent. 

6 Primary Symptoms of Anxiety Disorders

1. Those who have anxiety disorders tend to have nervous or restless feelings more often and remain tense most of the time.

2. They often sense danger, panic, or doom.

3. If you are facing anxiety disorders, then your heart rate gradually increases.

4. You tend to sweat, tremble, or feel weak and tired.

5. You’ll feel difficulty controlling worry.

6. You might also have hair loss, dizziness, or even faintness if you experience an anxiety disorder. 

When to consult a doctor for Anxiety

Anxiety disorders exist in several types, and it is vital to know which type you are facing. You need to consult a specialist if you have the following things:

• When you are too fearful, worried, or anxious about something that makes you depressed, it seems complicated to control your feelings. 

• When you feel depressed and start drinking alcohol or have trouble with drug use, you can feel your mental health get retarded due to anxiety.

• Whenever you feel any such symptoms, you must know that your anxiety is linked to your physical health problems.

• Suicidal thoughts are one of the most important reasons to consult a doctor. Whenever you have suicidal thoughts or behaviors, get emergency treatment. 

You need to consult licensed psychologists or psychiatrists who are professionally trained to treat such disorders in various possible ways. No matter how long you are getting those symptoms, as mentioned above, if you feel like your lifestyle is being affected by this disorder, you must seek professional help. 

Word of Wisdom

You can see through this article that anxiety disorders can have a variety of symptoms. The most common one is the worry that causes disruptions in your daily functioning. No matter what type of anxiety disorder you are facing, you can find natural solutions for each of them. A healthy lifestyle is what matters, and seek help only from professional experts. 

References

• Annals of Internal Medicine

• National Institute of Mental Health