Read below to learn about generalized anxiety
disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, post-traumatic stress
disorder, and the various opportunities for treatment.
• Generalized
Anxiety Disorder
Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) characterizes
individuals who worry excessively about many aspects of their life to the point
where worrying disrupts their daily life. While all of us worry about subjects
such as money, health, or family issues, individuals with GAD may find
themselves feeling dreadfully anxious about matters that most individuals feel
no reason to worry about. This excessive amount of anxiety and concern
sometimes keeps individuals with GAD from completing every day tasks.
Signs & Symptoms of GAD
• Unable
discard concerns, even when the individual understands that their anxiety is
more intense than the situation warrants.
• Unable to
relax and startle easily
• Difficulty
concentrating.
• Trouble
falling asleep or staying asleep.
• Physical
symptoms that often complement the anxiety include: headaches, muscle tension,
muscle aches fatigue, difficulty swallowing, twitching, trembling,
irritability, lightheadedness, sweating, nausea, hot flashes, having to go to
the bathroom frequently, and feeling out of breath.
• When
anxiety level is mild, individuals with GAD can keep a job and function
socially.
• Difficulty
carrying out the simplest daily activities if anxiety is severe.
GAD develops slowly. It usually begins during teenage years or young
adulthood. Symptoms may get better or worse at different times, and typically are
worse during times of stress.
2. Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD,
ADD)
Attention
deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a fairly common childhood disorder
that can continue through adolescence and adulthood as well. Symptoms may include
difficulty focusing and paying attention, difficulty controlling behavior, and
hyperactivity.
ADHD
contains three subtypes:
•
Predominantly inattentive
The majority of symptoms (six or more) are in the
inattention category and fewer than six symptoms of hyperactivity-impulsivity
are present, although hyperactivity-impulsivity may still be present to some
degree.
Predominantly inattentive individuals are less
likely to act out or have difficulties getting along with others. They may sit
quietly, however they are not paying attention to what is going on around them.
It is important to note that parents and teachers
may not recognize that a child has ADHD because children with this subtype are
less likely to act out or have problems socializing.
•
Predominantly hyperactive-impulsive
Most symptoms (six or more) are in the
hyperactivity-impulsivity categories.
Fewer than six symptoms of inattention are present,
although inattention may still be present to some degree.
•
Combined hyperactive-impulsive and
inattentive
Six or more symptoms of inattention and six or more
symptoms of hyperactivity-impulsivity are present.
Signs & Symptoms
Individuals
who have symptoms of inattention may:
•
Be easily distracted, miss details, forget things,
and frequently switch from one activity to another
•
Have difficulty focusing on one thing
•
Become bored with a task after only a few minutes,
unless they are doing something enjoyable
•
Have difficulty focusing attention on organizing
and completing a task or learning something new
•
Have trouble completing or turning in homework
assignments, often losing things (e.g., pencils, toys, assignments) needed to
complete tasks or activities
•
Not seem to listen when spoken to
•
Daydream, become easily confused, and move slowly
•
Have difficulty processing information as quickly
and accurately as others
•
Struggle to follow instructions.
Individuals
who have symptoms of hyperactivity may:
•
Fidget and squirm in their seats
•
Talk nonstop
•
Dash around, touching or playing with anything and
everything in sight
•
Have trouble sitting still during dinner, school,
and story time
•
Be constantly in motion
•
Have difficulty doing quiet tasks or activities.
Individuals
who have symptoms of impulsivity may:
•
Be very impatient
•
Blurt out inappropriate comments, show their
emotions without restraint, and act without regard for consequences
•
Have difficulty waiting for things they want or
waiting their turns in games
•
Often interrupt conversations or others'
activities.
3. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
It’s natural to feel afraid when we are in danger. This fear
instantaneously triggers physiological changes in the body to either fight the
danger or avoid it. This “fight-or-flight” response is a healthy reaction
intended to protect you from harm. However, in post-traumatic stress disorder
(PTSD), the “fight-or-flight” reaction is changed or damaged. Individuals with
PTSD may feel stressed, anxious, or frightened even when they’re no longer in
danger.
PTSD often arises after undergoing a traumatic experience where the
individual felt they were in danger physically and/or psychologically. The
person who develops PTSD may have been the individual who was harmed, the harm
may have happened to a loved one, or the person may have witnessed a traumatic
event that happened to loved ones or strangers.
Signs & Symptoms
PTSD
symptoms are grouped into three categories:
1.
Re-experiencing symptoms
•
Flashbacks—reliving the trauma over and over,
including physiological such as sweating or a racing heart.
•
Frightening thoughts.
•
Upsetting dreams.
2.
Avoidance symptoms
•
Avoiding places, events, or objects that are
reminders of the experience
•
Feeling emotionally numb
•
Feeling strong worry, guilt, or depression
•
Losing interest in activities that were enjoyable
in the past
•
Memory loss of the traumatic event
3.
Hyper-arousal symptoms
•
Feeling tense or “on edge”
•
Being easily startled
•
Difficulty sleeping, and/or having angry outbursts.
Children
may react differently than adults
Symptoms
of PTSD in very young children can include:
•
Forgetting how or being unable to talk
•
Bedwetting
•
Acting out the scary event during playtime
•
Acting unusually clingy towards a parent or other
adult.
TREATMENTS
The methods of treatment described above may be
used separately or in a combination based on the type of mental health disorder
and severity of the disorder.
Psychotherapy
Psychotherapy is not as scary as it sounds. Another
word you can use for psychotherapy is “talk therapy,” where a therapist helps
patients understand their illness and gives them strategies and tools to deal
with stress and unhealthy thoughts and behaviors. Different forms of
psychotherapy include cognitive behavioral therapy, dialectical behavior
therapy, interpersonal therapy, family-focused therapy, expressive or creative
arts therapy, and animal-assisted therapy.
Medications
Medications are utilized to treat the symptoms of
mental disorders such as depression, anxiety disorders, attention
deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia. Medications
work differently for different people. Two people with the same illness may
take the same medication yet feel different side effects. Sometimes medication
is used alongside with psychotherapy.
Brain Stimulation Therapies
Brain stimulation therapies activate the brain
directly with magnets, electricity, or implants to treat depression or other
disorders. Brain stimulation therapies encompass a wide variety of techniques
utilized for many different disorders. Just to name a few, different forms of
brain stimulation therapies may include deep brain stimulation, vagus nerve
stimulation, and repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation.
To learn more about mental health disorders, or if
you are concerned for a loved one, contact Capitol Care at their Alabama
department of mental health. Do not face this difficult problem on your own.
There are high hopes for recovery, and with treatment many individuals facing
mental illnesses return to a happy, healthy, and fulfilling life.
I wish I'd read this back when I had my anxiety attack in February... it just happened so fast and after it was finished I had no idea what had just happened. This sure would've cleared things up.
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