ANXIETY SCREENING PART 2

Snakes? Fear of heights? Horrified to fly? Fear talking in public? Constantly checking to see if you turned off the oven and lights?

What are some of the most common forms of anxiety disorders?

Panic attacks: Affecting over 5 million Americans, they are characterized by sudden episodes of intense fear or apprehension that may come from "out of the blue." These attacks generally lasts for a few minutes to an hour. Generally people experiencing sweating, shortness or breath, racing heart, feeling numb, hot or cold flashes, and fears of going crazy.

• Social phobia: This is the most common anxiety disorder. It involves the fear of embarrassment or humiliation in situations in which you must perform. The fear surrounds the concern that you will say or do something that will cause others to judge you as weak, crazy, or not capable. The most common social phobia is fear of public speaking.
  
• Specific phobia: Affecting over 12% of all Americans in their lifetime, this type of phobia involves a strong fear or avoidance of one particular type of object or situation. Some of the most common phobias are fear of animals, fear of heights, fear of flying, and fear of blood or needles.
  
• Generalized Anxiety disorder: This disorder is characterized by anxiety that persists for at least six months. Generally this occurs when people are concerned about numerous life stresses and expereince symptoms of irritability, restlessness, sleeplessness, muscle tension, difficulty concentrating, and fatigue
  
• Obsessive Compulsive Disorder: Generally sufferers are reluctant to talk about their symptoms because they impair with daily functioning. OCD sufferers might spend hours cleaning, tidying, checking or ordering to the point that these activities interfere with their lives. Generally individuals feel an obsession to perform a particular activity, and feel compelled to attend to the obsession. This disorder affects over 2.4 million Americans during any 6-month period.
  

What are common treatments? There is a high rate of recovery for people who suffer from of anxiety disorder. Commonly, they are treated with a combination of therapy and medication. Success rates using these two elements are have a 60-70%.

Some people suffer with obsessive worry. What are some keys to minimize those obsessions?

• Do physical exercise
  
• Learn breathing techniques or meditation
  
• Talk to someone in your support network
  
• Use visual distractions (TV, movies, video games)
  
• Use sensory-motor distractions (gardening, crafts, etc)
  
• Find an alternative postive obsession (crossword or jigsaw puzzle)
  
• Practice positive affirmations
  

If you are interesting in more information us at Joy Miller & Associates at (309) 693-8200.