Anxiety: An Overview

Anxiety is defined as a multi-system response to a perceived threat or danger. It is characterized by changes in both the physiological and psychological state of a person, often affecting his cognition, emotions and behavior. The major manifestations of anxiety are uneasiness, apprehension and worry.

Anxiety can range from mild to severe. At mild and moderate levels, anxiety can be considered as a good thing as it actually helps the person focus more on the matter at hand. For example, if there’s an exam, and the student feels anxious about it, he will be more inclined to study for it as compared to someone who does not feel anxious at all. At severe levels, though, anxiety can lead to full-blown panic attacks which severely debilitate a person’s ability to cope with the stressor. Using the same example, a student who has severe anxiety about an exam may be unable to answer any of the questions; severe anxiety may make him freeze up and forget whatever it was that he learned when he studied.

Anxiety vs. Fear

However, it should be noted that Anxiety is different from Fear. Fear occurs only when there is an external threat present. Anxiety, on the other hand, occurs even without an identifiable trigger or threat.

Anxiety is something that is unique to humans. Anxiety can be triggered by anything – a memory, a possibility, etc. There is no need for an external stimulus. Fear is something that is experienced by all animals, including the human species. For example, if someone fires a gun in a clearly hostile action, both man and dog would experience fear and try to run away. After the threat has passed, however, the dog won’t feel anxious or uneasy about the gun until the next time it sees the gun. Humans, on the other hand, could feel anxious even if they don’t see the gun. They could feel anxiety just by recalling the memory of it or thinking about how the same thing could happen to them once again. To put it simply, dogs can’t feel anxious about a trip to the vet while humans can feel anxious about their appointment with the dentist – even if it’s still a month away.

Symptoms of Anxiety

The symptoms of anxiety that a person will experience generally depend on how much effect the stressor has on a person. The thought of an impending exam, for example, can make a grade-conscious student more anxious than a carefree student who is content with getting C’s. Conversely, the thought of ‘not being invited to a party’ may generate more anxiety for the C-student than for the honor student.

Anxiety begins with a slight quickening of the heart beat and an increase in the amount of perspiration. The person feels restless and uneasy, and he is unable to sit still. The pupils dilate and more blood flows to the body’s major muscle groups. Anxiety is also accompanied by dryness of the mouth and the throat, higher blood pressure and a slight difficulty in breathing which, if the situation becomes severe, can turn into hyperventilation. If the feeling lasts long, the person might even feel constipated. He may experience chest pain, a stomach ache and a headache. Overall, the physiological symptoms of anxiety are geared toward preparing the person to deal with an impending threat.

Psychologically, the person would be able to concentrate more. That is, if the anxiety is mild. He will be preoccupied about that which is causing him to feel anxious, which would be a good thing in most cases. However, anxiety can be severe enough to cause a person to be totally unable to cope, possibly even to a point where he is no longer able to take care of himself and thus pose harm to himself and others.

This is called a panic attack. Most of the time, the source of the anxiety and the subsequent panic attack is rather irrational and doesn’t really deserve the amount of anxiety that it has been able to generate. However, even if the cause is trivial, the severe anxiety and the panic attack that result should still be taken seriously. Someone suffering from a panic attack feels like he’s having cardiac arrest; he also usually feels as if he’s about to pass out or even die.

Normal Anxiety vs. Abnormal Anxiety

Anxiety is an integral part of a person’s life. It practically helps people cope with the stresses that they encounter in their daily lives. Everybody gets anxious from time to time – and that’s normal. It’s normal to get anxious about things like an exam, a job interview or a surgery. But there are cases wherein the anxiety becomes pathological and no longer normal. It is important to distinguish normal from abnormal anxiety.

Usually, when an anxiety is ‘abnormal’, it persists for periods that are overly lengthy. It may even be recurrent, in which case the condition becomes chronic. When this happens, anxiety stops being useful and starts to be severely debilitating. People who have anxiety disorders are usually fatigued and, in some cases, even exhausted.

Anxiety disorders have to be properly diagnosed. Thus, if a person suspects that his levels of anxiety during times of stress are overly high, uncontrollable and rather irrational, it would be best if he sees a doctor – preferably a psychiatrist.

There are many types of anxiety disorders; namely, Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Panic Disorder, Social Anxiety Disorder, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Post-traumatic Stress Disorder, and Separation Anxiety. Oftentimes, anxiety disorders are accompanied by depression, and they commonly affect women more than they affect men. These conditions are said to be rather prevalent, although only a small percentage of those afflicted are actually diagnosed.

Usually, medications or ‘pharmacotherapy’ is used in conjunction with psychotherapy or “talk therapy”. The therapist usually tries to encourage the person to implement some lifestyle changes and to change their perception of problems.

People who have anxiety disorders usually have faulty reasoning. For example, an employee who has a spotless record commits a mistake for the first time. Consequently, he starts to feel overly anxious, thinking that he will be fired from his job. Thought patterns like this one can signify an anxiety disorder, which is why therapists usually employ cognitive therapy to try to change the patient’s pattern of reasoning. Anti-anxiety drugs can be used to treat the symptoms, but some therapists think that these drugs only impede the therapeutic process by making the person dependent on medication.