User:Mr. Ibrahem/Anxiety disorder
Medical condition / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Anxiety disorders are a group of mental disorders characterized by significant feelings of anxiety and fear.[2] Anxiety is a worry about future events, while fear is a reaction to current events.[2] These feelings may cause physical symptoms, such as increased heart rate and shakiness.[2] There are several anxiety disorders, including generalized anxiety disorder, specific phobia, social anxiety disorder, separation anxiety disorder, agoraphobia, panic disorder, and selective mutism.[2] The disorder differs by what results in the symptoms.[2] An individual may have more than one anxiety disorder.[2]
Anxiety disorder | |
---|---|
The Scream (Norwegian: Skrik) a painting by Norwegian artist Edvard Munch[1] | |
Specialty | Psychiatry, clinical psychology |
Symptoms | Worrying, fast heart rate, shakiness[2] |
Complications | Depression, trouble sleeping, poor quality of life, suicide[3] |
Usual onset | 15–35 years old[4] |
Duration | > 6 months[2][4] |
Causes | Genetic and environmental factors[5] |
Risk factors | Child abuse, family history, poverty[4] |
Diagnostic method | Psychological assessment |
Differential diagnosis | Hyperthyroidism; heart disease; caffeine, alcohol, cannabis use; withdrawal from certain drugs[4][6] |
Treatment | Lifestyle changes, counselling, medications[4] |
Medication | Antidepressants, anxiolytics, beta blockers[5] |
Frequency | 12% per year[4][7] |
The cause of anxiety disorders is thought to be a combination of genetic and environmental factors.[5] Risk factors include a history of child abuse, family history of mental disorders, and poverty.[4] Anxiety disorders often occur with other mental disorders, particularly major depressive disorder, personality disorder, and substance use disorder.[4] To be diagnosed, symptoms typically need to be present for at least 6 months, be more than what would be expected for the situation, and decrease a person's ability to function in their daily life.[2][4] Other problems that may result in similar symptoms include hyperthyroidism; heart disease; caffeine, alcohol, or cannabis use; and withdrawal from certain drugs, among others.[4][6] Anxiety disorders differ from normal fear or anxiety by being excessive or persisting.[2]
Without treatment, anxiety disorders tend to remain.[2][5] Treatment may include lifestyle changes, counselling, and medications.[4] Cognitive behavioral therapy is one of the most common counselling techniques used in treatment of anxiety disorders.[4] Medications, such as antidepressants, benzodiazepines, or beta blockers, may improve symptoms.[5]
About 12% of people are affected by an anxiety disorder in a given year, and between 5% and 30% are affected over a lifetime.[4][7] They occur in females about twice as often as in males and generally begin before age 25.[2][4] The most common are specific phobias, which affect nearly 12%, and social anxiety disorder, which affects 10%.[4] Phobias mainly affect people between the ages of 15 and 35, and become less common after age 55.[4] Rates appear to be higher in the United States and Europe than in other parts of the world.[4]