Panic Attacks
There are any number of mental disorders in the world. No matter how you look at it these disorders can make life for the sufferer miserable. Anxiety disorders are just as painful as other disorders and Generalized Anxiety Disorder or GAD is a severe form of anxiety disorder.
While anxiety is generally a normal reaction towards dangerous, uncertain, important or threatening situations GAD puts a frightening twist on anxiety. The reaction in Generalized Anxiety Disorder is a pathological anxiety. Here the anxiety is excessive and chronic. Generalized Anxiety Disorder can interfere with the person's daily life and their activities.
Generalized or "free-floating" anxiety as it may also be called does not have to be triggered by a specific object or even a situation. Unlike panic attacks or anxiety attacks a person does not need a memory (known or otherwise), to trigger this disorder. GAD is known to affect 4 million to 5 million adults in America itself.
Various types of Anxiety Disorders
Anxiety is a feeling of unease. Anxiety is only considered to be a mental health problem when it is prolonged, severe and is interfering with everyday activities. Fortunately, most anxiety disorders are highly treatable with psychotherapy, drugs, or a combination of both. There are at least nine identified types of anxiety disorders, include generalized anxiety disorder, social anxiety, obsessive compulsive disorder, panic disorder, post traumatic stress disorder, specific phobia, separation anxiety, school avoidance, and agoraphobia.
Understanding Panic Attacks and Extreme Anxiety
Anxiety disorder is a condition that puts a person in a constant state of alertness and fear. Anxiety is otherwise a normal reaction to stress that people commonly experience at various points in their lives. Generally speaking, anxiety helps people to cope with difficult situations until they are resolved (tense situations at work, harder studying for an exam, focusing on an important speech).
However, for about one in every twelve people anxiety is so persistent and severe that it creates serious problems. Anxious feelings may be so uncomfortable that result in avoiding everyday activities and can escalate into anxiety and panic disorders such as panic attacks.
What is Panic Disorder? Panic Attack Causes, Types, Cure
There are several theories about the causes of panic disorder and since every individual has a different predisposition, zeroing in on a specific cause can be quite an arduous task. Although treatable, this disorder can be very devastating and debilitating to the person if it goes untreated and may result in specific phobias like fear of driving the car or fear of leaving the house. It can result in the loss of a job or even relationship problems.