Let's Start At The Very Beginning...With What The Hell Do I Have?

Ok so if you're new to the not-so-amusing-amusement-park-roller-coaster that is an Anxiety Disorder then this post is for you.

For months, you or a loved one, have been suffering from constant, nagging, uncontrollable anxious feelings, racing thoughts, muscle pain, fatigue, depression, irritability, mood swings, constant crying, stomachaches, etc etc etc...Stressful situations become unbearable. Suddenly going to the grocery store is like stealing a cup from Smaug the Dragon's lair (if you're not into Tolkien and therefore have no idea what I am referencing, trust me its pretty bad) and no matter what you do you cannot shake the feeling that some impending doom is inching ever closer. If any of this applies to you, then you, or your loved one might be suffering from an Anxiety Disorder.

What is an Anxiety Disorder?

The term "Anxiety Disorder" pertains to a disorder in the brain/mental facilities that is centered around excessive worry or concern that lasts for six months or more. The feeling of anxiousness can be stimulated by day to day activities, but does not necessarily need a stimulus to manifest the feelings of anxiousness or dread.

Basically, if you are experiencing an overwhelming sense of worry and dread and this lasts longer than six months than there is a good chance that you might have an Anxiety Disorder and should probably seek help.


What Causes an Anxiety Disorder?

There are several answers to this and I'm going to focus on two sides of the answer; what happens to the brain to cause anxiety disorders and what can trigger the disorder to manifest.

1. What Happens to The Brain?

As science can tell you, the brain functions by firing off several chemical and electrical signals to different parts of itself and biological systems to stimulate a host of responses to keep the body moving and going. However when some of these signals malfunction or misfire it can lead to serious problems both physically and mentally. Mental Illnesses are cause by a change in the brain's structure, function, or chemistry.

Anxiety Disorders are thought to be created when the brain chemical gamma aminobutyric acid, the chemical is the anti-anxiety chemical, do not properly bind to certain receptors in the limbic system, the portion of the brain that regulates emotions. The result of this failure results in a feeling of anxiety. 

This means that due to a chemical misfire, the chemicals in your brain that curb anxiousness are failing to join with the receptors that complete their task and the brain instead produces anxiousness. 

   2. What Can Trigger The Disorder To Manifest? 

There are a few things that scientist link to triggering the disorder. These risk factors include, but are not limited to:

• Genetics: Anxiety, as do other mental illnesses and disorders tend to run in families
• Personality: People with compulsive, type A personalities are more likely to develop the disorder
• Trauma: People who have suffered some sort of physical or mental trauma are at higher risk for developing such disorders
• Gender: Females are statically more prone to developing GAD
• Medical Conditions: Relationships with other conditions such as depression, chronic pain, etc have been known to spawn Anxiety Disorders 

I think it is also fair to make it known that science hasn't exactly pinpointed down what causes mental illnesses, however new research on the subjects has been giving us more of an insight into the brain and therefore we are better able to make better educated guesses and theories. 

What Am I Experiencing? What Are The Symptoms?

If you have an Anxiety Disorder then there are a wide range of symptoms you might be experiencing. A few are:

• Restlessness
• Constant feeling of worry or dread
• Stomach Pain
• Migraine
• Hot and cold flashes 
• Muscle pian
• Fatigue
• Light Headedness
• Panic Attacks
• Insomnia 
• Bowel Issues
• Loss of Appetite 
• Mood Swings 

There are a very wide range of symptoms and not each case is the same as the next, so your anxiety disorder may not be the same as someone else's. Its's best not to compare your disorder to someone else's because the cases are as different as the people themselves. One person might experience more panic attacks than their friend or one person might have chronic migraines and the other only has issues with their muscles and pins and needles in the extremities. Also, your disorder will grow and change on you. For example, you one of your symptoms might be hot flashes and then one day they disappear only to be exchanged for spontaneous vomiting (don't laugh it happened to me). 

In Conclusion

Anxiety Disorders are horrible things to live with, however they are not the end of your life. They are manageable with the proper care and determination. Treatment varies with each case, as some or more severe than others. Typically medication and counseling is what most people find effective, however, how you choose to seek treatment should be based on what is best for you, though I would urgently suggest seeing a doctor or psychiatrist and talking with them about how to go about doing that. 

If you or a loved one is experiencing severe anxiety, don't wait, get help and on the road to recovery and good mental health. That road will be fraught with difficulty and and some heartache as the world still places a stigma on people with mental disorders and illnesses, but I encourage you to keep your chin up and keep fighting the good fight. 

Until later, gators ;)

-Emz

Works Cited:

http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/generalized-anxiety-disorder/basics/risk-factors/con-20024562

http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/generalized-anxiety-disorder-gad/index.shtml (oh no! run mrs. brisby!)

http://umm.edu/health/medical/reports/articles/anxiety-disorders

http://www.pdrhealth.com/diseases/generalized-anxiety-disorder-gad

https://bbrfoundation.org/brain-matters-discoveries/misfiring-brain-signals-in-schizophrenia-distort-view-of-reality

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK20369/