Anxiety/ Panic Disorder
Zach Reinert; Health Period 5; October 16, 2015
The Fear Is Real
- Anxiety/Panic Disorder is a condition in which real or imagined fears are difficult to control.
- The exact cause of this disorder is unknown, however many scientists believe that it is due to changes in the brain and/or heavy environmental stress in the victims life. Also, it can be inherited from the parents. Extreme traumas or events can also cause many types of anxiety / panic disorders.
- The symptoms of this disorder include panic, fear, uneasiness, unable to be still, problems sleeping, dizziness, muscle tension, and heart palpitations.
- Everybody can suffer from anxiety or panic, however it becomes a disorder when it begins to consume your life. This disorder affects all ages and genders, but certain categories such as separation anxiety, phobias, and OCD are most common in children under the age of nine. On the other hand, social phobias, panic disorder, and general anxiety disorder are more frequent among teens.
Agency 1: Federation of Families For Children's Mental Health
Agency 2: Anxiety Disorders Association of America
Agency 3: Childhood Anxiety Network
Treatments and Medicine
- Psychotherapy (talk therapy) is one of the ways to overcome your anxiety/panic disorder.
- Psychotherapy is discussing your feelings and fears with a therapist. This relieves anxiety in most cases.
- When psychotherapy doesn't work, medication is used. The main medicines used are called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI). Children and adults take this to keep them calm and relaxed.
Background:
Scientists have discovered there are four main types of anxiety disorders. These include: Panic Disorder, Social Anxiety Disorder, Phobias, and Generalized Anxiety Disorder (worrying about unrealistic things). Throughout history, many people have suffered from anxiety disorders such as: Abraham Lincoln, Johnny Depp, Adele, and Howie Mandel. Becoming very popular in society may cause people to develop anxiety disorders because there is a lot of pressure on them so succeed. 40 million adults have some sort of anxiety disorder in the U.S. Anxiety disorders cost over 42 billion dollars a year, almost one-third of the country's 148 billion dollars total mental health bill.