Many people with anxiety may not know that they have a problem other than a character flaw.
Anxiety sufferers are often labeled as paranoid or moody. They have trouble reacting appropriately in stressful situations and tend to overreact and blow things out of proportion.
Psychological Symptoms
The defining symptom of all anxiety disorders is having overwhelming thoughts of fears and worries that last for six months or more. There are several other symptoms of anxiety disorders, and they vary according to the type and severity of the anxiety.
A person with an anxiety disorder will likely be impatient (even short-tempered) and irritable. Such a person may also be restless, have trouble concentrating, or have a tendency to leave tasks and goals uncompleted. They may be forgetful, absent-minded, and easily confused. They often have trouble expressing their thoughts coherently. Sometimes an anxious person will feel as if their mind has gone blank.
There are physical tolls the body endures as well from a person afflicted with anxiety. The person will often be constantly on the lookout for danger or tend to think of the worst possible scenarios. In these cases, people around them will usually see the sufferer as pessimistic.
Most people who suffer from anxiety also suffer from Agoraphobia or fear of public places. This is most often seen in those with obsessive compulsive disorder. While most anxiety sufferers do not necessarily experience OCD, for the most part it is very common to a lesser degree.
A person with more severe anxiety may also have to deal with hallucinations and depression. Thoughts can sometimes turn suicidal.
Thoughts of worry, fear, negative feelings and irrational thoughts are persistent in those with anxiety.
Physical Symptoms
Anxiety is a psychological condition, but it can be physically taxing on the body. It has a tendency to manifest itself into several symptoms that can further affect a persons day to day functioning.
Some of the most common physical symptoms include an increased heart rate and higher blood pressure, sweating, dizziness, and headaches. A person with anxiety often has trouble taking deep breaths and hyperventilates quite frequently. He or she may experience fatigue, insomnia, and hyperactivity.
As the body is exposed to excessive amounts of adrenaline from a person suffering with anxiety, this person may also experience muscle tension and body aches. The excess adrenaline rush is also accountable for the mood swings.
If the mind is in a constant state of worry, the body will experience other symptoms as well including loss of appetite, nausea, diahrrea, frequent urination and excessive thirst. In some cases, it was reported that a decrease in sex drive was also experienced.
Other Anxiety Symptoms
Everyones symptoms are not the same. Some anxiety sufferers experience symptoms that are the exact opposite of the ones mentioned earlier. These symptoms are often brought to fruition by extreme levels of anxiety such as someone suffering from SAD finding themselves in the middle of a group of strangers.
One of these symptoms is low blood pressure (levels below 90/60) and this can reduce the amount of oxygen and nutrients that reach the brain.
Another symptom reported during high levels of anxiety is a heightened degree of sex drive.
Still others with chronic anxiety report having food cravings. Often the craving is for sugar, and this may be due to the fact that blood pressure is at times chronically low in cases of severe anxiety - 30540
Anxiety sufferers are often labeled as paranoid or moody. They have trouble reacting appropriately in stressful situations and tend to overreact and blow things out of proportion.
Psychological Symptoms
The defining symptom of all anxiety disorders is having overwhelming thoughts of fears and worries that last for six months or more. There are several other symptoms of anxiety disorders, and they vary according to the type and severity of the anxiety.
A person with an anxiety disorder will likely be impatient (even short-tempered) and irritable. Such a person may also be restless, have trouble concentrating, or have a tendency to leave tasks and goals uncompleted. They may be forgetful, absent-minded, and easily confused. They often have trouble expressing their thoughts coherently. Sometimes an anxious person will feel as if their mind has gone blank.
There are physical tolls the body endures as well from a person afflicted with anxiety. The person will often be constantly on the lookout for danger or tend to think of the worst possible scenarios. In these cases, people around them will usually see the sufferer as pessimistic.
Most people who suffer from anxiety also suffer from Agoraphobia or fear of public places. This is most often seen in those with obsessive compulsive disorder. While most anxiety sufferers do not necessarily experience OCD, for the most part it is very common to a lesser degree.
A person with more severe anxiety may also have to deal with hallucinations and depression. Thoughts can sometimes turn suicidal.
Thoughts of worry, fear, negative feelings and irrational thoughts are persistent in those with anxiety.
Physical Symptoms
Anxiety is a psychological condition, but it can be physically taxing on the body. It has a tendency to manifest itself into several symptoms that can further affect a persons day to day functioning.
Some of the most common physical symptoms include an increased heart rate and higher blood pressure, sweating, dizziness, and headaches. A person with anxiety often has trouble taking deep breaths and hyperventilates quite frequently. He or she may experience fatigue, insomnia, and hyperactivity.
As the body is exposed to excessive amounts of adrenaline from a person suffering with anxiety, this person may also experience muscle tension and body aches. The excess adrenaline rush is also accountable for the mood swings.
If the mind is in a constant state of worry, the body will experience other symptoms as well including loss of appetite, nausea, diahrrea, frequent urination and excessive thirst. In some cases, it was reported that a decrease in sex drive was also experienced.
Other Anxiety Symptoms
Everyones symptoms are not the same. Some anxiety sufferers experience symptoms that are the exact opposite of the ones mentioned earlier. These symptoms are often brought to fruition by extreme levels of anxiety such as someone suffering from SAD finding themselves in the middle of a group of strangers.
One of these symptoms is low blood pressure (levels below 90/60) and this can reduce the amount of oxygen and nutrients that reach the brain.
Another symptom reported during high levels of anxiety is a heightened degree of sex drive.
Still others with chronic anxiety report having food cravings. Often the craving is for sugar, and this may be due to the fact that blood pressure is at times chronically low in cases of severe anxiety - 30540
About the Author:
Funmi Salami is a featured writer on Clivir.com. She loves to share her knowledge and do so by contributing articles about Anxiety Attack Management and Anxiety Benzodiazepines Medication.
