ANXIETY

​Anxiety is your body’s natural response to stress. It’s a feeling of fear or apprehension about what’s to come. The first day of school, going to a job interview, or giving a speech may cause most people to feel fearful and nervous.

But if your feelings of anxiety are extreme, last for longer than six months, and are interfering with your life, you may have an anxiety disorder.

​It’s normal to feel anxious about moving to a new place, starting a new job, or taking a test. This type of anxiety is unpleasant, but it may motivate you to work harder and to do a better job. Ordinary anxiety is a feeling that comes and goes, but does not interfere with your everyday life.

In the case of an anxiety disorder, the feeling of fear may be with you all the time. It is intense and sometimes debilitating.

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• PANIC DISORDER: experiencing recurring panic attacks at unexpected times. A person with panic disorder may live in fear of the next panic attack.

• PHOBIA: excessive fear of a specific object, situation, or activity

• SOCIAL ANXIETY DISORDER: extreme fear of being judged by others in social situations

• OBSESSIVE-COMPULSIVE DISORDER: recurring irrational thoughts that lead you to perform specific, repeated behaviors

​Symptoms of general anxiety include:

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• ​INCREASED HEART RATE

• ​RAPID BREATHING

• ​RESTLESSNESS

• ​TROUBLE CONCENTRATING

• ​DIFFICULTY FALLING SLEEP

Your anxiety symptoms might be totally different from someone else’s. That’s why it’s important to know all the ways anxiety can present itself.

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Researchers are not sure of the exact cause of anxiety. But, it’s likely a combination of factors play a role. These include genetic and environmental factors, as well as brain chemistry.

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In addition, researchers believe that the areas of the brain responsible for controlling fear may be impacted.

Current research of anxiety is taking a deeper look at the parts of the brain that are involved with anxiety.

​Thank you.