While ADHD and anxiety are not the same condition could they be linked? Some experts believe the answer is yes.

According to the AMA ADHD is defined as a mental illness characterized by difficulty paying attention and a high degree of restlessness and impulsive behavior. Symptoms begin before the age of 7, cause problems in at least two different environments, and last for at least six months.

According to the AMA Anxiety is defined as a general feeling of uneasiness, dread, uncertainty, and fear in response to or in anticipation of a real or imagined threat.

While it might be difficult to draw a comparison between ADHD and anxiety by simply comparing definitions there are two areas where some correlations and associations can be drawn; biological causes and secondary symptoms.

Biology: Both ADHD and anxiety disorders such as generalized anxiety disorder both are believed to have a biological component involving imbalances of two or more brain chemical messengers (dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin). These brain chemicals, and the way they interact with each other, are responsible for self regulation and mood. Let’s take each one individually.

Serotonin: Problems with serotonin are associated with anxiety, depressed mood, insomnia, obsessive compulsive disorder, seasonal affective disorder, and even violence.

Dopamine: Disruption in dopamine seems to be related to problems with attention, motivation, alertness, increased apathy, and difficulty in experiencing pleasure.

Norepinephrine: Disorder in norepinephrine are correlated with lack of energy, decreased alertness, and lethargy. It’s interaction with dopamine is thought to be the primary driver in many ADHD symptoms.

Certainly these biological connections are somewhat speculative due to the every changing research but one cannot deny some correlation in the biology of ADHD and anxiety/anxiety disorders.

Our second connection between ADHD and anxiety revolves around secondary symptoms associated with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Some of these would include anticipation of failure, worry, loss of motivation, frustration, low self esteem, sleep disruptions, and boredom. Virtually every one of these secondary symptoms can cause anxiety in varying degrees. For example a person with ADHD who is not sleeping well because of the fear of failure and is frustrated because of it will have a very high anxiety level. On the other hand if someone suffering with ADHD is simply not motivated they will have little to no anxiety.

Certainly real and potentially problematic association can be made between ADHD and anxiety. It is also important to point out the continual bouts of severe anxiety often lead to depression which is a condition that occasionally coexists with ADHD.

What Next? For those struggling with ADHD and anxiety associated with it finding a treatment option that can help them manage their symptoms should be one of their main priorities. The most common form of treatment for ADHD are stimulant medications such as Ritalin or Cylert. While effective all stimulant medications come with a number of serious label warnings. The risk of side effects or perhaps lack of success with stimulants has prompted many to investigate other options. A couple examples of this are behavior modification therapy and/or homeopathic remedies. Homeopathic remedies for ADHD are a side effect free way to address such problematic symptoms as inattention, distractibility, impulsivity, erratic behavior and hyperactivity and can be used both as a standalone treatment or as a compliment to other nonprescription alternatives. 

If you suffer from panic and anxiety disorder, you are probably hoping that natural anxiety cures are real. The good news is that some of these natural treatments are real. Separating the fact from the fiction is the hard part because there is so much conflicting information on the Internet and elsewhere.

When talking about these cures, it is important to distinguish between herbal, vitamin and behavioral anxiety cures. There is a vast array of help available to you! Some cures may work for one person and not work at all for another. This typically happens with the medicinal treatments rather than behavioral. Given enough time and effort, the behavioral method almost always works.

Here are some examples of natural anxiety cures that seem to work well for a wide variety of people. Of course, always check with your own doctor before using any supplementation.

• B Vitamins: Many times, a lack of B vitamins in your system will produce symptoms such as muscle tension, lethargy and even depression. If you find yourself without much energy, have your blood levels checked.
• St. John’s Wort: This is an often underestimated herb that has a lot of power for anxiety. Used in Europe regularly over the last few decades, this herb is potent and typically safe for use. Many people take this herb instead of pharmaceutical drugs.
• Exercise: Regular exercise can really help with panic and anxiety because it helps burn off that extra adrenaline that is often causing the anxious episodes.
• Magnesium: This is the calming mineral and works great for tense muscles. Try taking the magnesium citrate powder usually found in local health food stores as it is better absorbed.

If you suffer from anxiety, you may wonder what is the best treatment for anxiety and how you should go about choosing which one may be right for you. You are not alone as 75 million people suffer from anxiety worldwide. Your psychiatrist may want to prescribe the most common drugs for anxiety and depression but you should be aware of the following facts on anxiety treatment.

The SSRI’s, Prozac and Zoloft, will have some side effects and it is better to know about these beforehand. If you are prepared to put up with weight gain and a loss of sexual drive, then you may be able to take this type of medication. Some other patients are affected by insomnia, sweating and lethargy. It is not certain that they will work for every patient and as the human brain is a rather complicated and delicate organism, it cannot be guaranteed that it will be efficacious in getting rid of anxiety. In spite of this, this type of anxiety treatment is widely prescribed for millions and millions of patients.

The older types of medications, known as MAOIs, are basically anti depressants which prevent the serotonin and norepinephrine in our brain from being depleted and therefore our mood remains positive and we feel more relaxed. The side effects of these drugs are rather more severe and diet has to be monitored closely in that alcohol and dairy products do not seem to mix with them well at all. They cause a reaction which can lead to high blood pressure and there have been a few cases of strokes and death as a result of taking these medications. Other side effects are similar to the SSRIs in that weight gain and fatigue can become major problems. Not surprisingly, these drugs for anxiety treatment are prescribed less and less.

What if there were an alternative to the above types of anxiety treatment? What if you were able to relax , control panicky and anxious feelings and take control of your life again ? Is it possible that you could find a treatment which will mean that you can get on with your projects and above all put away anxious thoughts. The answer is a resounding yes and there is a natural herbal product which is just as effective in the treatment for anxiety as the traditional form of medication as I have mentioned above. Herbal remedies for anxiety treatment are now widely accepted in most alternative medicine circles and are enjoying enormous success.