Anxiety is a normal reaction to stress. It helps one deal with a tense situation in the office, study harder for an exam, keep focused on an important speech. In moderation, it helps us cope. But when anxiety becomes an excessive, irrational dread of everyday situations, it has become a disabling disorder. According to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), there are actually 5 major types of anxiety disorders. They are:

• Generalized Anxiety Disorder
• Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
• Panic Disorder
• Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
• Social Anxiety Disorder

According to the NIMH, people with generalized anxiety disorder, go through the day filled with exaggerated worry or tension, even though there is nothing to provoke it. Most people can’t get rid of their worry, even though they realize the situation does not really require this much worry. Often they have trouble relaxing or sleeping, and they startle easily. Medically, they diagnose GAD when a person suffers this way for more then 6 months.

If you suffer from this, one important thing to realize, is that this is a real disease and you are not alone.

While 40 million Americans suffer from anxiety disorders, almost 7 million Americans suffer from GAD. Women are twice as likely as men to suffer this disease, and the risk is highest between childhood and middle age.

Treatment The medical community believes that the primary treatment for all anxiety disorders is medications and/or psychotherapy.

Unfortunately, medication does not cure the anxiety disorder, it can only keep the disease under control, making things more comfortable.

The principal medications used are anti-depressants, anti-anxiety drugs, and beta blockers. From my own personal experience, I found that these medications were very expensive and they all had very unpleasant side effects. Depending on the drugs, some of the side effects include: nausea, dizziness, headaches, increased urination, weight gain, dry mouth, or increased sweating. Some of them, also cause people to become dependent on these drugs, and all of the ones I took recommend not drinking alcohol

Psychotherapy is used less frequently then medication, although according to the NIMH, there is evidence that the benefit can last longer then medication. There are various forms of psychotherapy, but the most popular is called Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. They say this takes about 12 weeks, and it can be repeated if the anxiety comes back.

My Personal Experience

I suffered from panic anxiety attacks for several years. They came without warning, and when they hit, I would feel like I couldn’t breathe and the world was closing in on me. They were very painful and I stopped driving, flying, or seeing friends to avoid them from occurring. I found that medications helped me feel better but did not stop my panic anxiety attacks. Because of the expense and side effects, I eventually stopped using the drugs. I also tried deep breathing and exercise, both of which also helped me feel better, but neither of which stopped my attacks. In the end, after several years, I did find a way to stop them, and for this, I am eternally grateful.