The National Institute of Mental Health estimates that more than 18 percent of American adults will suffer from anxiety at some point in their lives. It happens to many women as they approach menopause and move into their later years. The anxiety can result from various causes, and it can lead to physical and mental complications if it is not properly addressed.
Sources
Researchers Anne Barrett, Ph.D., and Cheryl Robbins, Ph.D., of Florida State University, found three major sources of anxiety for aging women. Women worry about becoming less attractive due to aging signs like gray hair and wrinkles. They also have anxiety about declining health and the loss of their fertility after menopause.
Influences
Barrett and Robbins discovered several factors that influence aging anxiety in women. Those who are not in good relationships or are separated or divorced are at higher risk for anxiety about their looks and health, as are those with less financial independence. Loss of fertility affects aging women with more education and better finances. Combined anxiety about health problems and loss of attractiveness cause the most distress, according to Barrett and Robbins. Hispanic and African-American women seem to be more prone to aging anxiety than their Caucasian counterparts.
Time Frame
Barrett and Robbins found that younger women often have more anxiety about the impending aging process. Some of this eases as they get older, which may be due to becoming more personally familiar with aging effects, eliminating the element of the unknown. The researchers also speculate that women become more knowledgeable and educated as they get older, which offsets some of the anxiety.
Symptoms
Anxiety manifests itself in older women with the same symptoms that younger women experience. Mentally they feel a sense of dread or fear and are irritable, tense and unable to fully concentrate, the HelpGuide.org medical website explains. Physically, they may feel dizzy and have muscle tension, headaches, sweating, problems breathing and a pounding heart. Ongoing anxiety may cause problems sleeping.
Warning
Anxiety in aging women can lead to serious effects above and beyond the usual symptoms. Johns Hopkins warns it can trigger eating disorders like bulimia, anorexia or binge eating. These disorders can be hard to diagnose because many doctors don't realize they can appear late in life. They can cause physical effects or worsen health problems caused by aging. These include obesity, high cholesterol, type 2 diabetes, elevated blood pressure, high cholesterol and heart disease. HelpGuide.org warns that anxiety sufferers are also at a higher risk for depression.
Treatment
Older women suffering from anxiety can usually treat it successfully with medication, counseling or a combination approach. Deborah Nelson, Ph.D., a Temple University public health researcher, states that women can also reap mental benefits from regular moderate exercise like walking. A doctor, psychiatrist or therapist can assess the symptoms and recommend an appropriate treatment plan.
