Approximately 19 million Americans suffer from anxiety at any given time, according to the National Institute for Mental Health. Generalized Anxiety Disorder, or GAD, affects about 3 million of those. The rest are panic disorders, obsessive compulsive disorders and phobias. For all of those, professional help is necessary. GAD is a less severe form of anxiety that, depending on the person afflicted, can be influenced positively by certain strategies, but seeing a therapist may still be necessary.
Features
In a 2009 poll conducted by the Anxiety Disorders Association of America, ADAA, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the dissemination of anxiety related facts, 45 percent of those asked what stressed them out the most, said “personal finances.” This does not mean, however, that anxiety disorders are on the rise. While anxiety is a normal reaction to stress and uncertainty, an anxiety disorder differs in that the afflicted person obsesses over the economy, worries for hours a day, has trouble sleeping and functioning as usual even while being aware that those fears are irrational.
Symptoms
Besides constant uncontrollable worry, symptoms can include fatigue, restlessness, muscle tension, irritability, impaired sleep and gastrointestinal problems. Any or all of those symptoms may apply, and, at the same time, there is the feeling of having no control over the anxiety, which can be perceived at times as unreasonable.
Causes
Ask someone what he thinks the cause of anxiety is and he will answer the question with what he thinks is the cure. A psychiatrist will say it is a chemical imbalance in the brain, a behaviorist will say that it is learned helplessness, a rational emotional therapist will say it is an unrealistic expectation of the self, a psychoanalyst will say his childhood made him neurotic. In other words, if all someone has is a hammer, every problem looks like a nail. In reality there is no one cause of anxiety that can be pinpointed, but any of the above might lead in the right direction.
Cures
Perhaps more important than the cause of anxiety is which cure would best suit the patient. Talk therapy works best with people that are verbal and do not fear expressing themselves. Others feel more comfortable in a group therapy situation in which they can feel nurtured. Some are so incapacitated by their anxieties that they are barely able to function; in these cases, medication, usually a serotonin re-uptake inhibitor like Prozac might be indicated.
REBT
Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy, or REBT, developed by Dr. Albert Ellis in response to his own irrational fear of public speaking, treats anxiety on a variety of ways, through unconditional self-acceptance, relaxation techniques, logical problem solving and nifty methods like cognitive distraction and role playing. Again, what works depends on the kind of person who has the anxiety, but one of those methods are bound to work for most people, often without medication.
Quieting
At least one method not requiring the guidance/assistance of a therapist is one with the prerequisite of being able and willing to look inward and quiet down. It addresses the mental clutter and incessant negative chatter that goes on inside a person’s head every waking moment. John Selby, author of the book “Quiet Your Mind,” suggests that you become aware of your automatic responses of flight or fight and replace them with inner clarity and peace. Any kind of meditation, whether mindfulness meditation, transcendental meditation or yoga—or anything else that lets you gain control over your mind—will ultimately be beneficial and help banish anxiety.
References
- Anxiety Disorder Association of America
- Anxiety Disorder Association of America
- "How to Control Your Anxiety Before It Controls You"; Albert Ellis; 1998
- "Quiet Your Mind"; John Selby; 2004
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