What is OCD, or Obsessive Compulsive Anxiety Disorder?

Obsessive compulsive anxiety disorder (OCD), is an anxiety disorder marked by routine compulsions and obsessions that interfere with common functioning.

Many of us tend to keep a day by day routine. For instance, most people wash their hands before eating, and double check the locks on their cars and houses if they have to go somewhere. It is even natural to make sure that all your book collections are ordered according to size and all your clothes kept according to colour. The passion to be tidy or have something a certain way is not normally a problem.

If you can not stop yourself from washing your hands ten times in a row, or if you are very fearful of getting germs from other people, then you have stepped over the boundary of normal. This can interfere with your normal maturation as a social being with social, educational and occupational roles to play.

Two percent of the population suffers from OCD. OCD conduct is ordinarily brought on because of a heightened feel of danger or trauma. Performing these repetitive, unnecessary actions are frequently the consequence of unfounded fears.

What Types of OCD Exist?

Physicians have separated OCD into five categories. These categories show the fundamental fear that causes the obsessive conduct:

• Fear of Contamination -- These affected individuals go out of their way to avoid touching people or items that they guess will give them germs. These are people who have an irrational fear of getting contaminated by dirt and germs. Affected individuals of this type wash their hands, clothes, and anything else they can think of repeatedly.
• Fear of Tragedy - Individuals who fear undesirable events are termed as the "Checkers. This group is nicknamed the "Checkers" because of their compulsion to re-check their locks repeated times before leaving the house. This kind of OCD behavior leads them to develop extensive, time-consuming routines that intervene with activities of daily living.
• Fear of Messiness -- Although a lot of people don't like a mess, this group of individuals has an inordinate fear of things in their life being out of order. They constantly re-organize objects at home and work and become extraordinarily disturbed if someone else comes along and moves something.
• Fear of Awful Thoughts - Individuals who are considered "Obsessionals" are trapped with the fear of brutal, unwelcome thoughts such as hurting themselves or a loved one. To banish their unpleasant thoughts, they may sing a word over and over or count to the highest number they can.
• Fear of Throwing Items Away - Those with fear of discarding items are called the "Hoarders. They are paralyzed by the fear of needing something that has already been thrown away, so they keep things (yes, even refuse and junk) even those that they would definitely not need anymore. They also collect a mound of potentially practical items, but have so many of them that they could never put them all to good use.

Obsessive compulsive anxiety disorder is a psychoneurotic behavior. OCD may be caused by many factors, some of which are depression, chemical imbalances of the brain, or some other break in a person's early stages development. Because the exact cause of obsessive compulsive anxiety disorder varies from each person, and may be hard to determine, OCD treatment normally includes both therapy and medication.

Panic Anxiety Disorder, Is it Treatable?

A familiar psychological illness known as panic anxiety disorder is often diagnosed because a patient is suffering panic attacks throughout the day. Individuals with panic attack disorder suddenly become exceedingly nervous with no precise reason. The attacks happen at all times and places and are frequently experienced over and over.

In America alone, nearly three million individuals suffer through this disease. These people can't forecast when the attacks can occur, which is why they are left with vivid fear worrying when the following panic attack might occur. It is known to occur much more frequently in women than in men.

How can I tell if I have had a panic attack? We know that a panic attack can occur at anytime and anywhere. When the attack happens, the sufferer may feel like he or she is about to have a heart attack feeling symptoms such as chest pains, palpitations, profuse sweating, clammy hands, among many others.

The length of a panic attack varies from each individual, and even from one attack to another. Some attacks only persist a few short minutes, while others can be lots longer. Panic attacks are so crushing that a person may greatly fear having another one, and this fear can become so overwhelming it actually pushes them over the border to having another attack.

There are two basic groups of panic disorders:

• Fear of Being in Public Places -- This category of panic disorder causes a person to avoid things that may cause them concern. This means people suffering from this type of panic attack disorder refuse to leave their dwelling in case an attack happens to them out in public.
• Panic Disorder Without Agoraphobia -- In this group, the attacks are still unexpected but the person does not also struggle with a dread of public places. The fear is there most of the time, but it is not as crippling as the first type.

How Does a Panic Disorder Come into being?

How does a panic attack originate? Doctors would like to pinpoint an exact root of panic anxiety disorder, but this has not been determined as of yet. It is believed that anxiety attacks are genetically-related. A panic attack can be triggered by experiencing hardship, such as losing your job or home, or some other awful adjustment in your life. Thyrotoxicosis, hypoglycemia and other medical conditions have found to cause panic anxiety problems in a number of people. It can also be related to the long-term use of stimulants like cocaine, amphetamines, or even caffeine.

Overcoming Panic Attacks

There are assorted ways to treat a panic disorder. There are different forms of treatment available for a panic attack disorder, including self-help and relaxation methods, professional direction, medicine and therapy. One manner of therapy involves mimicking the actual physical symptoms of a panic attack in a controlled situation to train the patient ways to cope with their condition.

Panic anxiety disorder is a potentially debilitating disease that can hamper your full maturation and growth as a social human being. Sometimes this disorder can not be treated, but you should undoubtedly try to free yourself from this horrible condition.

All About Generalized Anxiety Disorders

Many individuals suffer from generalized anxiety disorders(GAD), which are defined as exceeding and unrealistic anxiety throughout a regular day. GAD is one of the most dominant psychological anxiety conditions in our civilization today.

Anxiety is practically always part of anyone's every day routine. It is entirely normal to worry about your employment and your family. Worrying in itself is not a problem until it becomes so magnified that you can not function.

People with GAD are exceedingly concerned about general matters like family issues, health, money, friend or relationship problems, death, and or work difficulties.
This inordinate anxiousness can rule your entire day and last for months on end.

GAD and Depression

Physical symptoms of GAD can range from mere headaches and sweating to difficulty sleeping and muscle tenseness.
A person with GAD often feels gloomy,feels unhappy in addition to feeling nervous.

It is also often accompanied by other elements of social phobia such as self-consciousness and fear of being unable to escape in enclosed areas.

GAD: Analyzing the Causes

The main cause of GAD has yet to be entirely understood. As with so many other psychological disorders, GAD appears to run in families. Though we may not know the main cause, other causes of generalized anxiety disorder may be related to the usage of drugs or a neurological imbalance. If you have a chemical instability in your brain, you hold a higher risk of developing GAD.

Diagnoses and Treatments for GAD

Diagnosing generalized anxiety, or any type of anxiety disorder for that matter, would contain a round of tests provided by a health care provider. Treating generalized anxiety disorder can not start until an dependable diagnosis has been reached. During GAD treatment, the doctor's first priority is helping the individual regain a normal level of function. The treatment would depend on the severity of the condition, but would encompass the following options:

• Therapeutic Techniques -- Cognitive behavioral therapy can show you ways to relax or hypnotize you for treatment of this disorder.
• Prescription Drugs -- Your doctor may try selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors (SSRIs), anti-depressants, or an anti-anxiety medication to handle your anxiety.
• Consultation with a Psychiatrist
• Self-help

Other Probable Problems

If you suffer from a generalized anxiety disorder, you may also have some other psychiatric condition. Having GAD can even touch your social life, as you may feel so much pain that you can not function normally in a social context.

Having a GAD can affect your life to the point that you find it trying to fulfill your familiar daily activities. If you know someone suffering with a generalized anxiety disorders, help them find an experienced therapist who can aid them.

What Is Anxiety?

What is Anxiety? Many people now who are faced with anxiety issue find themselves asking the same question. Most people have some variety of anxiety. An acute feeling of fear, worry, apprehension, or nervousness when faced with factors out of our control is the most common definition of anxiety.

What are the Signs of Everyday Anxiety?

With this definition of anxiety, you will find out that anxiety is not all a terrible thing. The concept of survival of the fittest has indicated that our bodies instinctively respond to anxiety by making us sweat, increasing our heart rate, and drying out our mouth. It is when your body prepares for the release of the hormone called adrenaline which helps you cope with stressful situations.

How Anxiety Can Become an Obstacle In Your Life

Notwithstanding, anxiety becomes a problem when it is felt for unjustifiable reasons. Psychological anxiety is more difficult than everyday anxiety, and this might be your problem if your worries interfere with your day-to-day life.

The following are symptoms of psychological anxiety:

• insomnia or sleeping difficulties
• you can not cease worrying all day long
• you are easily riled
• you have no initiative to complete daily tasks
• you are easily distracted
• you fear that you are going dotty
• derealisation where you feel detached from everything around you

When there are complications, anxiety tends to become worse. If you already struggle with some added mental or emotional problem such as depression, you are more prone to have anxiety as well. If you know someone who has one or more of these conditions, you need to be aware that the chances of them harming themselves or others is very high.

Causes of Anxiety

What causes psychological anxiety disorder? Psychological anxiety may have been caused by another condition such as depression.

Researchers have found that one of the following factors usually has played a role in the development of anxiety:

• Heredity - Anxiety disorders seem to run in families.
• Levels of Certain Chemicals in Your Brain - If you have ever used street drugs such as cristal or LCD, you have altered your brain chemistry permanently and are at a higher risk for suffering from psychological disorders.
• Personality - Individuals who can not seem to deal with daily stresses, or who do not feel right about themselves overall, have an increased chance of developing anxiety.
• Your Life in General - If you struggle with being penniless or are in an abusive relationship, you are more prone to have anxiety. Traumatic experiences such as losing a loved one increase your likelihood of having anxiety.

I have anxiety -- now what?

What is anxiety and what are the options for treatment? The first step in treating anxiety is to make sure you have been correctly diagnosed. Treatments for anxiety disorders change from person to person. The most normal methods to treat anxiety include the use of medication, learning how to relax, some type of psychotherapy, and joining a support group.