Anxiety: The Body's Biological And Psychological Response To Stress

Anxiety is defined as the body’s natural response to danger, an automatic alarm that goes off when you feel threatened, under pressure, or are facing a stressful situation. A little bit of anxiety can actually help a person stay attentive and on track. If we did not feel a certain level of pressure at a job or school, then perhaps we wouldn’t care about it as much. We might slack or leave a few loose ends that may cause us to fall behind. A little bit is actually beneficial, but unfortunately there are people who have to deal with anxiety as part of a mental illness or disorder. There are different types of anxiety which include: general anxiety disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, panic disorder, and social phobia.

Alternatively Hadley (1995) puts forward the view that contrary to popular belief, anxiety actually arises out of thoughts of potential danger and not the actual danger that produces the symptoms of anxiety. In support of this view the document by Chrysalis states that “feelings of anxiety come from apprehension or fear, the source of which is not always recognisable”. Feeling anxious at certain times in our life is a normal instinctual response that serves as a protection to aid survival. It teaches us to avoid dangerous situations and in this way is a learning process however the subconscious can sometimes work overtime resulting in response to all situations that feel remotely similar to the one that has made us feel anxious in the first instance (Chrysalis 2010 1-5 pp7). This document describes how anxiety will affect our whole being, our emotions, our behaviour and our physical health. Anxiety becomes a problem when its level rises above normal and interfere with a person’s life, associated physical symptoms include, trembling, tense muscles, churning stomach, nausea, diarrhoea, headache, heart palpitations, pins and needles, sweating or flushing (Chrysalis 2010 1-5 pp7). These feelings coupled with the physical symptoms experienced make a person want

What causes all of these symptoms? Anxiety is known as a physiological or behavioral change that causes the formation of symptoms and affects the coping mechanism that affects a person’s everyday reaction to a stressor (Stuart 219). These changes occur at the autonomic nervous system, which influences the parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous systems which are in turn responsible for body processes. The sympathetic nervous system is responsible for the “fight or flight” defense system which is what causes anxiety. Anxiety is perceived by the cortex of the brain which sends a stimuli to the adrenal glands which then release epinephrine, which causes you to breathe harder, you pulse and blood pressure increase. Blood moves away from the stomach and intestines where it was used to digestion and it shifts towards the heart, CNS, and muscles to replenish resources used during flight or fight (Stuart 220-1). GABA and Serotonin are also both responsible for the cause of anxiety. GABA which is affects the amygdale and hippocampus which is the center for emotions such as fear, arousal, and rage. Dysregulated Serotonin is likely play a role in the cause of anxiety (Stuart 222).

Anxiety has both mental and physical effects, it is our internal alarm system to put our mind on a physical alert and prepares for us a "fight or flight response". This alarm can go away when we know that everything is okay and there is no danger nearby or nothing is going to happen but sometimes our alarm will not shut off and then an anxiety problem persists. There are different types of anxiety disorders and I will discuss generalized anxiety disorder

I will discuss what Anxiety is, how to diagnose it, and also how to treat it. It is very common and I’m pretty sure most of you know basically what it is. But just in case I will go over the main important things to know about Anxiety. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, anxiety disorders involve more than temporary worry or fear. For a person with an anxiety disorder, the anxiety does not go away and can get worse over time. The feelings can interfere with daily activities such as job performance, school work, and relationships. There are several different types of anxiety disorders. Examples include generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, and social anxiety disorder. According to the American psychological association, Anxiety is an emotion characterized by feelings of tension, worried thoughts, and invisible changes like increased blood pressure. You can have OCD, phobias, panic attacks, and PTSD. OCD is basically anxiety that takes the form of obsessions and compulsions. I know many of you guys are scared of spiders or bees and that is

Anxiety is sometimes considered to be a normal reaction to stress. It may help a person to deal with a difficult situation, however

Anxiety is the body's reaction to stressful, dangerous, or unfamiliar situations. The patient may feel uneasiness, distress, or dread you feel before a significant event (Anxiety.org, 2017). Treatment usually consists of antidepressant or anti-anxiety pills and therapy. The average cost for treatment with patients with anxiety is

What makes the anxiety vary from fear is that it is not focused on a specific event or object, and the person is not aware of the cause of unpleasant emotions. Depressing feeling, mood state, helplessness, hopelessness, followed by feelings of guilt, sadness, inadequacy is also affective reactions. Similarly anxiety that is experienced as a feeling of fear, but without an objective danger, depression is most easily be understood as a feeling of sadness, grief, for no apparent reason.

     Anxiety is a normal reaction to stress. It helps some one deal with a tense situation in the office, study harder for an exam, keep focused on an important speech. In general, it helps some one cope. But when anxiety becomes an excessive, irrational dread of everyday situations, it has become a disabling disorder.

Anxiety is caused by the malfunction of neurotransmitters within the brain. The resulting symptoms can include pervasive feelings of dread and uneasiness and physical conditions including sweaty palms and increased heart rate. In most cases, anti-depressants or benzodiazepines will be prescribed to help ease symptoms,

The second system that plays a large role in panic attacks is the hypothalamus. Along with the amygdala, the hypothalamus plays a key part in the autonomic function of the nervous system. It works to regulate homeostasis within the body as well as monitor behaviors such as drinking and eating. In the case of patients with social anxiety disorder, the hypothalamus constantly sends chemical signals to the sympathetic nervous system that can implement fight or flight response, which is often exemplified through states of panic and anxiety (Wilent, 2009). Again, with the help of the amygdala, these signals are activated through chemical receptors. Irregular stimulation of chemical receptors in the

Anxiety is a complicated issue because it is not fully understood. Anxiety can be cause because of imbalances within the body of certain neurotransmitters, past experiences, thoughts and behaviors, or unknown causes. Bhatt et al. (2017) discusses the pathophysiology of anxiety and the links that are thought to exist. In the central nervous system there are many neurotransmitters that are thought to be related to the mediation of anxiety symptoms. These include norepinephrine, serotonin, dopamine, and GABA. The central nervous system and the sympathetic nervous system work together and can affect the symptoms of anxiety. For example, if there is an abundance of norepinephrine, which increases the heart rate and blood pressure, a patient could feel anxious and the sympathetic nervous system would be evidenced by the patient’s inability to sit still and constant pacing. Bhatt et al. (2017) explains how the use of a PET scanning shows the relationship between the anxiety panic disorder and the increased blood flow to the right parahippocampal region with decreased serotonin binding. In addition to the PET scan, a MRI demonstrated a smaller temporal lobe volume despite the normal hippocampal volume in these patients (Bhatt et al., 2017).

The "fight or flight" response triggers a flood of stress hormones called Cortisol which is designed to make the body's speed, circulation, heart rate, and reflexes a lot quicker than normal. Children for example who grew up in more of a abusive, argumentative environment are more prone to look aware for potential threats, even if there are none around. Even the way people eat can affect someone's anxiety. Studies have shown from The National Institute of Mental Health students who ate foods high in sugar, processed foods, and refined grains were more likely to experience anxiety. The students who had a rich diet in omega 3s experienced a twenty percent reduction in stressful environments. A long term effect of having anxiety can cause spikes in blood sugar, greater susceptibility to ulcers, cardiovascular problems, prone to more blood clots, increased stomach acid making the body feel nausea, pupil dilation, hyperventilation, confusion, shaking, chills, and headaches.In order for the body to prevent anxiety there must be a lot of work put into

As Mahatma Gandhi said, "Man often becomes what he believes himself to be." Therefore, if you feel that you are a very stressed person or doomed to feel stressed out, then you will likely find ways to manifest that stress through your perception on life. In addition, you won 't even bother to learn how to deal with stress because you won 't believe you can.

Anxiety is sourced by the breakdown of neurotransmitters inside the brain. The consequence signs can include persistent feelings of fear & restlessness and physical state comprising sweating palms & augmented heart rate. In most of the cases, anti-depressants will be recommended to assist ease symptoms, but these therapies aren't without their negative aspects, mainly possible