Anxiety

Anxiety can exist as a condition varying in severity and ranging from feelings of apprehension, stress, and worry to states of fearfulness, phobia, and all out terror. Mild cases may not be as detectable for those individuals affected; however, more severe examples can be quite noticeable and debilitating.

As changing social and economic conditions in American culture continue to accelerate, the capacity of our coping abilities are often overwhelmed. As a result many individuals may find themselves adapting to such negatively charged situations much less effectively, and experiencing avoidance, obsessive thinking, compulsive behaviors, chronic worry, and phobic responses.

Social phobia may occur if a person is experiencing a persistent fear of a particular social or performance situation in which he/she is exposed to unfamiliar people or to possible scrutiny by others. Specific phobias would be a state of anxiety specifically linked to the stimuli producing it, such as fear of flying, or fear of public speaking.

Anxiety or panic attacks include distinct physical symptoms such as palpitations, accelerated heart rate, excessive sweating, trembling; shortness of breath, chest pain/discomfort; nausea, dizziness, and fear of losing control. Individuals experiencing panic symptoms often mistake it for a heart attack.

Obsessions may take the form of intrusive, persistent thoughts that can often only be alleviated by some accompanying compulsive behavior. In these examples as with others, treatment may begin when the person recognizes that the anxiety is excessive or unreasonable.