Stress and Anxiety, symptoms, causes, treatment

STRESS AND ANXIETY

This is a feeling of emotional or physical tension and any event or thought that makes you feel frustrated, angry, or nervous, can cause stress. Anxiety is different condition and it is a feeling of fear, unease, and worry. The source of these symptoms is not always known.

Stress is a kind of your body's reaction to a challenge or demand. In short bursts, stress can be positive, such as when it helps you avoid danger or meet a deadline. But when stress lasts for a long time, it may harm your health.

TWO MAIN TYPES OF STRESS:

• Acute stress. This is short-term stress that goes away quickly. You feel it when you slam on the brakes, have a fight with your partner, or ski down a steep slope. It helps you manage dangerous situations. It also occurs when you do something new or exciting. All people have acute stress at one time or another.
• Chronic stress. This is stress that lasts for a longer period of time. You may have chronic stress if you have money problems, an unhappy marriage, or trouble at work. Any type of stress that goes on for weeks or months is chronic stress. You can become so used to chronic stress that you don't realize it is a problem. If you don't find ways to manage stress, it may lead to health problems.

STRESS AND YOUR BODY:

Your body reacts to stress by releasing hormones. These hormones make your brain more alert, cause your muscles to tense, and increase your pulse. In the short term, these reactions are good because they can help you handle the situation causing stress. This is your body's way of protecting itself.

When you have chronic stress, your body stays alert, even though there is no danger. Over time, this puts you at risk for health problems, including:

• High blood pressure
• Heart disease
• Diabetes
• Obesity
• Depression or anxiety
• Skin problems, such as acne or eczema
• Menstrual problems

If you already have a health condition, chronic stress can make it worse.

SIGNS OF TOO MUCH STRESS

Stress can cause many types of physical and emotional symptoms. Sometimes, you may not realize these symptoms are caused by stress. Here are some signs that stress may be affecting you:

• Diarrhea or constipation
• Forgetfulness
• Frequent aches and pains
• Headaches
• Lack of energy or focus
• Sexual problems
• Stiff jaw or neck
• Tiredness
• Trouble sleeping or sleeping to much
• Upset stomach
• Use of alcohol or drugs to relax
• Weight loss or gain

Causes

The causes of stress are different for each person. You can have stress from good challenges and as well as bad ones. Some common sources of stress include:

• Getting married or divorced
• Starting a new job
• The death of a spouse or close family member
• Getting laid off
• Retiring
• Having a baby
• Money problems
• Moving
• Having a serious illness
• Problems at work
• Problems at home

When to Contact a Medical Professional

Call a suicide hotline if you have thoughts of suicide.

Call your health care provider if you feel overwhelmed by stress, or if it is affecting your health. Also call your provider if you notice new or unusual symptoms.

Reasons you may want to seek help are:

• You have feelings of panic, such as dizziness, rapid breathing, or a racing heartbeat.
• You are unable to work or function at home or at your job.
• You have fears that you cannot control.
• You are having memories of a traumatic event.

Your provider may refer you to a mental health care provider. You can talk to this professional about your feelings, what seems to make your stress better or worse, and why you think you are having this problem.

The Symptoms

First, let's look further at the physical symptoms.  Although the specific manifestations of anxiety vary for each person, this chronic state of tension can affect six major systems of the body.

In the cardiovascular system, anxiety increases blood pressure, which causes tachycardia (rapid heartbeat), constriction of the blood vessels in the arms and legs, and dilation of the vessels surrounding the skeletal muscles. These changes produce symptoms of palpitations (an uncomfortable awareness of the heart rate), headaches, and cold fingers.

In the gastrointestinal system, anxiety leads to reduced salivary secretions, spasms within the esophagus (the hollow muscular tube leading from the nose and mouth to the stomach), and alterations in the stomach, intestines, and anal sphincter. These systemic changes result in symptoms of dry mouth, difficulty swallowing, "butterflies" in the stomach, the gurgling sounds of gas in the intestines, and mucous colitis (an inflammation of the colon), causing spasms, diarrhea and/or constipation, and cramp-like pains in the upper stomach.

In the respiratory system, anxiety leads to hyperventilation, or overbreathing, which reduces the carbon dioxide in the blood, with symptoms of "air hunger," deep sighs, and pins-and-needles sensations.

In the genitourinary systems, the anxious person can experience the need for frequent urination. Men may have difficulty maintaining an erection during intercourse; women may have difficulty becoming sexually aroused or achieving orgasm.

In the musculoskeletal system, the muscles become tense. Involuntary trembling of the body, tension headaches, and other aches and pains may develop.

Through changes in the central nervous system, the anxious person is generally more apprehensive, aroused, and vigilant, feeling "on edge," impatient, or irritable. He may complain of poor concentration, insomnia, and fatigue.

Generalized Anxiety or Panic Attacks?

When someone complains about these symptoms, and if he has excessive worries, too, then he might be suffering from what we call generalized anxiety disorder.  There is often a fine line between the diagnosis of panic disorder and that of generalized anxiety disorder. Three features distinguish them. First, the symptoms themselves: if an individual is chronically anxious (as he would be with generalized anxiety disorder) and also experiences episodes of panic, then panic disorder will be the more likely diagnosis.

The second distinction is the kind of fearful thoughts associated with the problem. Most people with generalized anxiety disorder will worry about the kinds of interactions they will have with others: "Will I fail in this work setting?" "Are they going to accept me?" "I'm afraid he's going to leave me." "What if they discover how little I know?" "I'll never perform up to their expectations."

With panic disorder, the imagined response of others is secondary to the fear of personal catastrophe or loss of control, and the person's internal statements and questions will reflect this apprehension: "What if I faint (become hysterical, have a heart attack, cause a scene . . .), and people see me?" The panic-prone person focuses more on his inability to be in 100 percent control of all his physical and mental capacities. The anxious person focuses more on his inability to cope with the expectations and responses of those around him.

The third difference has to do with the person's response to his fears. The anxious person thinks about withdrawing from situations that increase his anxiety, and may procrastinate on performance tasks. The person with panic disorder, on the other hand, is quick to use avoidance as a way to diminish discomfort. In a matter of days he will begin to identify the situations that are associated with the symptoms and determine how he can steer clear of them. With panic, he immediately views avoidance as the single best solution to the problem.

Treatment of Generalized Anxiety

Mental health professionals have developed a variety of treatment approaches that have proved successful against this disorder. These often include cognitive behavioral therapies that seek to alter the way that generalized anxiety sufferers think about and respond to troubling situations.

Some individuals report that they have regained control of their lives without medication or extensive psychological counseling by learning anxiety management techniques. Systematic tensing and relaxing of muscle groups, a technique known as progressive muscle relaxation, has helped a large percent of these sufferers. Some patients report that physical exercise programs, perhaps requiring no more than 30 minutes a day and no more strenuous than brisk walking, provide relief from generalized anxiety. Meditation, yoga, massage and biofeedback are other relaxation tools that may be beneficial for some people. Controlled breathing and refusing one's thoughts on the present may also reduce anxiety.

These techniques do not provide instant relief. As a rule, they take effect gradually, and they must be practiced regularly for lasting benefit.

Understanding their own thought processes and how they evaluate disturbing situations helps some people control their anxieties. Cognitive therapy is designed to reduce anxiety by giving individuals the skills to assess situations more realistically. Patients may be trained to identify anxious and unrealistic thoughts and develop techniques to change their responses. Cognitive therapy may be supported by instruction in altering behavior or by lifestyle changes designed to cut down on stress.

Medication has also proven effective in relieving anxiety symptoms, particularly in providing fast relief from acute anxiety, and allowing other therapy to go forward.