10 Signs Of Anxiety Disorder That You Should Know

Based on Sally Winston, PsyD, co-director of the Anxiety and Stress Disorder Institute of Maryland in Towson, "The distinction between an anxiety disorder and just having normal anxiety is whether your emotions are causing a lot of suffering and dysfunction".

Anxiety disorder is one serious mental illness where the person experiences excessive worrying disturbance that causes their daily life to be affected. 

It might seem normal for us to feel worried and anxious when presenting our projects to the boss, facing difficulties in life or even facing an exam. But for those who constantly experience such feelings non-stop in their life might not be normal due to the mental illness the individual is having,

So the question is, how does one identify whether he/she is having a mental illness or perhaps it's just something normal.

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10 Signs of Anxiety Disorders

You must identify any of these signs on you so that you can immediately seek professional help to overcome this problem.

1. Sleep Disturbance

Whenever you encounter a problem, you will feel this uneasiness and difficulty shutting your eyes due to imagining the same problem all the time. As long as that issue has not been solved, it will constantly pressure you into having these feelings.

For instance, you've been summoned to court for breaking the law, and for those with anxiety disorders will have a hard time relaxing and calming down. It will haunt them to their sleep until the problem is solved.

2. Fear Without Cause

In most cases, fear will always come at a cause. Like scared of poisonous snakes or even armed thugs. But for those who have fear without any probable reason can be very worrying.

It can be that you are afraid of the rain, height or even something that you weren't afraid of before. This is closely related to anxiety disorder. It's when you are scared of something that even you cannot explant the logic behind it.

3. Muscle Cramps

Many people will feel panic without them even realizing it. Because of that, most of you will experience muscle cramps without any explanation. It's all because of the constant panic that causes you to get muscle cramps and you might want to control it as it can pose a threat to your health.

You never want any muscle injury that will make it hard for you to perform your daily tasks.

4. Indigestion

Not just that but panic can also result in problems with your digestion and the constant diarrhea, cramps or bloating will caused uneasiness to you. Having muscle cramps is trouble enough for you, you definitely don't want to add another issue.

5. Psychogenic Fever

This is a stress-related fever that one can experience when exposed to emotional events causing the body temperature to rise as high as 41 °C. With the fear still present, it will make the symptoms even worse and you will also feel sweaty with trembling hands and feet.

In a worst-case scenario, one can also faint from it.

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6. Rapid Heartbeat

According to the National Institute of Mental Health(NIMH), a heartbeat that is faster than normal is one sign of anxiety disorder. Research has shown that an individual that is in distress will result in the production of adrenaline.

Due to the fight and flight situation, the person's heart will beat rapidly without any cause.

7. Hyperventilation

A person with anxiety will constantly hyperventilate due to the rapid heartbeat. Hyperventilation will cause breathing to become much faster and can cause suffocation to the victim.

When we breathe, we are sucking in oxygen and blow out carbon dioxide. However, if we were to breathe in too fast, the carbon monoxide level in the blood will be lower to ensure that the body is getting enough oxygen. Due to that, people with anxiety will look exhausted as if they just finished a race.

Breathing training is crucial for people with anxiety as the proper technique will ensure that the person remains calm and relaxed.

8. Excessive Sweating

Due to feeling nervous and anxious for a long time, the person will sweat excessively in areas such as the palm or armpits. These symptoms will make a person with anxiety feel uneasy and have low self-esteem.

To make matters worst, the person will also smell really bad.

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9. High Craving or Loss of Appetite

Anxiety disorders will either make the person eats too much or perhaps nothing at all. Some people lose their appetite for days simply due to the stress that they are facing.

However, some have high cravings for sweets and junk food. They will eat non-stop until they feel satisfied.

10. Trembling Hands

This is one of the main signs of anxiety disorder. Sometimes the hand or fingers will start to tremble all of a sudden without any reason. Based on NIMH, this is one of the signs of high levels of stress hormones.

This condition is also dangerous if left untreated especially if the person is operating heavy machinery or driving a car.

If you feel that you have had any of these symptoms for a long time, it is wise to go and see a doctor for help. With the help of the experts, you will find the best way to overcome the feeling of worry and anxiety.

Source:

• Medical Psychology and Beyond

• Whiteswan Foundation

• American Psychiatric Association

Also read: 7 Facts On Insomnia That You Should Know