Anxiety disorder, also known as anxiety neurosis, is characterized by generalized anxiety disorder (chronic anxiety disorder) and episodic panic state (acute anxiety disorder) as the main clinical manifestations, often accompanied by dizziness, chest tightness, palpitations, dyspnea, dry mouth, urinary frequency, urinary urgency, sweating, tremor and motor restlessness, whose anxiety is not caused by an actual threat or whose degree of nervousness and panic is very disproportionate to the reality of the situation.
[Definition and Overview].
Anxiety disorders are different from normal anxiety reactions: first, they are unprovoked anxiety, tension and fear without a clear object or content; second, they point to the future, as if some threat is imminent, but the patient himself cannot say what kind of threat or danger exists; third, they last for a long time, and without active and effective treatment, they are difficult to be cured for weeks, months or even years. Finally, anxiety disorders present a persistent or episodic state of panic in addition to a variety of physical symptoms.
In short, pathological anxiety is a form of unfounded panic and nervousness, experienced psychologically as generalized worry and panic with no fixed goal, and physiologically accompanied by physical symptoms of increased alertness.
These symptoms are not only found in simple anxiety disorders, but also in some psychiatric disorders, such as schizophrenia, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and other psychiatric disorders. The anxiety symptoms of such disorders are only one of their symptoms. These anxiety symptoms are not essentially different from simple anxiety disorders in terms of clinical symptoms and psychiatry, and may be more complicated to treat than simple anxiety disorders because other symptoms of such patients need to be treated along with their anxiety symptoms, so a distinction needs to be made here from simple anxiety disorders.
Anxiety disorders are commonly referred to as anxiety states, the full name of which is anxiety neurosis.
Anxiety disorders are brain dysfunctions with persistent anxiety, fear, tension, and impaired plant nerve activity, often accompanied by motor restlessness and somatic discomfort. It occurs in young adults, and there is no significant difference in the incidence between men and women.
Classification of disorders
Anxiety disorder is a state with significant and persistent psychological and physical anxiety symptoms, and is not caused by other diseases.
It is divided into two categories: persistent symptoms (generalized anxiety disorder) and paroxysmal symptoms.
The latter is further divided into anxiety disorders that occur in specific states (phobic anxiety disorders) and anxiety disorders that can occur in any situation (panic disorder).
Fear and anxiety disorders are subdivided into specific phobia, social phobia, and agoraphobia.
The patient’s emotions are very unsettling and fearful, often showing excessive worry about something in real life or something in the future, or sometimes the patient can worry without a clear goal. This worry is often out of proportion to reality and can be very distressing to the patient. It is also accompanied by symptoms of plant nervous disorders such as hypertension and muscle tension.
The pre-morbid character of anxiety disorders is mostly timid and fearful, with low self-esteem and suspiciousness, thinking before and after doing things, hesitating, and unable to adapt quickly to new things and new environments. The reasons for the onset of the disease are mental factors, such as being in a stressful environment and not being able to adapt, experiencing misfortune or difficulty in undertaking a more complex and difficult job.
Anxiety (an unpleasant state of tension without a clear cause) can occur in normal people when they are faced with difficult or dangerous tasks, and when they have a feeling that an unfavorable situation or danger will occur. Anxiety is not a bad thing; it can often motivate you to muster up the strength to cope with an impending crisis (or anxiety is a positive stress instinct). It is only when the level and duration of anxiety exceeds a certain level that it becomes a symptom of anxiety, which can have the opposite effect – preventing a person from coping with the crisis in front of him or her, or even from living a normal life. It is possible to feel anxious most of the time without any clear reason; in fact, nothing can be done. Anxiety symptoms are also seen in affective psychosis, schizophrenia, obsessive-compulsive neurosis, dysthymia, organic blurred states of consciousness, hyperthyroidism, etc. Therefore, the broad term “anxiety disorder” is a general term for a large group of disorders, including obsessive-compulsive disorder, phobias, panic disorder, post-traumatic disorder, and so on. The anxiety disorders mentioned here are narrowly defined and are officially diagnosed as generalized anxiety disorders. At present, it is considered that anxiety disorder is diagnosed only when the cause of anxiety is not obvious or disproportionate to the degree of anxiety, when the symptoms of anxiety are prominent and other symptoms are not obvious, and when the duration of the disorder is long.
Clinical manifestations
Patients show anxiety, panic and nervousness, feeling that the worst thing is about to happen, often restless, lack of security, worrying all day long, distracted, and losing interest in external things. In severe cases, there is fear and panic reactions to external stimuli, often accompanied by sleep disorders and plant nervous disorders, such as difficulty sleeping, nightmares, easy to wake up, pale or flushed face, easy to sweat, numbness in the limbs, muscle throbbing, dizziness, palpitations, tight pressure or choking sensation in the chest, loss of appetite, dry mouth, swelling and burning sensation in the abdomen, constipation or diarrhea, frequent urination, irregular menstruation, lack of sexual desire, etc.
[Effects of anxiety disorders on the immune system
In real life, people tend to get sick easily when they are stressed at work, when they are psychologically burdened, and when they are emotionally stressed, what is the reason? Experts believe that this is a manifestation of the influence of the vegetative nervous system on the immune system. When anxiety disorders appear, the plant nervous system is disturbed, and in turn, the function of the immune system is disturbed, resulting in a variety of persistent diseases.
Anxiety disorders lead to many diseases, such as.
1. chronic pharyngitis, mouth ulcers
2, irritable bowel syndrome, colitis, chronic gastritis
3.Nervous headache, dizziness, lightheadedness, insomnia, and dreaminess
4, excessive sweating, sweating, night sweats, fear of cold, fear of wind
5, cardiac neurosis, gastric neurosis
6.Neck muscle stiffness, joint wandering pain, phantom limb pain
7, poor memory, slow reaction, neurasthenia
8, premature ejaculation, easy to catch a cold, low immunity
Patients with anxiety disorders do not have all of the above symptoms, some one, some two, some several, regardless of several, there is only one root cause: that is, plant nerve dysfunction. Patients with anxiety disorders, if the symptoms are mild, take some vitamin B1 and glutamate in moderation, etc., which have some regulatory effect; if the symptoms are heavy (such as the emergence of immune system disorders), neuroimmune agents have a very obvious effect.
[Pathological phenomena].
1. anxiety is an emotional state in which the patient’s basic internal experience is fear, such as being on edge, apprehension, or even extreme panic or terror.
2, this emotion is unpleasant and painful, and can have a feeling of imminent death or imminent deficiency and fainting.
3. the emotion points to the future, it implies some kind of threat or danger that is imminent or about to happen
4. there is actually no threat or danger or, by reasonable standards, the event that induces anxiety is not proportional to the severity of the anxiety
5. there is somatic discomfort, psychomotor agitation, and vegetative dysfunction concurrent with the experience of anxiety.
The above symptomatological descriptions are remarkable. We may wish to subsume and simplify them slightly. Anxiety symptoms include three aspects.
1. a distressing emotional experience that is disproportionate to the situation. The typical form is a preoccupation and fear without a definite objective object and a specific and fixed conceptual content. Often referred to in the literature as free-floatinganxiety or anxiety without a name.
2. Psychomotor restlessness. Fidgeting, walking back and forth, or even running and shouting, which may also be manifested as involuntary trembling or shivering.
3.Phytokinetic dysfunction accompanied by physical discomfort. Such as sweating, dry mouth, throat congestion, chest tightness and shortness of breath, difficulty in breathing, vertical hair, palpitations, red and white face, nausea and vomiting, urinary urgency, frequent urination, dizziness, and a feeling of weakness of the whole body, especially the legs. Only the emotional experience of anxiety without any manifestation of motor and vegetative nerve function cannot be reasonably considered as pathological symptoms. Conversely, purely physical manifestations without the internal experience of uneasiness and fear cannot be considered as anxiety.
[Symptomatology of anxiety disorders].
Anxiety disorders are a common psychological disorder with a higher prevalence in women than in men. Epidemiological studies have shown that approximately 4.1% to 6.6% of the urban population will have anxiety disorders during their lifetime.
The main symptom of anxiety disorders is that the patient is filled with excessive, prolonged, and vague anxiety and worry that do not have a clear cause. Although, these worries and anxieties resemble the normal, real crisis-induced worries and anxieties. For example, they may worry all day about their family’s financial situation, even if their bank account is well over six figures; or they may worry all day about their child’s safety, fearing that something will happen to him at school; more often than not, they themselves do not know for what, but just feel extremely anxious.
The specific symptoms of anxiety and worry lasting more than six months include the following four categories: physical tension, overreactivity of the autonomic nervous system, nameless worries about the future, and excessive resourcefulness. These symptoms can occur separately or together.
Physical tension: A person with anxiety often feels that he cannot relax and that his whole body is tense. His face is tense, his brow is furrowed, his expression is tense, and he sighs.
Autonomic nervous system overreactivity: The sympathetic and sympathetic nervous system of the anxiety disorder patient is often overloaded. Patients experience sweating, dizziness, shortness of breath, rapid heartbeat, chills and fever, cold hands and feet or fever, stomach difficulties, excessive urination and defecation, and a feeling of obstruction in the throat.
Unnamed worries about the future: People with anxiety disorders are always worried about the future. They worry about their loved ones, their possessions, and their health.
Excessive vigilance: People with anxiety disorders are like a soldier on sentry duty at all times, alert to every slightest movement in their surroundings. Because they are constantly on alert, it interferes with all their other tasks and even their sleep. [1]
[Causes of anxiety disorders].
Researchers from different schools of thought have different opinions about the causes of anxiety disorders. These opinions are not necessarily conflicting, but rather complementary.
1. Although somatic diseases or biological dysfunction would not be the only cause of anxiety disorders, in some rare cases, a patient’s anxiety symptoms can be triggered by somatic factors, for example, hyperthyroidism or adrenal tumors. Many researchers have tried to discover if it is the central nervous system, specifically certain neurotransmitters, that is responsible for triggering anxiety in patients with anxiety disorders. Much research has focused on two neurotransmitters: norepinephrine and serotonin. Many studies have found that when patients are in a state of anxiety, their brain levels of norepinephrine and serotonin change dramatically, but it has not been determined whether these changes are a cause or a consequence of anxiety symptoms.
2. Cognitive processes, or thinking, play an extremely important role in the development of anxiety symptoms. Studies have found that depressed patients are more inclined than the general population to interpret ambiguous, even benign, events as precursors to a crisis, to think that bad things will fall into their laps, to believe that failure awaits them, and to underestimate their ability to control negative events.
3. In the presence of a stressful event, anxiety disorders are more likely to occur. The disruption (overproduction) of thyroxine and norepinephrine, hormones associated with stress, has an amplifying effect on the above processes.
4, neural circuit hypothesis, in 2007, the international authoritative scientific journal “Nature” published the research results of Guoping Feng, a visiting researcher at the Institute of Neuroscience, Shanghai Institute of Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and a professor at Duke University, which revealed for the first time the physiological mechanism of compulsion, anxiety and depression, pointing out that “cortico-striatal-cortical circuit”. -It is pointed out that poor information transmission in the thalamus-cortex circuit is the pathological cause of anxiety, repression, and compulsion, and in the book “Mind Killing 2.0 – Freud’s Puzzle” published by Tsinghua University Press, it is further pointed out that compulsive anxiety is the asthma of the mind breathing. It is pointed out in the book “Mind Kills 2.0 – Freud’s Puzzle” by Tsinghua University Press that obsessive-compulsive anxiety is the asthma of the mind breathing, and effective psychological self-help methods developed by this principle to relieve anxiety and relieve pain are invented.
Differentiation of anxiety disorders
Patients with neurosis may have symptoms of anxiety, but the anxiety tension of anxiety disorders is more prominent than the symptoms of general neurosis. Phobias mostly manifest as fear and severe uneasiness about an object, a disease or a certain environment, and are often accompanied by other obsessive-compulsive ideas and behaviors that are accompanied by anxiety but are distinct from anxiety disorders. Hypochondriacs’ nervousness and fear are mostly secondary to symptoms of hypochondria, which are related to their own internal special discomfort and past life experiences, associations or suggestion, and should therefore be distinguished from anxiety disorders. Depression differs from anxiety disorders in that the former’s anxiety is inevitably related to his suspicion of illness and delusional notions such as self-criminalization, and sadness is always present behind the anxiety attacks of such patients; if an anxiety attack occurs suddenly in a person who was originally very well-adjusted, depression should be considered first after organic factors are excluded. Schizophrenia can also have severe anxiety or anxiety suspicion in its early stages, and it is not difficult to identify when the basic symptoms of schizophrenia are found. There are some patients with organic encephalopathy who may have anxiety or anxiety attacks when there are not yet clinically significant symptoms of dementia. Also, there are many drug intoxication or withdrawal symptoms that begin with anxiety and should be differentiated based on history and examination.
For general anxiety disorder, it is usually tension, uneasiness, and worry that persists over a longer period of time. So worrying about something, such as school or work, for more than six months constitutes an anxiety disorder. Anxiety and worry about being infected with bacteria (obsessive-compulsive disorder), panic attacks (panic disorder), making a fool of yourself in public (social phobia), gaining weight (anorexia nervosa), or serious illness (hypochondria) should apply to the corresponding psychological disorder. However, it is also possible to ease emotions and eliminate tension with certain measures for anxiety. If anxiety is caused by disease, drugs (including alcohol and drugs) with physiological effects, the elimination of these problems is the main focus.
【Prevention and treatment measures
The treatment of patients with anxiety disorders begins with psychotherapy. Care for the patient with sympathy, assist in eliminating the cause of the disease, have a correct understanding of the cause, solve specific difficulties, and explain the nature of the disease scientifically, and with the administration of appropriate amounts of anti-anxiety drugs. Such as Librium 10-20mg or Valium 2.5-7.5mg 3 times a day orally. It has been reported that 10~3 0mg of insulin, taken orally 3 times a day, has certain efficacy. Insulin hypoglycemia therapy has a sedative effect, when anxiety symptoms and depression symptoms exist at the same time, tricyclic antidepressants can be used in combination with Librium-type drugs.
Anxiety disorder is short for anxiety neurosis, which is a functional or psychological disorder. There is no disease in the body systems and it is not dangerous and not life-threatening. How to prevent and control anxiety disorder by yourself?
(1) It should be fully recognized that anxiety disorders are not organic diseases and do not pose a direct threat to human life, so patients should not have any mental stress or psychological burden.
(2) To build up confidence in overcoming the disease, patients should firmly believe that what they are worried about does not exist at all and that the disease can be completely cured after proper treatment.
(3) Learn to regulate emotions and self-control under the guidance of the doctor, such as psychological relaxation, shifting attention and eliminating distractions, in order to achieve the realm of going with the flow of nature and taking things in stride.
(4) Learn the correct way to deal with various emergencies and enhance the psychological defense ability. Cultivate a wide range of interests and hobbies, so that the mood is open and cheerful.
(5) Seek care and support from family members, colleagues and organizations when possible, and solve specific problems that can cause anxiety.
(6) Adapt to the use of anti-anxiety drugs, such as Valium 10mg, taken orally once a night; Doxepin 25mg, taken orally twice a day; or Chlorpromazine 25mg, taken orally twice a day.
(7) Biofeedback therapy, also has a good effect.
(8) CES therapy: It was applied in the United States in 1980, and has gradually matured and improved after nearly 30 years of development, becoming an effective means of non-pharmacological treatment for anxiety disorders.
1. Clear diagnosis. Many physical and mental diseases can present anxiety symptoms, so it is necessary to make a good examination and perform the necessary psychometric work before treatment to exclude various causes of secondary anxiety reactions. A clear diagnosis is a prerequisite for reasonable treatment of the disease and satisfactory results. In fact, anxiety is a common emotional reaction in normal people, and anxiety that has a cause cannot be considered a disease. Many patients with psychological reactions to disease can also present severe anxiety, which must be correctly identified and excluded.
2.Medication. Anxiolytics are the preferred drugs. Commonly used drugs such as Sulezade, Jiajing Valium and chloronitro Valium. However, the use of psychotropic drugs for this disease, the dose and the way to take the medication is very delicate, must be taken under the guidance of a specialist.
3.Physical therapy. Transcranial microcurrent stimulation therapy is a treatment method completely different from traditional drug therapy and electric convulsion therapy, which is to stimulate the brain through low-intensity microcurrent to change the abnormal brain waves of the patient’s brain, prompting the brain to secrete a series of neurotransmitters and hormones that are closely related to anxiety, depression, insomnia and other diseases, so as to achieve the treatment of these diseases.
4, anxiety disorder is a type of neurosis, in the diagnosis and treatment process must pay attention to psychotherapy, make good psychological transformation work, mobilize the patient’s subjective initiative. Simple allopathic medication is not effective, and this must be noted. The effect and psychological impact of buying medication from pharmacies and treatment under the guidance of outpatient doctors are different.
Self-treatment]
The treatment of anxiety neurosis is mainly based on psychotherapy, but of course, it can also be properly combined with drugs for comprehensive treatment. Patients may wish to self-treatment according to the following methods.
1, increase self-confidence, self-confidence is the necessary prerequisite to cure neurotic anxiety. Some people who do not have self-confidence in themselves are skeptical of their ability to accomplish and cope with things, exaggerating the possibility of their own failure, thus worrying, stressing and fearing.
Therefore, as a person suffering from neurotic anxiety, you must first be confident and reduce your feelings of inferiority. You should believe that every time you increase your self-confidence, your anxiety level will decrease a little bit and restore your self-confidence, which means you will eventually expel anxiety.
2, self-relaxation, that is, relief from tension. For example: you are in a good spirit, to imagine a variety of possible dangerous scenarios, so that the weakest scenario first. And repeat, you will slowly think of any dangerous scenarios or the whole process is no longer experienced anxiety. At this point, it is considered to be terminated.
3, self-reflection, some neurotic anxiety is due to the patient to some emotional experience or desire to repress, repression to unintentional, but it does not disappear, still lurking in the unconscious, so it will produce the disease. At the onset of the disease, you only know the pain and anxiety, but you do not know the cause. Therefore, in this case, you must do self-reflection and tell the subconscious what is causing the pain. If necessary, you can vent, after venting the symptoms can generally disappear.
4, self-stimulation, anxiety neurosis patients after the onset of the brain is always random thoughts, fidgeting, puzzling, painful. At this time, patients can use self-stimulation method to divert their attention. For example, when ruminating, find an interesting book that can attract people to read, or engage in intense physical work to forget about the painful things. This will prevent rumination from producing other disorders again, and also enhance your ability to adapt.
5, self-hypnosis, most patients with anxiety disorders have sleep disorders, it is difficult to fall asleep or suddenly awaken from a dream, at this time you can perform self-suggestion hypnosis. For example, you can count, or read books with your hands up to prompt yourself to fall asleep.
In the self to take the above methods at the same time, you must also use anti-anxiety drugs. Commonly used are Valium, Librium, etc., can be taken orally or intramuscular or intravenous injection. If anxiety is accompanied by depression, taking tricyclic antidepressants such as doxepin and amitriptyline has a good effect.
Patients with anxiety neurosis, if they can strictly follow the medical advice and carry out close cooperation with self-treatment, they can definitely get rid of anxiety in a short time.