Nearly everyone has experienced or will experience some kind of anxiety in their lives. It is completely normal to worry over your family when someone is sick, or that next bill when you are short on money. Final exams, that big entrance test, dream job interview tomorrow: all these things are a normal source of anxiety. But millions of people around the world experience this anxiety every single day - even when there is nothing going on to really worry about.

The latest figures released by the Anxiety Disorders Association of America say that there are an estimated 40 million people in America that suffer from some form of anxiety. With an estimated annual cost of $42 billion, anxiety accounts for almost one-third of the total annual mental health expenditures in this country. There are many specific illnesses that fall under the broad “anxiety disorder” category, such as panic disorders, generalized anxiety disorder, post traumatic stress syndrome, and many others. The exact treatments for these disorders varies widely depending on the disorder itself and the circumstances surrounding it.

What Causes Anxiety Disorders?

Even with millions of cases a year to examine, we still don’t understand what exactly causes anxiety disorders. While we have narrowed down the potential causes for generalized anxiety disorder (one of the most common anxiety disorders), scientists and physicians still don’t know the exact reason it manifests in some people but not others. The most commonly held belief among researchers is that it is caused by a combination of genetics, brain chemistry, and environmental issues, such as chronic work-related stress, or sudden extreme stress such as the death of a family member. Withdrawal from drugs can also trigger anxiety disorders. If the cause in a specific case can be isolated, treatment can be more focused and effective.

Dealing With Anxiety Disorders

Living with an anxiety disorder is not easy. The symptoms can get so bad that people completely isolate themselves in their home, only leaving when absolutely forced to do so. This is a defense response, an attempt to avoid anything that triggers an anxiety or panic attack.

Treatment usually consists of medication and therapy to work through the issues causing the anxiety order. Persistence is also required, as it can take years to be completely cured. Many people suffering from anxiety find that self-relaxation techniques, such as meditation or yoga, can be very helpful in dealing with the stress, and can be used to stop an impending panic or anxiety attack.

With 40 million people and rising suffering from anxiety every day, knowing the causes and what can be done to treat it is extremely important. But with patience and treatment, it is possible to cure this illness.

Because people are different anxiety disorder symptoms may vary from person to person. Worry, fear, and anxiety are a normal part of our life. Have you experienced feeling anxious before taking an exam and later find out that you got a higher result more than what you’ve expected?

Or, feeling anxious for a job interview and ended up getting hired, or feeling frightened walking down an alley where bad things often happened? Normal anxiety helps us cope in any stressful situation, it also keeps us watchful.

Mental health professional are not concerned with normal anxiety. But, if your anxiety suddenly occur without apparent reason and lasts for weeks to months and happens in most days than not, that is another issue. If anxiety persists in most days than not, and takes longer than six months, it has become an immobilizing disorder.

An anxiety disorder is a recurring and excessive anxiety and worry about events or activities without logical reasons at all lasting for more than six moths and it is interfering with everyday activities, such as going to work, and socializing. A person experiencing anxiety condition finds it difficult to control the feelings of worry and fear. The thing about people with anxiety disorder is that they actually know that what they think of feel is not real and that they are just made-up.

The common anxiety disorders are Panic Disorder, Social Phobia, Agoraphobia, Specific Phobia, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Separation Anxiety, Post-traumatic Stress Disorder, and Selective Mutism.

A person with anxiety condition may suffer different anxiety disorder symptoms. And because no two individuals are the same, the anxiety disorder symptoms may vary from one person to the other.

The physical symptoms of anxiety disorder are cause by brain sending messages to parts of the body to prepare for the flight to fight response. The lungs, heart, and other parts of the body work faster and the brain releases stress hormones, including adrenaline, and that explains that physical symptoms.

Anxiety disorder symptoms may experience physically can include but not limited to:

Abdominal discomfort

Diarrhea

Dry mouth

Rapid heartbeat or palpitations

Tightness or pain in chest

Shortness of breath

Dizziness

Frequent urination

Difficulty swallowing

Anxiety disorder symptoms may experience psychologically can include:

Insomnia

Irritability

Inability to concentrate

Fear of going crazy or dying

Feeling unreal and not in control of your behavior

There are several types of anxiety disorders and sometimes they are associated with physical problem such alcohol and drug abuse. Anxiety is the main symptoms of other mental illness called anxiety disorders. Anxiety disorder symptoms may differ from the symptoms of other anxiety disorders, but all the symptoms cluster around excessive, irrational fear and dread.

For people with anxiety condition, cheer up! Your world does not stop there because there is cure for anxiety disorder. Anxiety disorders are curable and there are two types of treatments available for anxiety disorder- medication and psychotherapy. But, it is said that the proven most effective way to treat anxiety sufferers is psychotherapy.