Anxiety Disorder's Impact on Individuals and Treatment Term Paper

Anxiety Disorder's Impact On Individuals And Treatment

Anxiety disorder unlike a normal anxiety happens recurrently and tends to interfere with the quality of life of the persons suffering from the anxiety. In addition to the above, it may be an obstacle to the individual success in careers and relationships as well as the quality of life and happiness the individual would have achieved if they did not have the disorder. However, anxiety disorders are more and are now receiving acknowledgment as disabilities and persons with disorders get to enjoy the protection of the law under the Americans with Disabilities Act (Craske, & Waters, 2005). This research is an analysis of the types of anxiety disorders, their treatment and its effect on careers and professional relationships.

Background of research

The main reason for undertaking a psychological research on anxiety disorder is the apparent limit of scholarly research done in this area especially in regards to the effect of anxiety disorders in the work environment and the reaction of colleagues. A study done by Martin M. Antony, Ph.D., C.Psych., et al., only looks at anxiety disorders in isolation, without drawing parallels to the effect they have when manifested in the work environment. In addition to the above, in a study carried out by the National institute of health under the United States department of Health and Human Services, the study provided a direct over-view of candidates suffering from the seven anxiety disorders. It also provided a treatment for the various disorder, and but did not go further to exemplify how the disorders affect the daily professional lives of the subjects chosen for the study (Craske, & Waters, 2005).

The main aim of this study is to provide an analysis of the types of anxiety disorders so far identified by psychological study. It further identifies the effects the disorders have on the professional quality of live an individual leads and draw parallel to the likely effects the individual is likely to face in the professional arena (Torpy, & Burke, 2011).

Anxiety Disorders

An anxiety disorder is something hard to define as such is describable. First, we need to differentiate an anxiety disorder from a normal anxiety. The point upon which an anxiety becomes a disorder is when it disrupts normal life, or keeps one from enjoying a full quality of life then it becomes a disorder. There are seven types of anxiety disorders identified in present day psychology, as shown below.

1. Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)

Commonly referred to as GAD; is the most common type of anxiety disorder affecting the majority of people. GAD describes, as a continuous condition of being tense and nervous physically for no specific reason and one is not able to stop intense feeling. GAD manifests itself in various ways, for instances a person suffering from constant restlessness, lethargy, tension in the muscles and a peculiar attention to pessimistic thoughts as well as a feeling of not being in control.

2. Social Phobia

Social phobia is an illogical fear of social circumstances. While some level of apprehension and shyness is normal in social circumstances such as being with unfamiliar surroundings and public speaking. Social phobia only becomes a problem when the apprehension over the idea of being with unfamiliar surroundings and speaking in public is quite intense and the individual cannot think straight and cannot relay their ideas in a coherent manner (Craske, & Waters, 2005). It can further manifest itself in other ways such as being anxious about being in social surrounding even when not in a social gathering, getting tense and not being able to speak out ideas and thoughts that cross your mind among other ways.

3. Panic Disorder

A panic disorder is not just a feeling of panic as the name suggest. It refers to a situation where an individual constantly agonizing about likely unlikely events such as losing a job or being attacked by a tiger. A panic disorder manifest in form of an actual panic attack, fast paced heartbeats or heart palpitations, digestive troubles, excessive sweating and an out of body feeling (Craske, & Waters, 2005).

4. Agoraphobia

This is the fear of being in public spaces. Agoraphobia most of the times manifests itself in the form panic disorders; meaning that a person who has the disorder when he is in an unfamiliar public place will mostly have a panic attack or other symptoms similar to those of people suffering from panic disorders (Craske, & Waters, 2005).5. Phobias

A phobia is a powerful irrational fear of insects, animals, situations and objects. Phobias establish themselves on the habit of imagining the worst possible result that could emerge from the feared object. For example, there is the fear of heights (acrophobia), fear of spiders (arachnophobia), fear of crossing the road (agyrophobia) fear of needles or other pointed objects (aichmophobia) and the fear of cats (ailurophobia) among others. Most adults however, realized that phobias are irrational fears

6. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

There are situations when an individual experiences traumatizing situations either emotionally or physically. The victim of the traumatic situation is most unlikely to forget the events that happen and may result to stress. The traumatizing situations experienced may in some cases result in post-traumatic stress disorder

The disorder will manifest in various ways. One of the most common ways is that the victim of the trauma will relieve it mentally, physically or emotionally. The other symptom is that when something triggers the memory of the traumatizing event then the individual is always in fear and distress whenever the memory awakes. The person then reacts as if he/she is experiencing the trauma at that time cause them to have panic attacks or symptoms similar to a panic disorder

7. Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

Obsessive-compulsive disorder as the name suggests is characterizes itself in the form of obsessions and compulsions. Obsessions entails fixation over a depressing thought while the other hand a compulsion is a feeling of dire obligation to perform a certain act. An example of an obsession is tormenting over the likelihood of your child being sick will a compulsion is the need to sterilize every utensil before and after use

Treatment for anxiety disorders

All persons exhibiting symptoms of anxiety disorders are to seek medical attention especially when the disorder is acute. The treatments available are quite a number and patients doctors advice patients according to the degree of the disorder. Most anxiety disorders are manifestations of fear of losing control. Therefore, one needs time to confront the irrational, negative thoughts that linger in one's mind. To begin with, the most basic treatment is to accept that one cannot control all aspect of their lives and that okay. Further one should have a sitting to identify and jot down the things that causes intense worry in your life. This knowledge will help the person react better when meeting such circumstances. It could also be helpful to have a secluded time to ponder and worry about the things that causes you to worry

The second step is self-care and self-attention. Embarking on relaxation skills like meditation, releasing muscle tension and deep breathing can reduce anxiety and produce a state of relaxation. Further, avoid alcohol, nicotine and pursue healthy eating and sleeping habits as well as daily/regular exercise. In other cases, behavioral therapy can be sort as a treatment for anxiety disorders. It is advisable to use behavioural therapy to compliment other forms of treatment as it main focus is on the expression of the disorder and not addressing the root cause of the behaviour. There is the cognitive behaviour therapy, which mainly focuses on the thought process of the patient and helps the persons identify and deal with unconstructive thoughts before they reach the level of affecting behaviour. Then there is exposure therapy, which involves persuading the individual to face their fears under controlled conditions. This gives the patients confidence when facing the same fear under different circumstances (Miller, 2011).

People with anxiety disorders in the workplace

Anxiety disorder in the work place

Many successful women and men have expressed anxiety disorder in the workplace. In fact, statistics show that women are 60% more likely to experience an anxiety disorder as compared to men. Forbes magazine has identified the number one anxiety disorder in the work place occur in the form of fear of public speaking and a worry of how "one comes off to colleagues." Colleagues in the work place may not identify the symptoms as being related to anxiety disorder, unless of course it the kind of professional environment whereby there is many interactions with a psychologist. Nevertheless, colleagues are always sympathetic to persons suffering from anxiety disorders and mostly are supportive and encouraging, unless a person has vindictive motives, then they may use these weaknesses against the bearer (Miller, 2011).

Anxiety Disorders and their interactions and behaviors in the workplace….....