By Gary Toh
 In recent years, there has been more and more cases of people who suffer from anxiety disorders. This disorder includes post traumatic stress, panic attacks, obsessive compulsive disorder and anxiety attacks.
Doctors and scientists still do not know what causes anxiety disorders ,but research that points to brain chemistry imbalance as a main factor. The symptoms of anxiety disorders are very often confused with depression.
So, why should you be concerned this particular disorder? The reason is because it is a real medical condition that can negatively affect your life and the lives of your loved ones. Note that a person may experience an anxiety disorder at any age. Children as well as adults are receiving treatment for this severe condition.
Anxiety disorders affect a person's ability to respond to challenges normally. Sufferers experience mental confusion, headaches and backaches which are accompanied by profuse sweating without any physical cause.
So how does one prevent an anxiety attack? First, know all about the associated symptoms. If a sufferer ignores the problem exists and refuse to seek help,
the consequences could be severe.
One common link in these symptoms is an unwarranted apprehension or excessive fear in situations that don't pose a real or perceived threat. And the person in question tend to remain in this frame of mind for an unusually long time.
Here are some symptoms tied to the various categories of anxiety disorders :-
1. Generalized Anxiety Disorder:
Common symptoms are constant fatigue, apprehension, worries or morbid thoughts of fear of attack,. Usually accompanied by physical distress, shortness of breath and muscle spasms. This condition usually expresses itself daily and can continue for 6 months or longer.
2. Anxiety Attack:
Unlike Generalized Anxiety Disorder, an anxiety attack is where the feeling of absolute terror strikes suddenly. It normally lasts from a few minutes to several hours. Because anxiety attacks can occur at anytime and anyplace, it can create havoc in the person's life, resulting in a reclusive lifestyle . Physical symptoms include mental confusion, nausea and muscle trembling.
3. Panic Disorder:
Symptoms are : shortness of breath, dizziness, fear of dying, chest pain, abdominal distress and heart palpitations. There are sporadic episodes of extreme fear that occur suddenly and without and apparent cause.
4. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder:
After September 11, 2001, the number of people suffering from this condition rose sharply worldwide. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder is triggered by traumatic events such as an airplane crash, the death of a loved one or a physical assault, emotional abuse or rape. Irritability, extreme mood swings, insomnia, nightmares, flashbacks and feelings of anger or frustration are the most prominent symptoms.
5. Obsessive/Compulsive Disorder:
The sufferer is plagued by thoughts or certain patterns of behavior that they are compelled to repeat and feel helpless to control or discontinue.
Anxiety disorder is a serious problem that can wreak havoc in any family. If you or a loved one is showing any of the above symptoms, then professional help is needed urgently. Please contact your local authorities to find out what help is available.
Gary T is the owner of UltGuide.com, a website dedicated to anxiety related disorders. Get free info on Agoraphobia and other conditions. Anxiety Attack Heart Problems
By Carol Hofmeister
 Anxiety attack heart problems are any problems related to the cardiovascular system of the human body that are caused by panic or anxiety attacks. Due to the very nature of a panic attack, it is no surprise that anxiety attack heart problems are among the leading causes of heart attacks or other cardiovascular issues today. This is not to say, however, that an anxiety or panic attack does not affect other systems of the body as well, but its effect on the heart and blood flow is easily measured and quite noticeably dangerous.
A panic attack is a sudden onset of fear that can paralyze a person in the mood of the moment. Many people report the notion of being frozen by fear, and an anxiety attack definitely resembles that to a large extent. Patients discuss numbness in extremities, heart palpitations, trembling, chills, and trouble breathing among other things that are manifested during a panic attack.
Anxiety attack heart problems are common because of the close association between stress and other heart problems. Because of this close relationship in systems and bodily functions, anxiety can accompany any heart disease or cardiac condition that causes a drop in blood pressure. This decrease in blood pressure causes a sudden decrease in cardiac output. Anxiety is also closely related to (but not the cause of) a condition called mitral valve prolapse or MVP.
Panic attacks generate a common human response to danger known as the fight or flight response. This was said to evolve from early human types that either fled danger or took it on if they could. Fight or flight generates a lot of biological processes because of the energy the body needs to perform either task. The heart races, the blood quickens, the eyes function differently, senses are heightened, and other parts of the body begin to react in other ways such as muscles tightening, etc.
Anxiety attack heart difficulties can arise from the heart being told by the brain, which is in charge of the fight or flight mechanism, to work too fast. At this point, the body often decides to simply shut down because its easier on the systems involved. For this reason, the heart once again runs the virtual gamut of both beating faster and beating slower; calming the body down and slowing blood flow one moment and then speeding the body up and creating more blood flow the next minute.
Carol Hofmeister is a contributing author to many publications in the fields of psychology and mental health, including anxiety attack heart problems. For more related information and articles visit Anxiety Info. Divorce and Child Depression : Are They Related
By Faye B. Roberts
 Divorce and child depression may very well go hand in hand as parental separation and divorce can be totally devastating for children and teenagers.
Major life changing events are usually the cause of depression, with divorce topping the scale for children and teen depression. Imagine how hard it is to watch the two people you love the most no longer living and guiding you together as it was. With the family unit broken, lives turned upside down you may have to watch for the onset of child depression.
Children and teens often feel stuck in the middle of their parents divorce and not understanding the new rules to which apply to their new lives. They have a very hard time excepting the realism of divorce and finality that comes with the termination of a marriage.
Every persons reaction and coping mechanisms are different. While many children will handle this new situation with relatively few problems or permanent negative effects while for others, the act of divorce can be very traumatic and long-lived.
The trauma created by divorce is determined by the child's experience of the event, not simply the event itself. Every child in the family could have a dramatically different emotional reaction to the changes related to divorce. Some children believe that they caused the breakdown of the marriage.
Your attitude and coping skills will shape your children's attitude. The words and actions you choose can either expose your children to unnecessary emotional pain or help them develop in positive ways.
Depression and anxiety may start at the separation by my occur for years after the divorce. It may also reoccur during special events, weekends, holidays, birthdays or any time your child misses the complete family unit.
Here are some steps to decrease the chance of your divorce and child depression
1. Honesty is the best policy: Be honest with yourself about the potential for emotional trauma in your individual children.
2. Communication: Allow your children to communicate openly with each parent.
3. Choices: By offering your children choices, whenever possible, will increase their sense of control over their lives.
4. Support: Get the proper support for yourself and your children, It may differ for each individual.
5. Normal Activities: By keeping life as normal as you can with the same routine, same activities.
There is nothing more agonizing in divorce than seeing the effect it has on your child? Even though the marriage ending may be a good thing the result it has on children can still be devastating. Learning ways to help your children cope with the negative long and short term effects of separation and divorce can help to prevent depression and decrease the effects of divorce and child depression.
Faye B. Roberts is an independent researcher and author on depression and divorce and is assisting others in their quest to understand the chain reaction this can cause. Discover a new way of thinking and coping with divorce and depression that will change the way you look, feel and live your life. Visit
Facts On Depression For more information on divorce visit
Divorce and your Family Childrens Mental Health Anxiety
By simon jones
 It can be difficult to diagnose a mental health or anxiety problem in a child, simply because their changing moods and behaviour can often be attributed to a normal part of the growing up process, however, there are certain signs and symptoms that might indicate a child is suffering more than what would be considered normal and they may need some sort of help to get back to their old self again.
It is perfectly natural for a child to feel anxious at times, for example, when facing exams or particularly difficult situations, but when the anxiety is persistent and severe enough to affect the childs day to day life and normal routines then the child could be suffering from an underlying mental health problem that requires some kind of intervention.
What to look out for
Recognising the symptoms of persistent anxiety and mental distress and doing something about it is vital if the child is to get the kind of help he or she needs. Some signs and symptoms to look out for that could indicate the onset of an anxiety or depression related disorder include the following:
Feelings of sadness, despair and hopelessness
Often fearful and scared for no particular reason
Unable to think clearly or make decisions, confusion
Showing signs of extreme anger and hostility towards others
Feeling guilty and worthy of blame and punishment
Thinking they are unloved and unlovable
Appearing anxious, fidgety, and irritable a lot of the time
Seeming to be tired all the time
Sleeping too much or not sleeping at all
Holding strange beliefs or displaying unusual or compulsive behaviours
Disinterested in activities they used to enjoy
Thinking or talking about death and suicide
It is of course perfectly normal for a child to experience one or more of these symptoms in a mild form from time to time, however, in mental illness the symptoms can become so severe and so overwhelming for the child to the extent that they may feel unable to cope with their lives. If excessive anxiety and/or other symptoms appear to be interfering with your childs ability to carry out their day to day routines and other normal activities then you should speak to your doctor.
For example, as well as some of the symptoms already listed, a child may start refusing to go to school, or get up in the morning or go to bed at night. They may say they dont want to attend weekly clubs and activities they used to frequent, or they may not wish to see their friends anymore. They can fall behind with schoolwork, become violent and display other unsociable and or strange behaviours; they may also hold unusual beliefs, feel paranoid or in severe cases may suffer from hallucinations and or delusions.
These are just a few of the ways that mental illness can manifest itself in the behaviour of a child who is suffering mental distress and anxiety, the important thing is to understand that the child is really in need of proper treatment, understanding and support as they cant help their actions.
Mental illness affects how we think, feel and understand ourselves and how we fit into the world around us, as such it can alter a childs behaviour and damage their relationships and their education. It wont just go away and without help, the child can suffer needlessly for months or years as well as increasing the risk of attempted suicide or even death.
So what causes mental illness in children?
There is no single identifiable reason why a child becomes overly anxious or develops a mental health problem but there are some factors that appear to increase the risk of suffering from some form of mental health problem.
Genetics , mental illness can be handed down in the genes so if there is a history of mental illness in the family then there is an increased risk of a child suffering from mental illness too
Stress , sometimes if there are other events going on in their lives, for example, divorce, physical illness, death of a loved one, money problems, bullying at school etc. then the stress can become too much to cope with and can trigger a mental illness
Diet, research indicates that if the diet is too rich in Omega 6 and there is not enough Omega 3 in the form of oily fish or fish oil then the imbalance of fatty acids in the brain can influence brain function and increase the risk of depression, ADHD, and other mood and behaviour disorders
Environment , abuse, neglect and feeling unloved and uncared for can lead to anxiety and mental distress
Conclusion
If your child is displaying signs of anxiety or mental illness, talk to your child and encourage them to explore their feelings and of course, speak to your doctor in order to obtain a correct diagnoses and possible treatment options as it is vital that these symptoms are addressed. With proper help and support, most children will go on to make a full recovery and will be able to enjoy their lives once again.
Simon jones is an expert in depression and related disorders. For more information about depression please come and visit our site http://www.fightingdepression.co.uk Share Your Opinion. (0 posts) |
