When Anxiety Becomes a Personality Disorder

Very severe anxiety can sometimes lead doctors to diagnose people with personality disorders. Symptoms of the two most prevalent ones are described in this article.

Anxious (Avoidant) Personality Disorder is characterized by pervasive and persistent emotions of insecurity, shyness, tension and apprehension. The person believes they are undeserving, unlikable, and inept socially, and not that important compared with other people. These feelings often mean the affected individual avoids relationships unless certain that they are liked by the other person.

Emotionally Unstable Personality Disorder comes in two forms: 'impulsive type' and 'borderline type', both have the following characteristics: a strong inability to think and plan ahead in combination with no real self-control and the occasional sudden outburst of extreme anger. This anger can itself lead to other behaviors such as violence, particularly if these acts are challenged or stopped by people in the vicinity.

Impulsive type emotional instability manifests itself with a low level of being able to control impulses. Violence and threatening behavior are frequent, and more often than not are direct responses to others criticizing the person affected.

Borderline type emotional instability can be characterized by strong doubts of personal aims, image and sexual preferences, leading to upset and distress. Debilitating feelings of emptiness can promote suicide, or at the very least self-harming. People get involved in emotionally taut, constrained relationships which frequently have crises, but which they try to remain in so as to avoid being abandoned.

As yet the diagnosis of this mental condition is controversial since its causes and treatments are not fully agreed upon. Certain sufferers benefit from being emotionally open enough to discuss past difficult and upsetting experiences. Through airing their problems they become able to better identify the risky situations and so learn how to then deal with them.

Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)

Generalized anxiety disorder affects approximately three percent of the population. There are no real triggers for generalized anxiety disorder. Sometimes it can affect a person without them knowing. The feeling of worry and anxiety will start to creep into the person's head and they are unable to stop, despite all indications the worry is unnecessary.

People who experience generalized anxiety disorder usually expect the worse case scenario. It prevents them from relaxing and can cause insomnia, fatigue, headaches, irritability and trembling.

This anxiety disorder affects nearly four million people each year and often hits people in their childhood or adolescence but can first appear in adulthood. It affects women more than men.

Generalized anxiety disorder is just one of six different anxiety disorders and can be categorized in the following groups: Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Panic Disorder, Social Anxiety Disorder, Post Traumatic Anxiety Disorder, Obsessive Anxiety Disorder and Phobia Related Anxiety Disorder

GAD along with the other 5 disorders is treatable and should be looked at by a professional therapist as soon as possible. There are two main types of recommended therapy, cognitive and behavioral therapy. Cognitive therapy is focused on changing one's mental state by helping the brain relearn its thinking process. It can help with long term treatment because changing the way a person thinks can affect their out come tremendously.

Behavioral therapy is a more in your face type of treatment. It involves confronting a person's fears. The purpose to this is to help a person talk about their problems until they become desensitized from the fear or anxiety by describing in detail how they feel.

Whichever method a person chooses, treatment for generalized anxiety disorder will help the person live a fuller, more enjoyable life. A life free on unnecessary worry and fear is possible with time and effort.

What is Social Anxiety Disorder?

Social anxiety disorder may be easily misdiagnosed or even be mistaken as a form of shyness. Having said that, many sufferers of social anxiety are not even aware that they are experiencing an anxiety disorder. Approximately seven percent of the population suffers from social anxiety. Recent years have shown progress in treating this type of disorder.

Social anxiety can be defined as fear of social occasions and situations and the interaction with people due to feelings of negative evaluation, inadequacy, embarrassment, humiliation and self-consciousness. This form of phobia provoked by the social situations exceeds the ordinary shyness when it ultimately leads to complete or excessive social avoidance and invariably causing substantial social impairment. People with this disorder are often the world's loners.

The physical symptoms of social anxiety disorder are associated with two or more of the signs that are caused by persistent fear or worry, negative feeling of embarrassment and humiliation such as restlessness, feeling of fatigue, trembling and sweaty palms, lack of focus, muscle tension or sleep disturbance. There is a high possibility when you experience irritability, shortness of breath and intense anxiety and worry that suggest that you are suffering from a social anxiety disorder. Social anxiety symptoms closely resemble ordinary shyness but they can be differentiated in terms of the intensity and extreme experience of anxiety and tension.

In the early stages of the disorder, it is critical to receive the appropriate medical intervention by drug-based medication or non-drug based methods or combination of both. Alternative medicines have also recently grown in popularity, of which therapy is often used widely for healing social anxiety. There are no clear guidelines on the best course of treatment. It may take several attempts and method or prescription changes to find the one that works for you.

What is Social Anxiety

Social anxiety disorder symptoms can vary. Some individuals may only suffer from a specific fear such as eating or drinking, speaking, or writing if others are around or watching. Some people have a fear or going to the bathroom in a public restroom. Other people are fearful in all social situations and are never comfortable.

The normal daily activities that most people take for granted are so horrifying and worrisome it can be physically debilitating. This illness can cause people to miss work or school if they fear they will have to get up and be seen or noticed. Many persons with social phobia may have problems with relationships and can find it very difficult to meet and keep friends. Even when the person has friends they may not be able to enjoy going out with them or being with them in large crowds of other people who might be less known. Five of the most common symptoms are:

* Blushing often in social situations.

* Profuse sweating when anxious.

* Trembling when approached or spoke to.

* Nausea as anxiety increases and possibly vomiting.

* Extreme difficulty talking.

This disorder affects approximately 5.3 million American adults with men and women being affected equally. Social phobia usually starts to develop in childhood or the early teens. There is belief that social anxiety disorder can also be hereditary so if a family member has it you are at a higher risk of developing it.

Because of the nature and the severity of the anxiety people with this disorder have a higher risk of self-medicating with drugs and alcohol to try to relax and calm down. This only leads to worse problems and possibly addiction. To treat this disease one needs to see a doctor and seek psychotherapy and/or medications.

Herbs That Help With Anxiety

Anxiety disorders are the most common of all mental health disorders. Fortunately, anxiety disorder is highly treatable, and with professional help, it can often be completely overcome. Many times, successful treatment depends only upon individual or group therapy and learned relaxation techniques. In some cases, however, anti-anxiety prescription medication is also recommended. Medications can carry a risk of alarming side effects and can be highly addictive, spurring many people to seek safer, more natural alternatives.

There are many natural herbs for anxiety, which have been proven to effectively ease many of the symptoms of with a very low risk of side effects. Just as with prescription medications, everyone reacts differently to natural medications, and it can take time to find the right combination and dosage for your body.

Passionflower - an ingredient that is often used in natural medicine, alleviates hyperactivity, anxiety, insomnia, nervous tension -- and is even sometimes used to treat Parkinson's Disease. Passion flower soothes and calms and can lower high blood pressure.

Lemon balm - a general restorative for the nervous system, can reduce blood pressure and also calm the digestive system.

Lavender - an excellent anxiety treatment and one of the best natural panic attack treatments. Lavender is a general tonic for the nervous system and a natural relaxant.

Valerian - a popular natural ingredient that can be used as a sedative and a painkiller. It is often effectively employed as a treatment for anxiety and for insomnia, as well.

You may find that with psychotherapy, cognitive-behavioral therapy, relaxation exercises or support groups, or some combination of all of them, you do not need any medication. But if you do decide to explore the option of medication, natural treatments for anxiety can provide you with safe, effective results, without the risk of side effects that prescription medications pose. Natural medications are becoming increasingly popular as awareness of them grows, and you might find that they are the right treatment for you as well.