Natural remedies for anxiety disorders and anxiety attack symptoms.

Signs of anxiety disorders include:

• Endless checking or rechecking actions
• A constant and unrealistic worry about everyday occurrences and activities
• Fear and anxiety that appear for no apparent reason

These symptoms must be severe enough to seriously affect social and occupational functioning to a significant degree. 

Below is a short overview of anxiety disorders and their related symptoms. For more detailed information on these anxiety disorders, click on the links provided.

Panic Disorder

The main characteristic of panic disorder is the occurrence of panic attacks along with fear of them happening again. People suffering from panic disorder may also experience symptoms of agoraphobia (fear of public places) or situations in which they might have a panic attack and be unable to leave or to find help. This can create a cycle of anxiety and apprehension with the impending fear of the anxiety bringing on a panic attack, and so forth. About 25% of patients with panic disorder develop obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).  Symptoms of panic disorder include:

• A sudden, uncontrollable attack of terror
• Heart palpitations
• Dizziness
• Shortness of breath
• The feeling of being out of control or a terribly frightening feeling, with a strong desire to flee or avoid the situation altogether

Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)
GAD is the most commonly diagnosed anxiety disorder and occurs most frequently in young adults. People with this anxiety disorder find themselves worrying excessively for a period of at least six months accompanied by three or more of the following physical symptoms (only one of the following symptoms is needed in children to diagnose GAD):

• Headaches
• Trembling, twitching
• Lightheadedness
• Difficulty concentrating
• Nausea
• Difficulty breathing
• Sweating, hot flashes Change in appetite
• Frequent need to use bathroom
• Easily startled
• Lump in throat, difficulty swallowing
• Sleeplessness
• Restlessness or feeling on edge
• Muscle tension
• Fatigue
• Irritability

Social Phobia

If you've ever been described as "painfully shy," you know it's no exaggeration!  Extreme shyness (also known as social anxiety disorder or social phobia) can be agonizing. It keeps you from living a normal life, trying new things, making friends and having healthy self-esteem.

People with this anxiety disorder have a deep rooted fear of situations in which they may be exposed to possible scrutiny of others. It involves a fear of being humiliated or judged. It can appear as a fear of performing certain functions in the presence of others, such as public speaking, eating in public or using public lavatories. About 3.7% of the U.S. population ages 18 to 54 - approximately 5.3 million Americans – will suffer from social phobia in any given year! Social phobia occurs in women twice as often as in men, although a higher proportion of men seek help for this disorder. The disorder typically begins in adolescence and rarely develops after age 25. Social phobia can be debilitating. Many people with this illness have a hard time making and keeping friends.

Symptoms can include:

• Canceling social events at the last minute
• Fearing new activities
• Avoiding contact and interaction with others
• Becoming easily embarrassed
• Frequently feeling down or lonely
• Using alcohol or drugs to help relax in social situations
• Worrying for days or weeks about an upcoming social event
• Fearing others may be judgmental
• Feeling self-conscious in everyday situations
• Having an extreme fear of being in an embarrassing situation
• Going to great lengths to avoid social situations

While almost everyone finds some social situation uncomfortable, those suffering with social phobia, may avoid social situations completely. Some people feel extreme shyness in certain situations, but not in others.

These situations may include:

• Public speaking
• Meeting new people, especially members of the opposite sex and authority figures
• Making phone calls
• Eating or drinking in front of others

Physical symptoms often accompany the intense anxiety of social phobia and may include:

• Blushing
• Profuse sweating
• Trembling
• Nausea
• Difficulty talking

Other Phobias:

Other phobias concern activities or situations (e.g. fear of flying), while many are focused on harmless animals or other objects. Some of the more common specific phobias focus on small enclosed places, heights, escalators, tunnels, highway driving, water, flying, dogs, and injuries involving blood. Phobias are more than just extreme fear - they are irrational fear of a particular thing or situation. You may feel fine flying in airplanes but be unable to go above the 5th floor of an office building. While adults with phobias realize that these fears are irrational, they often find that facing, or even thinking about facing, the feared object or situation brings on a panic attack or severe anxiety.

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
People suffering from obsessive compulsive disorder are constantly occupied with intrusive and unwanted thoughts – often, although not always, accompanied with un-controlled ritualized behavior that eases the anxiety. This affects between 2-3% of the population and is much more common than was previously thought. OCD affects males and females equally. The symptoms of OCD, which are the obsessions and compulsions, may vary.

Common obsessions include:

• Fear of dirt or contamination by germs
• Fear of causing harm to another
• Fear of making a mistake
• Fear of being embarrassed or behaving in a socially unacceptable manner
• Fear of thinking evil or sinful thoughts
• Need for order, excessive neatness or exactness
• Excessive doubt and the need for constant reassurance

Common compulsions include:

• Repeatedly bathing, showering or washing hands
• Refusing to shake hands or touch doorknobs
• Repeatedly checking things, such as locks or stoves
• Constant counting, mentally or aloud, while performing routine tasks
• Constantly arranging things in a certain way
• Eating foods in a specific order
• Being stuck on words, images or thoughts, usually disturbing, that won't go away and can interfere with sleep
• Repeating specific words, phrases or prayers
• Needing to perform tasks a certain number of times
• Collecting or hoarding items with no apparent value

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
This disorder can arise as a result of a severely distressing or traumatic event. Signs and symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder typically appear within three months of the traumatic event. However, in some instances, they may not occur until years after the event and may include:

• Flashbacks and distressing dreams associated with the traumatic event
• Distress at anniversaries of the trauma
• Efforts to avoid thoughts, feelings and activities associated with the trauma
• Feelings of detachment or from others and an inability to have loving feelings
• Markedly dimini