Comprehensive Report: Anxiety Disorder, Causes, and Treatments

This report delves into the multifaceted nature of anxiety disorders, providing a comprehensive overview of their various forms, including phobias, generalized anxiety disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, panic disorder, acute stress disorder, and obsessive-compulsive disorder. It examines the causes of these disorders, exploring the interplay of genetic, social, and psychological factors, as well as the impact of traumatic events and substance abuse. The report also discusses the cognitive and behavioral theories that attempt to explain the development and maintenance of anxiety disorders. Furthermore, it outlines various treatment options available, offering insights into how individuals can manage and overcome these conditions. The report serves as a definitive guide, synthesizing information from numerous sources to provide a clear understanding of anxiety disorders and their management.

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Contents
Introduction...........................................................................................................................................2
Anxiety disorder....................................................................................................................................2
Types of disorders.................................................................................................................................3
Phobias..............................................................................................................................................4
Generalized anxiety disorder.............................................................................................................4
Post-traumatic stress disorder............................................................................................................5
Panic disorder....................................................................................................................................5
Acute stress disorder..........................................................................................................................6
Obsessive-compulsive disorder.........................................................................................................6
Causes of anxiety disorders...................................................................................................................7
Treatment............................................................................................................................................10
Conclusion...........................................................................................................................................12
References...........................................................................................................................................13
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Introduction
Anxiety and stress are pervasive human emotions but they become the defining
characteristics of anxiety disorder when they are experienced by the individuals without any
reason for prolonged periods. This assignment includes an introduction to the topic anxiety
disorder by carrying out an analysis of the previous literature available on this subject.
Assignment report includes contribution from twenty articles published on the topic of
anxiety disorder or its related subjects presenting all the significant elements of the disorder
included in the articles and how they have contributed towards the literature in this field. The
report is a definitive guide and also includes information about the causes and the treatment
options available for anxiety disorders (Borkovec & Alcaine, 2015).
Anxiety disorder
As an emotion, anxiety is associated with the feeling of worry, tension and the changes in the
mental and physical conditions of the person like an increase in blood pressure and stress.
Anxiety is a healthy emotion that is experienced by every living person at some point in time.
Healthy anxiety is experienced by people for a short time and it does not have any significant
impact on the day to day tasks and functions. Anxiety is the worry experienced by the people
for any situation or thing that can cause a problem at present or in future. This is a feeling that
is experienced by an individual occasionally during any stressful situation. However, anxiety
becomes a problem when it lasts for a longer time and when it cannot be linked directly to a
stressful situation. When an individual starts feeling anxious often and more frequently and
this anxiousness begins impacting the daily life and activities, the anxiety becomes a problem
(Thayer & Friedman, 2016).
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Occasional anxiety is the part of life where a person feels anxious before any important event,
decision or situation. Stress and anxiety are the natural response of the body to any situation
when a person is under pressure. However, once the situation has passed the anxiety or the
stress resulting from it should go away. It is found that for some people the anxious feelings
continue even after the 'stressors' have been taken away or the stressful situation has gone
away. When the anxiety and the anxious feelings do not go away or when a person
experiences anxiety without any cause or reason for it, it results in anxiety disorder (Genes,
2019). The people suffering from anxiety disorders fall into a category of people with mental
health diagnosis that comes with excessive worrying, apprehension, fear and nervousness.
Regular experience of disproportionate levels of anxiety by an individual is a sign of anxiety
disorder that can range from mild anxiety that may result in an unsettling fear and vagueness
to severe anxiety that may start affecting the day-to-day life and decision making of the
individuals. Anxiety disorder is one of the most common conditions associated with the
mental health of the people throughout the world and it is found that about 25% of the people
have been affected by an anxiety disorder during some stage of their life.
Types of disorders
The six categories into which anxiety disorders can be classified have been identified by in
the book Anxiety disorders: An information guide (Rector, Bourdeau, & Kitchen, 2008).
These include the phobias faced by the people, generalized anxiety disorder, post-traumatic
stress disorder, panic disorder, acute stress disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder. All
these anxiety disorders are characterized by feeling excessive and irrational fear, continuous
apprehension and feelings of tension along with difficulty in the management of everyday
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tasks due to distress. The types of anxiety disorders and the related description along with the
behavioural, cognitive and physical symptoms of these disorders are discussed in this section.
Phobias
The anxiety disorder in the form of phobia is marked by a continuous fear shares by a person
that is clearly discernible and associated with a particular object or a situation. Some common
some types of phobias faced by the people include the animal phobia; phobia from the natural
environment; the injury, blood infection phobia; situation phobia and phobias resulting from
any other condition which may include vomiting or feeling of choking (NAMI, 2015). The
cognitive symptoms demonstrated by the people suffering from the anxiety disorder of a
phobia include the unrelenting fear of being in the situation or facing the object that they are
afraid of. The physical symptoms include dizziness, the tension in the muscles and excessive
sweating. The people facing specific phobias demonstrate the behaviour symptoms of the
need to escape the situation on the object that triggers the phobia and taking all measures to
avoid being in those situations.
Generalized anxiety disorder
Generalized anxiety disorder is a form of disorder where a person suffers from excessive
anxiety and worries for prolonged periods of time. When a person constantly suffers from
anxiety and stress for more than 6 months about different activities for events, the disorder is
characterized as generalized anxiety disorder. A person suffering from this anxiety disorder is
unable to control their ability to worry about things and the constantly think about things
going wrong. The physical symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder include the inability of
the person suffering from it to relax and a disturbed sleep pattern (Health Government, 2018).
The physical symptoms also include muscle tension, constant irritability and restlessness.
Along with this, the generalized anxiety disorder is also coupled with the behavioural
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symptoms of restriction of the activities because of excessive worry and the general
avoidance of any news for information.
Post-traumatic stress disorder
The post-traumatic stress disorder is another anxiety disorder that it is followed by the
experience of an extremely traumatic stressor. When a person responds to a stressful situation
with the feelings of intense fear, extreme horror or helplessness it results in post-traumatic
stress disorder. The symptoms of this disorder are noticed within three months of the
dramatic situation but in some cases, it is found that the symptoms are delayed by months or
even years. The person continuously relieves the experience and the trauma because of
flashbacks, dreams and intrusive memories of the event. The cognitive symptoms of the post-
traumatic stress disorder include the inability to trust people and feeling unsafe. The physical
symptoms include nightmares and disturbance during sleeping, extreme outbursts of anger
and continuous irritability along with hyper vigilance for any dangerous or unsafe situation.
The common behavioural symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder include avoiding any
people, activities, conversations on thoughts that are associated with a traumatic incident
(Beck & Emery, 2005).
Panic disorder
When a person faces repeated and unexpected panic attacks that are followed by cotton is
concern or panic about having another attack in future, this condition is described as the panic
disorder. The panic disorder for the people is sometimes also accompanied by agoraphobia
when people avoid going out of the house or any specific situation like facing the crowd or
standing in a line. The cognitive symptoms of panic disorder involve the feeling of
suffocation and a feeling similar to having a heart attack. The physical symptoms of this
disorder are characterized by chest pain and discomfort faced by the individuals, trembling or
shaking of the body, short breath, nausea, dizziness and an increase in the heart rate. The
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behavioural symptoms include the people avoiding travel, standing in lines and any place that
is crowded. The behavioural symptoms also include increase avoidance of any activities that
may be strenuous and avoiding the places where the person has previously experienced the
symptoms of anxiety and panic (HeretoHelp, 2013).
Acute stress disorder
Acute stress disorder is a form of anxiety disorder that a person experiences after witnessing
an event or a set of events that have resulted in a threat to their physical integrity or that of
others. The acute stress disorder is generally faced by the people within a month of going
through any traumatic event in life. The disturbing memories resulting from the traumatic
event make the people suffering from the disorder relive the event again and again and also
trigger an emotional reaction every time that think about it. The most common cognitive
symptoms of acute stress disorder include feeling and safe and the fear of facing the same
situation again. The physical symptoms of this disorder include continuous tension and
feeling on the edge. Some people may also start feeling numb as a result of this disorder.
Some other physical symptoms include exaggerated startling response and continuous
restlessness combined with the difficulty to concentrate or sleep. The behavioural symptoms
of acute stress disorder include the people avoiding situations that result in similar memories
or make them recollect the traumatic experience (RANZCP, 2017). The complete absence of
any responsiveness emotionally or extremely intense emotional reaction to any situation is
also common behavioural symptoms of this disorder.
Obsessive-compulsive disorder
The obsessive-compulsive disorder is an anxiety disorder where the person affected from it
struggles with recurrent compulsions or obsessions that consume a lot of their time or result
in a significant impairment resulting from extreme distress. Obsession can be defined as any
intrusive thought or urge faced by a person repeatedly. Some common obsessions include
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extreme concern about contamination or continuous doubts about performing an activity. The
compulsion can be defined as a ritual followed by a person that helps in reducing the
obsessive thoughts or suppressing them. The common symptoms faced by the people
suffering from obsessive-compulsive disorder include extreme discomfort and muscle tension
when they have profound or not performed the activity that triggers the disorder. The
behavioural symptoms demonstrated by the person may include excessive checking and
rechecking, excessive obsession with cleaning or washing and taking extreme measures to
avoid doing something (Ledley & Potts, 2015).
Causes of anxiety disorders
Although there is no single reason for the development of the anxiety disorders among the
individuals, it is believed that a combination of the genetic, social and psychological factors
contribute to it. Anxiety disorders are also triggered in the people because of a traumatic for
extremely stressful life event, issues associated with childhood development, alcohol abuse or
consumption of illicit substances, any medical or psychiatric problem or a family history of
these disorders. The cognitive and behavioural theories are found to be the two main theories
that have tried to explain the reasons and symptoms of anxiety disorders. The cognitive
theory is based on the belief that any person suffering from anxiety disorder tends to
overestimate the upcoming danger and the potential consequences of it. On the basis of this
theory, the fear and anxiety experienced by a person can be significantly reduced by exposing
them to the thing that they most fear (Evans & Findler, 2008). This will help in resetting the
belief that that thing is not as dangerous as the believe it to be. People generally tend to avoid
the situations that expose them to the things that they fear the most. The constantly
overestimate the consequences of facing that situation of thing. People with anxiety disorders
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also tend to only focus on the worst possible scenario, which is also known as the
phenomenon of catastrophizing. The cognitive theory suggests that it is possible to reduce the
fear and anxiety that a person experiences by increasing their exposure to the object of fear.
The behavioural theory of the study of the psychological factors and influences that impact
the anxiety disorders faced by a person are based on the belief that there are certain cues that
a person suffering from this disorder can associate the feeling of fear or trauma with. After
analysing and understanding the association between the cue and the fear faced by the person,
it is possible to help them in unlearning the association by exposing them to these cues in a
situation that is safe and protective. One such example is when a person recognises a
particular smell during a situation where they are exposed to stress and trauma. Once the
person associates and learns to link this smell with the anxiety caused due to the situation,
every time they are exposed to that smell the person becomes fearful and anxious even when
there is no danger or stressor present around him. These cues can be external or internal and
people adopt the avoidance behaviour and go to all lengths for avoiding any situation where
they might have to face similar cues (Ladouceur & Gagnon, 2010).
The developmental theory is another theory given to understand the causes and the
psychological factors that may contribute to anxiety disorders in an individual. Different
people interpret life in different ways. The people who believe that they are more in control
of their lights and the situation happening around them tend to be less anxious and fearful. On
the other hand, the individuals who believe that their life and the situations that they face are
beyond their control feel more anxious and afraid. According to the developmental theory, it
is important that children are empowered to interpret life and its events correctly so that they
do not have to face much anxiety later in life (Shri, 2010).
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The biological factors also contribute to anxiety disorders and these factors can range from
genetics, issues associated with substance use, psychiatric factors or medical factors. There
are three neurotransmitters that contribute to causing anxiety in the human body. These
include serotonin, norepinephrine and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA). Serotonin is a
hormone that helps in the regulation of the mood, sleep pattern, pain, body temperature,
impulses and appetite. The most common medications that are given for the treatment of
anxiety disorders simply contribute to an increase in the level of serotonin in the body.
Norepinephrine is a neurotransmitter that regulates the blood pressure, mood and sleep
patterns. Extreme stress and anxiety result in an increase in norepinephrine in the body. It is
important to regulate and control the levels of norepinephrine for the management of stress
and anxiety. GABA is another neurotransmitter that is used as a sleep inducer contributing to
the relaxation of the human body (Fergus & Jencius, 2010). GABA is also known to have a
calming effect on the body and the excessive activity of this neurotransmitter induces sleep
and helps the people to relax.
The genetic factors also play an essential role in contributing to the occurrence of anxiety
disorders among individuals. People having a family history of anxiety disorders are more
likely to experience them as compared to the ones who do not have anybody in their family
suffering from such disorders. The incidence of panic disorder is significantly higher with
any individual suffering from panic disorder reporting for at least one relative also having
experienced this disorder. The psychiatric condition of an individual determines their
possibility of suffering from anxiety disorders. Any individual having a psychiatric disorder
is more likely to possess the symptoms of anxiety and most often anxiety disorder is also a
symptom of other psychiatry conditions like depression or even psychosis (Roemer & Orsilla,
2012).
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Treatment
It is possible to effectively treat any anxiety disorder and although most of these disorders
share common and characteristics, the people suffering from them require specific medication
or psychological treatment depending upon their specific conditions. The treatment available
for anxiety disorders can be broadly classified into psychological therapy and medication.
The psychological treatments for addressing the condition of anxiety disorders include
relaxation training, stress management, biofeedback and mediation. Couples therapy,
counselling for family therapy is also helpful in addressing the issue of anxiety disorder.
However, cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) is found to be the most effective
psychological treatment that is available for anxiety disorders. CBT is a focused approach
that helps in treating the behavioural and cognitive aspects associated with anxiety disorders.
CBT requires hourly sessions that extend for multiple weeks where the therapist works with
the person suffering from the inherited disorder to identify the problems and the reasons
behind it. After assessing the symptoms of anxiety demonstrated by an individual with the
help of the behavioural and the cognitive framework, the therapist decides the goals that need
to be accomplished with the help of CBT (Michael & Margraf, 2007). Once the person
suffering from anxiety disorder starts to show some improvement, CBT also addresses the
underlying issues that cause anxiety disorder for the individual to ensure that the risk of
relapse is also taking care of. Exposure therapy is the most prominent component of CBT
which requires the person suffering from the anxiety disorder to gradually expose himself to
the situation or the action that they fear. The exposure therapy is given to enable the person to
face the fears and also provide them with an opportunity to learn the irrationality behind the
anxiety and stress.
Since most of the people suffering from anxiety disorders wish to avoid the situations that
they fear, the exposure therapy begins with mild exposure to the situation and slowly as the
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person gains more confidence, the exposure to the situation is increased. With repeated
exposure to the situation, that causes anxiety in an individual, the severity of the anxiety and
stress reducers and the person is able to increase the tolerance to the discomfort that they
associate with the situation (Hettema & Prescott, 2015).
The three neurotransmitters identified as the causes of stress and anxiety for the people
suffering from anxiety disorders can be controlled with the help of medication. Medication is
another helpful option that is used for treating anxiety disorders. The intake of medications
that control these neurotransmitters contributes to a reduction in the symptoms of anxiety
possessed by the people. The most common medication that is prescribed for the treatment of
anxiety disorders is antidepressants. Antidepressants are the non-addictive, safe and effective
medications that do not have any long-term impact on the health of the individuals. However,
it is found that most of the antidepressants also have side effects that are reported even before
the people began to experience the benefits from them. Benzodiazepines are another group of
medications that are used for treating anxiety disorders. This medication helps in increasing
the activity of GABA in the human body resulting in a reduction in anxiety and the
excitement level (Genes, 2014). However, benzodiazepines are found to be attractive and
therefore the doctors discourage the patients suffering from anxiety disorders to use these in
the long term.
Anxiety disorders are not illnesses that have a cure and while psychological therapy can help
in controlling the symptoms of anxiety. It is also possible that the people learn to manage the
symptoms as they occur in future. After conducting the critical analysis of the existing
literature on anxiety disorder and the various treatment options available for it, it can be
stated that psychological counselling, also known as psychotherapy or the cognitive
behavioural therapy is the most effective method. While short-term therapy can allow the
people suffering from anxiety disorder to address the issues and return to normalcy, the
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detailed and long-term cognitive behavioural therapy can teach the people the specific skills
that can enable them to manage the anxiety on their own and also take care of the symptoms
by building on the initial success achieved with the help of it. This is because the chances of
relapse for a person suffering from anxiety disorder increases when they are more aware of
the warning signs of the disorder and are equipped with the Strategies for responding to these
signs. It is also important that these people adopt a healthy lifestyle and develop feelings of
optimism and confidence (Heimberg & Shadick, 2009).
There are various different places where people suffering from anxiety disorders can seek
cognitive behavioural therapy. This includes the general practitioners, counsellors,
psychologists, mental health centres and community health centres. It is found that combining
the aspects of psychological therapy and medication provides immediate results for the
treatment of anxiety disorders. However, it is important to understand that the medication
does not contribute to curing the anxiety disorders but should only be used for controlling the
symptoms while receiving the psychological treatment (Zwanzger & Deckert, 2007).
Conclusion
When the anxiety and the anxious feelings do not go away or when a person experiences
anxiety without any cause or reason for it, it results in anxiety disorder. The people suffering
from anxiety disorders fall into a category of people with mental health diagnosis that comes
with excessive worrying, apprehension, fear and nervousness. This report is compiled to
present readers with an overview of anxiety disorders. The review of the existing literature on
the subject is carried out with the help of the academic journals, articles and reports to present
the findings associated with defining the anxiety disorders, identifying the types of anxiety
disorders, identifying the causes of the anxiety disorders and presenting the options available
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for the treatment of this disorder. It can be concluded that most of the studies present
identical thoughts and classification of the various anxiety disorders. The underlying causes
for anxiety disorders in an individual are classified differently by different scholars but the
underlying explanations remain the same. Same goes for information available about the
treatment of the anxiety disorders with different academicians and scholars classified the
treatment into different categories. However, all these classifications broadly contain
information about the psychological and medicinal treatment options available. The most
effective option for treating anxiety disorders is the cognitive behavioural therapy. This is
because while it is important to treat anxiety disorders, it is also important to prevent the
relapse and ensure that the person is able to completely recover from the situation.
Psychotherapy helps in empowering the people suffering from anxiety disorders to address
and identify the anxiety symptoms at the early stages and take measures to control them.
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References
Beck, A., & Emery, G. (2005). Anxiety disorders and phobias: A cognitive perspective.
Retrieved from https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2006-01301-000
Borkovec, T., & Alcaine, O. (2015). Avoidance theory of worry and generalized anxiety
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Evans, S., & Findler, M. (2008). Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for generalized anxiety
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Heimberg, R., & Shadick, R. (2009). Anxiety disorders, depression, and attributional style: A
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Rector, N., Bourdeau, D., & Kitchen, K. (2008). Anxiety disorders: An information guide.
Retrieved from https://www.camh.ca/-/media/files/guides-and-publications/anxiety-
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