Shaking, sweating, breathing problems… and finally feeling unable to perform daily tasks. These are some of the symptoms of anxiety, which is a signal from the body to keep us alert in certain situations occasionally.
We explain which are the most common anxiety disorders and propose guidelines to improve your well-being.
Anxiety disorders affect differently depending on gender, starting with a higher prevalence in women. They are more vulnerable during reproductive age, around 2-3 times more than men.
6 Common Anxiety Disorders
They are considered a very common mental health problem in today’s society and can manifest themselves both in childhood and in adulthood. These are the most common.
1. Panic Disorder
It is an intense fear that arises unexpectedly and repeatedly. AtGreatest Moments, we treat your panic disorder in adults, couples, and children.
This type of psychological alteration affects twice as many women as men. Furthermore, in men, these problems begin at younger ages, between 15 and 24 years old, unlike women, whose age of onset is between 35 and 44.
Women’s hormonal changes may cause these differences, among other possible factors. Specifically, it has been observed that alterations in premenstrual hormones favor panic attacks.
2. Agoraphobia
It is an anxiety disorder that can disable the person, as it causes them to lock themselves in their own home. It is usually related to a panic disorder and causes fear of being in an open space. Our psychologist at Greatest Moments clarifies that “when suffering from an anxiety or panic disorder, they tend to lock themselves at home and not want to go out.”
As in panic disorder, the largest number of people affected by agoraphobia belongs to the female gender, with 7-9%, compared to 3-4% of the male gender. Also in them, it manifests itself with greater severity and deterioration in quality of life.
3. Generalized Anxiety Disorder
This mental illness, also called GAD, causes the person to experience too much worry about any day-to-day problem, without being able to control it. Among the symptoms that are related to Generalized Anxiety Disorder are fatigue, insomnia, and concentration problems.
This disorder also has a greater number of affected than affected, and the reason for this seems to be related to hormones.
4. Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
It consists of behaviors that the person repeats compulsively as if they were a ritual. Examples of OCD include obsessive cleaning, strict adherence to routines, and arranging certain objects so that they are oriented in the same way.
In this anxiety disorder, the only variation between men and women is the age at which it begins to develop. In this regard, the Greatest Moments psychologist tells you that “the onset of the first symptoms is earlier in men, coinciding with puberty, while in women it does not usually manifest before the age of 20, highly associated with pregnancies.”
On the other hand, in the female case, OCD and changes in hormones have been investigated, showing that they are common in menstruation and during it, after pregnancy and menopause. In this way, the relationship between changes in the menstrual cycle and variations in OCD symptoms or relapses has been confirmed.
5. Specific Phobias
They are anxiety disorders in which an uncontrollable fear of a specific object or situation is experienced. For example, there are phobias of:
● Needles
● Spiders
● Blood
● Drive
● Get on an elevator
● Fly in a plane
● It should be added that phobias also affect women to a greater extent.
6. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
It develops as a result of having suffered a traumatic, physical, or psychological episode, which has caused very intense or chronic stress. Through dreams or memories of the past, the situation is recreated again.
As in the rest of anxiety disorders, it is also more present in the female gender. Our psychologist concludes that “specific phobias or excessive fears of a particular object or situation or post-traumatic stress disorder, acute or chronic, are symptoms more present in the premenstrual phase of the cycle as well as in pregnant women.”
10 Tips To Feel Better
● Follow a routine. Get up, shower, clean the house, exercise, go outdoors to sunbathe, etc., maintaining schedules, as far as possible.
● Maintain hygiene in the home.
● Establish rules at home, which help improve coexistence and respect with the family.
● Choose healthy foods and maintain meal times.
● Sleep for 8 hours, since a good rest helps you face the next day.
● Set aside time to take care of yourself. Stop and think about what makes you feel good and add it to your daily life. Think about the present and enjoy reading, listening to music, watching movies or series, or doing any other activity that makes you feel good.
● Keep in touch with loved ones. The confinement due to Covid-19 showed us that it is also possible to meet with friends through video calls, so don’t lose this custom or, directly, meet them.
● Help the most vulnerable, especially the elderly, children, or people with functional diversity.
● Eliminate catastrophic thoughts. It is normal that, with everything that has happened due to COVID-19, you feel fear or negative thoughts, but try not to worry about it and do not give them too much importance. If you have anxiety, look for a relaxation technique to help you escape. In addition, it is now easier to resort to online psychology therapies to treat anxiety.
