Anxiety Anxiety is an emotional state that occurs in advance in the face of damage or misfortune. It is a natural reaction,in the face of situations of danger, stress or uncertainty. It is important to know that not all kinds of anxiety is negative, even though many think so. In this sense, it can be said that there are two types of anxiety: an adaptive and a pathological. Adaptive anxiety is a "normal" anxiety, i.e. it is the reaction expected to a stimulus that poses a danger, which generates stress and/or uncertainty (as initially said), so it is generated by a justifiable cause (the threat of harm is real). It is a defense mechanism, the product of evolution, since its role is to protect and guarantee our physical and emotional integrity, as well as our survival. When there is a real threat, the body and mind must prepare to face it or to flee, for other than that, a great sense of helplessness would appear when facing danger. So this kind of anxiety has a positive purpose. On the other hand, in pathological anxiety there is an emotional discomfort in the face of a threatened or future damage that is possible, more unlikely (it can happen, but that possibility is very low), that is, this threat or damage is not real and becomes a permanent state, which means that something else is constantly expectedto happen to us. Pathological anxiety occurs when the person feels overwhelmed or unable to face a threat and, at the same time, perceives as threatening situations that are not really. When this happens persistently, you enter a state of distress, where you cannot determine what you are afraid of. You're just afraid of "something" that can happen. Anxietystates generate many physiological changes in the body. Among these changes is the excessive work of different organs such as the heart, lungs, kidneys, among others that need to work at high intensity and are available to face or flee a danger or threat. In this way, if anxiety is experienced very often, it usually also ends up altering the normal work of the body and leads us to get sick.. Characteristics of pathological anxiety Anyone with pathological anxiety (i.e. an anxiety disorder) has a serious problem. It is not enough to pat him on the shoulder and tell him that everything will be fine, since leaving that state requires much more than the goodwill of others. The first thing that is needed is to know if what one has can be classified as pathological anxiety and for this, it should be examined whether that tension that is experienced, meets the following characteristics:
Frequency and intensity: in pathological anxiety there are frequent episodes of anxiety, which are almost always prolonged and experienced with high intensity. In adaptive anxiety, on the other hand, episodes are rare, pass quickly and are not as intense.
Answer:in pathological anxiety there are disproportionate responses to the stimulus, real or fictional, that causes that state. An example of this is when you are afraid that thieves will enter the house and spend the night awake making sure this doesn't happen.
Experience of suffering: when anxiety is pathological, it is experienced as a deep suffering that does not cease. In adaptive anxiety, suffering is transient and leaves no traces.
Functionality: Pathological anxiety affects the normal development of everyday life. It prevents acting or leads to action, so that the routine is altered or limited, depending on a confused fear.
Pathological anxiety isa condition in which the person requires external help in order to get ahead and it is more advisable to see a health care professional as a psychologist or psychiatrist, to do psychotherapy or psychoanalysis and solve this problem. Reasons Anxiety Becomes Pathological In some cases, behind that kind of anxiety what's there is unresolved trauma (sometimes the relationship between trauma and anxiety is direct, though sometimes it's not). If someone, for example, suffers a car accident, it is likely to leave traces. The victim of the accident usually feels anxiety every time he or she has to mobilize in a car or even walk down an avenue. In this case, the relationship between trauma and anxiety is direct (although disproportionate if we consider the actual likelihood of threat). In other cases, the trauma that gives rise to pathological anxiety may be covered up or inhibited in the unconscious. The cause may be early rejection or abuse. Even a thought or desire that is experienced could lead to a strong shock in the individual. Generalized Anxiety Disorder (TAG) TAG can be defined as a diffuse and chronic anxiety, the main symptom of which is an excessive concern that cannot be controlled. This is one of the disorders that are part of anxiety disorders. There are several types of anxiety disorders, in which they are found: panicdisorder, agoraphobia, social phobia,specific phobia, hypochondria, post-traumatic stress and obsessive-compulsive disorder. fobia especific All of these disorders highlight a number of physiological symptoms characteristic of anxiety. These physiological symptoms in TAG, cause significant clinical discomfort sometimes becoming disabling and appear in front of them situations (unlike other anxiety disorders, whose manifestation occurs by specific stimuli or situations). People who suffer from this disorder are characterized by negative and catastrophic thoughts, where they always expect things to go wrong and can't help worrying. This worry or fear is irrational, unreal and disproportionate, so much so that daily life becomes a constant concern. In this way, anxiety dominates the life of the individual, affecting him negatively, as well as affecting normal functioning in the different areas of his life (personal, family, social, work/educational, etc.). Generalized anxiety disorder is diagnosed, when several anxious symptoms cause distress or some degree of functional deterioration in the life of the suffering individual. How is TAG different from other anxiety disorders? Anxiety disorders (including TAG) commonly have that symptoms of anxiety make it difficult for the sufferer to function in different areas of a person's life. But between anxiety disorders there are differences and knowing how to distinguish these differences is important, because if there is another diagnostic category that explains what happens better than that of generalized anxiety disorder, the mental health expert will rule out TAG. Some keys to differentiating anxiety disorders from each other (taking into account that diagnosis can only be made by psychologists or psychiatrists properly qualified and trained to do so), are: In generalized anxiety,trastorno de pánicoworry and anxiety reactions are not limited to what is typical of other disorders: for example, the possibility of suffering a panic attack and running out of air or suffering from "a heart attack" (panicdisorder),feeling humiliated in public (social phobia), sufferingcontamination(obsessive-compulsive disorder)or having a serious illness), sufrir contaminación () o tener una enfermedad grave ((hypochondria).). Unlike the above, the main feature of generalized anxiety disorder (TAG) is to have excessive and irrational, persistent (at least half the days for at least 6 months) and difficult to control about a number of events or activities such as work, school, friends, and family. In addition, according to the DSM-V (Diagnostic Manual of Mental Disorders), to diagnose TAG, the disorder should not be caused by the direct physiological effects of a substance (drug,drug) or medical disease (e.g. hyperthyroidism) or occur exclusively during an affective disorder(mania-depression), post-traumatic), un stress disorder (anxiety experienced after a highly traumatic event such as rape), a psychotic disorder (loss of reality where hallucinations and delusional ideas occur) or a widespread developmental disorder (such as autism or Asperger's syndrome). Causes of it TAG: TAG is no different from other psychological disorders when it comes to the multicausal origin that gives it its onset, that is, it is not a single-cause disorder, but there are many. The main ones are as follows:
Genetic predispositions to experiencing stress.
Having experienced traumatic experiences.
Personality factors: shyness and fear of the image that is given.
Gender factors: Women have TAG more often.
Symptoms of generalized anxiety According to DSM-V, anxiety and worry are associated with three (or more) of the following six symptoms (for children, only one item is required):
Restless or agitated.
Fatigue easily.
Difficulty concentrating or having a blank mind.
Irritability.
Muscle tension.
Sleep disorders (difficulty falling asleep or maintaining sleep, waking up early, getting little or restless sleep).
In addition, anxiety, concern or physical symptoms cause clinically significant discomfort or deterioration in social, occupational or other important areas of functioning. Unlike DSM-V, according to the World Health Organization or WHO Diagnostic Criteria (CIE-10), concerns do not need to be excessive and difficult to control. CIE-10 specifies the presence of 4 of the 22 symptoms for the diagnosis of this pathology and it is necessary that at least one of the symptoms be autonomous:
Autonomous symptoms: palpitations or tachycardia, sweating, shaking or shaking, dry mouth (not due to medication or dehydration).
Related to chest and abdomen: shortness of breath, feeling choking, chest pain or discomfort, nausea or abdominal discomfort.
Related to mental state: feeling dizzy, instability or fading; derealization or depersonalization; fear of losing control, going crazy or losing consciousness; fear of dying; fear of dying
General symptoms: hot flashes or chills; stun or tingling sensations; tension, muscle aches or pains; restlessness or inability to relax; feeling at the limit or under pressure, or mental tension; feeling knotty in the throat or difficulty swallowing.
Other non-specific symptoms: exaggerated response to small surprises or startle; difficulty concentrating or "blank mind" due to worry or anxiety; persistent irritability; difficulty falling asleep due to concerns.
Despite the differences between DSM and CIE, the degree of concordance between the two is quite high: a study by Andrews, Slade and Peters (1999) concluded that in 77% of subjects diagnosed by one of these systems had a positive diagnosis in the other as well. In any case, symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder should be present almost constantly for a period of at least 6 monthsin arow. Examples of TAG
A doctor is continually concerned about whether he or she does not properly diagnose patients. Every time you're called on the phone you think you're a superior to tell you that you're working badly and you're continually worried about whether your new patient will be an old one who has resaw.
A woman who is always worried about whether her partner is going to leave her, will be fired at work and if anyone in her family is going to get seriously ill.
A father who is always worried about whether his 4-month-old will drown while eating, whether he won't hear him cry at night if he needs help and whether he could get seriously ill and die.
Treatment Like all other anxiety disorders, TAG can be effectively treated with psychotherapy and medication. Cognitive behavioral therapy (TCC) allows patients to acquire tools to manage and control anxiety and worry. In addition, alternative treatments such as relaxation techniques, meditation or yoga can be beneficial in combination with TCC. The use of self-constructions and the technique of systematic desensitization are common, along with Mindfulness sessions, whose objective is to help the person orient their attentional focus towards the present. References
García-Allen, J. Trastorno de Ansiedad Generalizada: síntomas, causas y tratamiento. Consultado el 16 de mayo de 2020 de la página https://psicologiaymente.com/clinica/trastorno-ansiedad-generalizada
Sánchez, E. (2018).¿Conoces la diferencia entre ansiedad patológica y ansiedad adaptativa?. Consultado el 16 de mayo de 2020 de la página https://lamenteesmaravillosa.com/la-diferencia-ansiedad-patologica-ansiedad-adaptativa/
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