Physical symptoms of anxiety: Have you ever looked at a person and just knew immediately that they were suffering from some sort of anxiety? Perhaps he or she looked haggard, stressed, unhappy, or mentally exhausted. If you didn't already know it -- physically, anxiety can make you very ill. Anxiety over events in your life can cause ever illness from Irritable Bowel Syndrome to heat problems to the common cold. You can become physically ill from anxiety because it actually lowers your immune system's ability to fight off infections or bacteria. Anxiety strains the heart, and can cause rapid or irregular heartbeat. Severe, recurring and untreated anxiety can ultimately lead to heart attack and stroke.
If you look at a person with severe anxiety, you may be able to see the wrinkles in his or her forehead, the seemingly permanent grimace on the face, and black circles under the eyes. Severe anxiety can also cause him or her to be over or under their normal weight. This is because anxiety often does one of the two things: causes binge eating (which is when a person frequently overeats to deal with stress) or under eating (which is when stress completely wipes out a person's appetite and they are unable to gain any appetite).
There are other physical symptoms of anxiety that can be found in the manifestation of other mental illnesses. For example, in people with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), severe anxiety can cause a flareup of highly obsessive behaviors. A person who is worried about something may obsessively repeat routines in order to alleviate the stress that they are under. Repetition is often a stress reducer for some with OCD. A chronically depressed person, on the other hand, may have a different reaction to anxiety. They may find it impossible to get out of bed in the morning, and therefore miss a great deal of time at work or school. You may notice that these people are physically absent from their usual activities.
Mental symptoms of anxiety: Mental symptoms of anxiety are stressful to those who struggle with it. Those who suffer from extreme anxiety may find it nearly impossible to focus on anything except the thing that they are anxious or stressed over. It may seem that no matter what they try to focus on, their thoughts always come back to the same negative things. This can cause a highly depressed state in a person suffering from anxiety. It can also cause a person to have a mental breakdown and be unable to preform the day-to-day tasks that they usually do.
Mentally, anxiety can cause a person to become totally changed. Someone who once used to go out and be social with friends may now be a homebody, unwilling to talk much to others. Severe anxiety can cause mood swings, One minute a person an be content, and the next minute they can be completely unreasonable. Anxiety can cause a person to be unusually quite, distracted, and disorganized. The anxiety can be so overwhelming, that the person suffering from it may not want to explain it to others. In fact, it may seem almost impossible for the person suffering from it to even put it into words. Overall, anxiety is an extremely difficult thing for a person to deal with mentally and physically. If you are suffering from any of the above symptoms or have reason to believe that you are chronically stressed, it is in your best interest to seek the help of a mental health professional right away.
Research shows that around one in four people are suffering from mental illness, which means that at any point in time, a quarter of the population have some kind of mental health problem which can range from mild depression and anxiety right through to serious mental health conditions such as schizophrenia and other forms of dementia.
No one is immune to developing a mental health problem as mental illness can strike anyone, anywhere, at any time and at any age. So how can you recognise the early warning signs? All of us will inevitably feel a bit out of sorts or low at times and it's important to stress that this is a perfectly normal part of life and the feeling usually wears off after a short period of time. It's when we can't shake this feeling off on our own that we should pay attention and on the alert for other symptoms of depression or anxiety.
The most common types of mental health problems are indeed anxiety related disorders and depression and by recognising the symptoms we can help prevent ourselves or others close to us from experiencing unnecessary suffering and despair.
Common symptoms of anxiety and depression
* Low moods or sadness * Unable to sleep or sleeping too much * Changes in appetite * Fatigue * Loss of libido * Weight loss or weight gain * Irritability * Emotional outbursts * Experiencing a panic attack * Unable to relax * Excessive worrying * Feeling worthless and guilty * Unable to make decisions * Feeling anxious and nervous * Obsessive compulsive behaviour * Thoughts of suicide
We may experience one or more of these symptoms from time to time and yet not be suffering from a mental illness but if the symptoms persist and are severe enough to interfere with what you normally do on a day to day basis then you should seek advice from your doctor.
For example if you find it hard to go to work, or get up in the morning, or if you avoid social contact with friends or stop indulging in hobbies or pastimes that you used to enjoy or if you are constantly worrying and feeling anxious then this should all be taken seriously.
Recognising anxiety
Anxiety can be defined as a persistent nagging and unrealistic worry or fear about any aspect of your life, for example it could be connected to your health, your relationships or your work. You might have some difficulty focussing or concentrating on a task, your sleep may be disturbed and you could feel edgy and irritable or shaky and nervous.
Again it's important to stress that we all become anxious when faced with threatening or difficult situations such as a driving test or a job interview and this is a good thing as it helps us to prepare for the event. It's when this anxiety persists when there is no obvious reason for it that we should pay attention and seek help before it gets any worse. If we are extremely anxious or worried then we might also experience panic attacks.
What are panic attacks?
Panic attacks are terrifying; they can come on at any time without warning. Physical symptoms include difficulty breathing, pounding heart, unable to swallow, pains in the chest, dizziness and shaking. People often describe the sensation of a panic attack as if they are having a heart attack and feel as if they are going to die. Once someone has experienced a full blown panic attack they may be so scared of having another one that even the fear of the panic attack itself is enough to bring one on.
People who are suffering from persistent anxiety are often suffering from depression too.
Recognising depression
Depression can be said to exist when you have been feeling low for more than a couple of weeks or so and the symptoms are severe enough to hinder you from carrying out your normal daily routines the way you used to and you no longer enjoy the same activities that you used to find pleasurable. It can make you feel exhausted, worthless and unable to cope with even the most minor of tasks.
When to seek help
Quite simply, it is important to seek help as early as possible in order to get the right support. Many people are tempted to go it alone and struggle on day after day which not only reduces quality of life it also magnifies existing feelings of isolation, hopelessness and despair.
If you are diagnosed with depression or an anxiety related disorder then it is quite likely that you will be offered medication in the first instance, and possibly some form of therapy.
The good thing is that both depression and anxiety are treatable and with the right support and understanding from family and friends, most people will get back to their old selves again and will go on to make a complete recovery.
Both Matthew Hick & David Mcevoy are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
David Mcevoy has sinced written about articles on various topics from Depression Cure, Aquarium Fish and Fitness. and anxiety are serious mental health conditions that can strike anyone at anytime. For more information about depression and selp help come and visit. David Mcevoy's top article generates over 33100 views. to your Favourites.