Anxiety

Anxiety is an anxiety disorder that may develop following a traumatic or life-threatening situation. Some of these events include being in a war, the unexpected death of a person you love, rape or assault, a plane crash, or experiencing a natural disaster. The typical psychological response to a traumatic experience is shock or experiencing acute stress. Dealing with anxiety can create many of emotional challenges, and in some cases, these may be so severe that your health can be negatively affected. This makes it critical to address this condition immediately and work to find effective treatments and techniques to allow you to cope better in your daily life.

One of the things that typically occurs to any person in this predicament includes being extraordinarily disoriented and unable to comprehend the things that are happening around them. It is very common to feel numb, endure nightmares, experience restless nights, and have continuous thoughts about the traumatic event long past the day it occurred. However, as the mind begins to process this situation, these symptoms typically become less severe and may potentially start to gradually lift.

However, when it comes to anxiety, it is possible for a person to remain in a state of mental shock for a long time. If this happens to you, there is a high potential for symptoms to begin to worsen. The good news is not every individual dealing with a life-changing occurrence will develop anxiety, and this will vary greatly. It is also possible for this condition to wait to present itself following the trauma for many individuals. In fact, there have been some cases where severe symptoms only start to develop several days or even years later.

According to the National Institute of Mental Health, anxiety affects millions and may occur at any age, including childhood. Women are more likely to develop anxiety than men, and there is substantial evidence that susceptibility to the disorder may even be hereditary. If you had family members with anxiety, this makes it more likely for you to deal with this condition.

One of the major concerns for most medical providers is that similar to many other mental health illnesses, anxiety is often accompanied by depression, substance abuse, or anxiety disorders. This can deter from the quality of life of any person living with this condition, and it’s important to treat these negative feelings.