Anxiety
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Plymouth Psych Group
Mental Health Clinic & Autism Specialist located in Plymouth, MN
Whether your anxiety is a simmering pot of worries that keep you tense and on edge or you experience full-blown panic attacks, including physical symptoms like heart palpitations and shortness of breath, help is available. If you live with anxiety that disrupts your life and regular activities, contact Plymouth Psych Group, located in Plymouth, Minnesota. Their team's extensive training and experience allow them to combine treatment modalities in a customized approach to help you learn to manage your anxious thoughts and behaviors. Call the office or schedule a consultation online today.
Anxiety Q&A
What is anxiety?
Whereas it’s normal to experience some anxiety, excessive anxiety, worry, or fear that interferes with your life is characterized as an anxiety disorder. Anxiety usually develops in relation to your internal psychological concerns. For example, everyday worries include health, loss, death, injury, shame and humiliation, aggressive or angry feelings, and conflicts over guilt.
Some common symptoms of anxiety include:
- Palpitations
- Shortness of breath
- Sweating
- Nausea
- Dizziness
- Gastrointestinal distress.
Anxiety can cause intense, unpleasant psychological states of apprehension such as feelings of terror, doom, or utter helplessness.
What causes anxiety?
Common causes of anxiety include ongoing general stresses such as the pressures of work or family life, as well as stress from specific situations like job loss or moving. A personal history of physical, psychological, or sexual abuse, neglect, or witnessing or being involved in a traumatizing event can also trigger anxiety.
Are there different types of anxiety?
Yes, anxiety manifests in several different ways, causing a variety of symptoms, thoughts, and behaviors.
Panic disorders
Panic disorders are frequent, sudden anxiety attacks accompanied by the fear that one is dying or going crazy that can last from minutes to hours. Panic attacks are accompanied by physical symptoms such as palpitations, sweating, and more. As a result of repeated attacks, you may start to avoid situations that bring on the attacks.
Social anxiety
Some people are occasionally shy, while others may fear public speaking. However, when casual everyday encounters with people result in fear of being consistently humiliated or negatively evaluated, it can lead to a pattern of avoidance and getting less out of life.
Generalized anxiety disorder
Concern for the future is reasonable. However, when your worries become intense and frequent, you can feel out of control and unable to engage in positive and meaningful activities. You may become restless, irritable, or have a hard time concentrating. Alternatively, rather than being relaxed and able to participate fully in the world, you become fatigued and irritable or engage in catastrophic thinking.
Phobias
Phobias are the overwhelming unreasonable fear of an object or situation that poses little real danger but provokes anxiety and avoidance. Examples of phobias are fear of snakes, elevators, and heights or flying.
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
If you experience a traumatic event, such as an assault, witnessing or being a victim in an accident, suffering a life-threatening illness, or hearing of a loved one’s unexpected death, your risk of post-traumatic stress disorder increases. PTSD is characterized by avoidance, numbing, and hyperarousal symptoms.
PTSD symptoms include:
- Intrusive thoughts and flashbacks
- Nightmares
- Avoidance behaviors
- Loss of interest in activities previously enjoyed
- Insomnia
- Irritability
- Poor concentration
- Being easily startled
If you think that you have an anxiety disorder and may need therapy, but you aren’t sure where to begin, call Plymouth Psych Group or use online booking to schedule your initial consultation.
