Occasional anxiety is a normal part of life. However, people with anxiety disorders They often have intense, excessive, and persistent worries and fears about everyday situations. Often in anxiety disorders there are repeated episodes of sudden feelings of intense anxiety and fear or terror that peak in a matter of minutes.
These feelings interfere with daily activities and are difficult to control, in addition to being out of proportion to the real danger and remaining in the thoughts for a long time. To avoid them, it can happen to avoid certain places or situations. Symptoms may begin in childhood or adolescence and continue into old age. adult.
see more
Research reveals that teenage brains are 'wired' to…
4 cleaning habits you need to break to be happier
Symptoms of Anxiety Disorders:
- Feeling nervous, agitated or tense;
- Feeling of imminent danger, panic or catastrophe;
- Increased heart rate;
- Rapid breathing (hyperventilation);
- Sweat and tremors;
- Feeling weak or tired;
- Problems concentrating and fall sleep.
Most appropriate therapeutic approach
The psychological treatment that works best for most anxiety disorders is therapy cognitive-behavioral (CBT), which includes what is called “exposure”.
The purpose of CBT is for the person to learn to face (“expose himself to”) situations that make him fearful/anxious or things he has failed to do, without using avoidance or safety behaviors. In this way, the person verifies that the anxiety is decreasing without running away from the situation.
Patient and therapist define a treatment program to face the feared situations and achieve a decrease in anxiety. This psychological treatment requires active involvement on the part of the patient for weeks or months. Achieving effective changes through one's own work is very important for the person with the disorder, as improves self-confidence and allows them to continue facing feared situations and maintain the improvements achieved.
The role of the family in the treatment of anxiety
There are many factors that influence the origin and evolution of disorders that affect mental health. In this sense, the social environment and, mainly, the family of those people who have an anxiety disorder are important aspects. When these disorders affect children and adolescents, the family plays a fundamental role and it will be necessary to involve it in the treatment.
Working with the family can be helpful in learning to identify the symptoms and functioning of anxiety, actively collaborating with treatment, and modifying lifestyles. relationships with patients that sometimes cause the disorder to continue (such as overprotection, engaging in safety behaviors, excessive criticism, and demand, etc.).
The family member, together with the professional and the patient, can collaborate in the tasks that the patient has to perform to expose himself to the feared situations.
Prognosis
The evolution of disorders anxiety it depends on many factors, although a significant reduction in symptoms and discomfort is usually achieved. When improvement in symptoms is achieved, it is necessary to work with the person who has the disorder to prevent relapses.
This means that the final part of treatment should focus on identifying those mild difficulties and symptoms that may appear after the end of treatment, so that the person can cope and overcome and thus prevent recurrence of the disorder anxiety.
Psychologist, postgraduate in Business Management Executive Coaching and Skills. Writer with international training for creative writing and storytelling. Researcher at Dakila Pesquisas, creation of Pedagogical Coaching methodology for parents and educators.
