ANXIETY
DISORDER
WHAT IS ANXITY
Anxiety is an emotion
characterized
by feeling of tension, worried
thoughts and physical changes
like
increased blood pressure , people
with
anxiety disorders usually have
recurring intrusive thoughts or
Definitions of Anxiety Disorder
Anxiety disorders differ from normal feelings
of nervousness or anxiousness. and involve
excessive fear or anxiety disorders are the
most common of mental disorders
-APA2010
A mental health disorder characterized by
feeling of worry, anxiety or fear that are
strong enough to interfere with one’s daily
activities.
-ANPA 2011
Types Of Anxiety Disorder
1] Generalized Anxiety Disorder
2] Social Phobia
3] Panic Disorder
4] Agoraphobia
5] Phobia
6] Post - Traumatic Stress Disorder [PTSD]
7] Specific phobia
8] Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
Generalized Anxiety
Disorder
A Person feels anxious
on
most days, worrying about
lots
of different things, over a
period of six months or
more.
Symptoms
1] Excessive, ongoing worry and tension
2] An unrealistic view of problems
3] Restlessness
4] Irritability
5] Muscle tension
6] Headache
7] Sweating
8] Difficulty Concentrating
Causes
1] Genetics
2] Brain Chemistry
3] Environmental Factors
Treatment
1) Medications:
Anxiolytics
Benzodiazepines
Antidepressants
2) Therapy:
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
Councelling
Social Phobia
A phobia is a type of
anxiety
disorder, usually defined as a
persistent fear of an object or
situation.
Small degrees of shyness in
public
places, discomfort while public
speaking are natural in most
Symptoms
1] Anxiety in everyday
social situations
2] Excessive self
consciousness
3] Extreme fear of being
watched
4] Shortness of breath
Treatment
a) Relaxation Techniques- Such as
breathing retraining and exercise.
it can help individuals
cope for effectively with the stresses
b) Medication - anti-anxiety medication
c) Cognitive therapy-Replace them with
realistic thoughts.
people learn to identify their
anxious thoughts.
Panic Disorder
Panic disorder is a debilitating
anxiety disorder that is very
different from GAD.
Panic disorder is not about
getting very worried because
you might lose job.
Panic Disorder (Conti)
Panic disorder is when you experience
sever feeling of doom [destruction] that
cause both mental and physical symptoms
that can be so intense that some people
become hospitalized, worried that something
is dangerously wrong with their
health.
Symptoms
1. Fear of dying
2. Shortness of breathing
3. Chest pain
4. Feeling unreal
5. Nausea
6. Discomfort feeling
Treatment
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy - is
generally viewed as the most effective
form of treatment for panicattacks,
panic disorders and agoraphobia.
Cognitive behavioral therapy focus on
the thinking patterns and behaviors. It
helps you look at your fear in a more
realistic light.
Treatment
a) Medication
Antidepressants
Anti anxiety drugs
b) Antidepressant
SSRIs
SNRIs
c) Anxiolytic Drugs
• - Benzodiazepines
• -lorazepam
• -diazepam
Agoraphobia
Agoraphobia is the fear of going out in
public. Either the fear of open spaces
or the fear of being in unfamiliar places
Many people with agoraphobia either
never leave their home , avoid travelling
anywhere other then their home and
office. Agoraphobia is common for adults.
Symptoms
a. Afraid of leaving their home
b. Afraid of being alone in the
social situation
c. Afraid of losing control in
a public place
d. Anxious or agitated
Causes
a) Depression
b) Social phobia
c) A history of physical abuse
d) A substance abuse problem
e) A family history of agoraphobia
Treatment
a. Psychotherapy
b. Cognitive behavioral therapy
c. Medications
• SSRIs [paroxetine]
• SSNRs [duloxetine]
d. Antidepressants [Alprazolam]
Specific Phobia
A specific phobia is any of anxiety
disorder that amounts to an
unreasonable or irrational fear related
to exposure to specific objects or
situation . As a result the affected
person tends to actively avoid direct
contact with the objects or situation.
Symptoms
a) A feeling of danger
b) Need to escape
c) Sweating
d) Shortness of breath
e) Fear of losing control
f) Abdominal discomfort
g) Fear of dying
Treatment
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy -Can
work for those with specific phobia.
Weekly treatment with homework
assignments usually succeeds in 12
to 16 sessions.
First the therapist helps the patient
understand incorrect assumptions
and then gradually exposes him
or her.
Post Traumatic Stress
Disorder
As a human being there are always risks
that put your life in danger. Most people
are lucky enough to avoid these dangers
and live a nice and safe life But in some
cases, you may experience a life trauma-
either physically or emotionally - and this
can cause an anxiety problem known as
post traumatic strees disorder.
Symptoms
a) Flash back
b) Constantly feeling
c) Irritability
d) Difficulty falling sleep
Treatment
a) Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
To encourage you to remember the
event and express your feelings
about it.
b) Medications
- Antidepressants
-Anti anxiety drugs
Obsessive Compulsive
Disorder[OCD]
Obsessive compulsive
Disorder can be a very
destructive anxiety
disorder with OCD often
exhibit behaviors and
fears that are not only
confusing to those
around you- they may be
confusing to the person
Symptoms
Fear of germs , illness
Fear o f hurting
oneself or other
Fear of lose thing
Violent thought
Causes
a) Biological causes -OCD may be caused
by genetic abnormalities.
b) Environmental causes- OCD may develop
result of behaviors that have been
learned over time.
c) Insufficient level of serotonin-OCD may
occur level of serotonin in your brain
decrease . Serotonin is a chemical.
Treatment
a) Medications
-anti depressents
-anti anxiety drug
b) Cognitive Therapy
Nursing Diagnosis
Anxiety is related to fear as evidenced
by restlessness and feeling of
discomfort.
Social Isolation related to decreased
attention level as evidenced by
irritability, constantly feeling of worry.
Ineffective Coping related to stress as
evidenced by avoid daily activities ,poor
personal hygiene.
Nursing Diagnosis (Conti)
Disorganized thought process
related to anxiety as evidenced
by confusion, poor
communication.
Sleeping disturbance related to
anxiety disorder as evidenced
by dull face redness of eyes,
tension, sweating.
Intervention
Assess the level of anxiety.
Provide calm and quit environment
Provide relaxation techniques.
Administer anti depressant drugs, anxiety
drugs.
Encourage the patient for express all
internal feelings.
Provide cognitive therapy and
behavioral therapy
Summary
Anxiety is an emotion characterized by feeling
of tension, worried thoughts.
Anxiety disorders differ from normal feelings
of nervousness and involve excessive fear.
Anxiety disorders are the most common of
mental disorders.
Conclusion
Anxiety or fear that are strong
enough to interfere with one’s daily
activities.
Anxiety is an emotion characterized
by feeling of worried thoughts and
physical changes like increased blood
pressure.
Bibliography
Dr. Bimla Kapoor [2009] ‘’Text book of
psychiatric nursing‘’, 2nd Edition, Kumar
Publishers , New Delhi. Page no: 103-108
K.P. Neeraja [2004] ‘’Essentials of mental
health and psychiatric nursing‘’, 1st
Edition, Jaypee Publications, New Delhi.
Page no: 372 – 376
Mary C. Townsend [2007] ‘’Psychiatric mental
health nursing‘’, 5th Edition, Jaypee
Publications, New Delhi. Pg. no. 631-668
