ANXIETY, affecting approximately 50 million adults in the U.S., is a mental state that can induce not only psychological symptoms (tension, fear, difficulty concentrating, apprehen -sion), but physical symptoms including tachycardia (rapid heart beat), increased blood pressure, hyperventilation, palpitations (irregular or strong heart beats), tremors, headache, sweating, weakened immunity, nervousness, indigestion, sleeplessness, and chronic fatigue.
GENERAL ANXIETY DISORDER, characterized by disabling apprehension, worry, ittitability, and vigilance, initially manifests around age 20 to 35 and is slightly more predominant in women. Anxiety can progress to PANIC DISORDER (unpredictable episodes of intense anxiety), with physiological responses including rapid heartbeat, dizziness, trembling and choking, dyspnea - shortness of breath, palpitations, headache, a sense of smothering, nausea, bloating, and a feeling of impending doom. Recurrent sleep panic attacks (not nightmares) occur in about 30 percent of people with panic disorder. The condition tends to be familial, with onset under age 25, and affects 3 to 5 percent of the population. The premenstrual period is a time of heightened vulnerability.
Other anxiety disorders include phobias - claustrophobia, agoraphobia (fear of open spaces), acrophobia (fear of leaving home), obsessions, counting rituals, mechanical impulses like turning a light switch on and off, hair pulling, nail biting, hypochondria, Tourette's syndrome, and eating disorders.
CONVENTINAL TREATMENT - Prozac and its corollaries (Zoloft and Paxil) are current favorites for treating anxiety and depression by numbing the whole system. Side-effects include sleeplessness, nervousness, nausea, anxiety, loss of sexual desire and performance, suicidal tendencies in 3.5%, and some homicides are blamed on its use.
In some cases, relaxation can be as effective as drugs in alleviating anxiety. Accupressure, EMG biofeedback, music and color therapy may prove helpful. Anxiety may be triggered by hypoglycemia or food allergies. Stimulants such as caffein and alcohol can also induce symptoms.
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