Anxiety is one of the most common mental illnesses in the United Sates. Anxiety is typically under diagnosed. Anxiety is a feeling of worry, nervousness, and getting anxious. It’s a feeling that you cannot shake, your heart begins to race, and you feel as if you cannot breath. Some believe anxiety is something that a person can control. They are wrong, anxiety is a debilitating mental illness that is hard to control and manage without the proper help. I chose anxiety because it is something that struggle with every day. The topics I will be discussing in my paper are the types of anxiety disorders, the manifestations of anxiety, treatment and medications, nursing interventions and patient education on anxiety. (Carol D. Tamparo, 2011) …show more content…
War veterans were the first ones treated for PTSD. There are many reasons a person can have PTSD some of the most common are war vets, physical assault, major accidents, and terror attacks. The treatment for PTSD is therapy and medications, there is no cure for PTSD, because the event will forever be in someone’s mind. Nightmares are one of the common reasons a person remembers a traumatic event. Patients with PTSD often have matters with developing relationships. They will have a hard time opening up to others or even loving another person. (Peter M. Hartmann, 2015 …show more content…
Therapy can mean many different things from relaxation therapy to group therapy or even seeing a psychologist. Cognitive-behavioral therapy is one of the most effective treatment plans for patients dealing with anxiety. Cognitive-behavioral therapy deals with the patient’s problems, and helping them find different ways to cope with their situations. They help change negative thoughts into more supportive thoughts and answers. If a patient can realize what activates their anxiety they will be able to recognize when they need to talk to someone or even take their medications as prescribed. Promoting resilience is another way to help with patients cope with anxiety. “Resilience is the quality of being hardy or stress resistant.” (Karen M. Burke, 2011) Nurses or even family members can help older patients with anxiety by supporting their ADL’s, and that is encouraging resilience. The most common medications used to treat anxiety are benzodiazepines and sedative hypnotics. Benzodiazepines have a rapid onset and help react to the central nervous system. The most common side effects of benzodiazepines are sedation, weakness, lethargy, dizziness, and a decreased in organization. The most common benzodiazepines prescribed are Xanax, klonopin, valium, and Ativan. Sedative-hypnotic agents have a more sedative effect on the mind and help treat insomnia. Side effects include sedation, drowsiness, and dizziness. Most
A Vietnam War veteran experienced many gruesome and horrifying events during their time of serving the army. Seeing such horrifying things affected their mental and emotional thinking “PTSD is defined as a re-experience of a traumatic event, for example, flashbacks. Anything can trigger a flashback a click, a movement, anything associated with the past event” (Cruz). Seeing such horrifying things affected their mental and emotional thinking. A soldier was told to forget what they saw and basically move on from it, but it only made it worse. Having everything “bottled up” makes it even harder to treat PTSD. U.S. soldiers had to live with the disorder on their own without any help. “The veterans experience combat related nightmares, anxiety, anger, depression, alcohol and/or drug dependency, all are symptoms of PTSD” (Begg). The symptoms occurred over long periods of time when that person has been in certain situations that he or she was not ready to be in. Some of these situations including the Vietnam veterans not feeling like their unit was together or united. “Soldiers were sent into replace other soldiers, which caused the other members of the group to make fun or haze them. The unit never developed as much loyalty to each other as they should have” (Paulson and Krippner). “Many of...
Anti-anxiety drugs are another way of reducing stress levels. They counter hormones in the body that make you anxious. Barbiturates are another form of anti-anxiety drugs. They are depressants of the central nervous system and can be effective in reducing anxiety. However there are side effects with barbiturates these include lack of concentration or lack of coordination. Also anxious patients who stop taking barbiturates report numerous symptoms such as delirium, irritability and increased sweating.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, also known as PTSD, is an anxiety disorder that can develop after a traumatic event (Riley). A more in depth definition of the disorder is given by Doctor’s Nancy Piotrowski and Lillian Range, “A maladaptive condition resulting from exposure to events beyond the realm of normal human experience and characterized by persistent difficulties involving emotional numbing, intense fear, helplessness, horror, re-experiencing of trauma, avoidance, and arousal.” People who suffer from this disease have been a part of or seen an upsetting event that haunts them after the event, and sometimes the rest of their lives. There are nicknames for this disorder such as “shell shock”, “combat neurosis”, and “battle fatigue” (Piotrowski and Range). “Battle fatigue” and “combat neurosis” refer to soldiers who have been overseas and seen disturbing scenes that cause them anxiety they will continue to have when they remember their time spent in war. It is common for a lot of soldiers to be diagnosed with PTSD when returning from battle. Throughout the history of wars American soldiers have been involved in, each war had a different nickname for what is now PTSD (Pitman et al. 769). At first, PTSD was recognized and diagnosed as a personality disorder until after the Vietnam Veterans brought more attention to the disorder, and in 1980 it became a recognized anxiety disorder (Piotrowski and Range). There is not one lone cause of PTSD, and symptoms can vary from hallucinations to detachment of friends and family, making a diagnosis more difficult than normal. To treat and in hopes to prevent those who have this disorder, the doctor may suggest different types of therapy and also prescribe medication to help subside the sympt...
The first large occurrences of PTSD were in the 1910’s. During World War I, PTSD was common amongst veterans of trench warfare. It was referred to as “shell-shock”, which was originally believed to be caused by the sounds of artillery fire, according to Nancy C Andreasen. World War II had even more cases due to the use of more weapons, bombs, and smaller squads, which caused less social interaction. It was then that the government realized that PTSD in veterans, or more commonly called “combat exhaustion”, can effect anybody, not just the weak minded. The Vietnam War experienced the most victims, however. Each battalion had a mental heath therapist, which helped immensely through the early years of the war. However, the citizens questioned the legality of the war, and soldiers were disgraced. They returned home and recieved no appreciation, and a loss in socialization. Roughly one in three soldiers had post-traumatic stress disorder, and 15 percent still had the condition 20 years later. More recent events have also spiked PTSD cases; terrorism. 9/11 caused global fear for everyone, but also caused over ten thousand cases of PTSD in first responders and bystanders. Research and treatment improved vastly over the years, with treatments working on patients who have access to
Hundreds of thousands of United States veterans are not able to leave the horrors of war on the battlefield (“Forever at War: Veterans Everyday Battles with PTSD” 1). Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is the reason why these courageous military service members cannot live a normal life when they are discharged. One out of every five military service members on combat tours—about 300,000 so far—return home with symptoms of PTSD or major depression. According to the Rand Study, almost half of these cases go untreated because of the disgrace that the military and civil society attach to mental disorders (McGirk 1). The general population of the world has to admit that they have had a nightmare before. Imagine not being able to sleep one wink because every time you close your eyes you are forced to relive memories from the past that you are trying to bury deep. This is what happens to the unfortunate men and women who are struggling with PTSD. Veterans that are struggling with post-traumatic stress disorder deserve the help they need.
There are many different causes of PTSD such as sexual abuse, sudden death of a loved one, and war. Trauma affects people in different ways, some can develop it from watching a fellow soldier being killed, and some can develop it from losing their jobs or a divorce. Being diagnosed with PTSD is a difficult process because there are many other psychological disorders whose symptoms can overlap and are very similar. An important fact to remember is that PTSD doesn’t just affect the person suffering; it can also have secondhand effects on their spouses, children, parents, friends, co-workers, and other loved ones. Although there is no direct cure, there are many treatment and alternative treatment options to assist them in moving forward after a trauma.
Along with being the most widespread mental health disorder, women are more likely to be affected by most anxiety disorders than men. Anxiety disorders are often characterized by feelings of worry, uncertainty, anxiety, or fear, which can be so intense, it can interfere with a person’s daily activities. Therefore, it is likely for a person struggling with an anxiety disorder will find themselves unemployed, financially dependent on others and even have poor quality social relationships as well. As an anxiety disorder may affect other functional impairments, it is also important to be aware of its development considering an anxiety response affects various populations and individuals differently.
Anxiety is a feeling of tension associated with a sense of threat of danger when the source of the danger is not known. In comparison, fear is a feeling of tension that is associated with a known source of danger. I believe it is normal for us to have some mild anxiety present in our daily lives. Everyday that I can think of I have some kind of anxiety though out that day. Anxiety warns us and enables us to get ready for the ‘fight or flight’ response. However, heightened anxiety is emotionally painful. It disrupts a person's daily functioning.
Fear and Anxiety are essential functions that occur in the brain that allow people to respond to stimuli appropriately. These feelings as normal as they are can cause problems and in 3.1 percent of adult Americans approximately 6.8 million people it does cause problems (“Generalized anxiety disorder”, 2014). A problem can arise when people have too much fear and anxiety; a problem is evident when it interferes with their life and their ability to do things. This is known as general anxiety disorder (GAD). When someone is suffering from generalized anxiety disorder they normally experience excessive exaggerated anxiety and worry about normal life events that give no clear reason for worry (“Generalized anxiety disorder”, 2014). This disorder can be debilitating and rule over people’s lives if it is severe and a better understanding of the disorder can be gained by looking at historical views, current views, causes and symptoms, case studies, differential diagnosis considerations, and treatment.
Everybody has felt anxiety at some point in their life. Whether it is taking a test or expressing their feelings for someone else, everyone gets nervous for some reason. Some people get more nervous than others and sometimes that nervous feeling never goes away. Having an anxiety disorder causes a person to feel nervous or scared, even if there is no reason to be. There is a constant fear that something bad or humiliating is about to happen. Anxiety can affect anyone no matter the age group, from young children to grandparents. It affects society as a whole because people may not know the signs that they have anxiety. In school students are not taught about mental illnesses like anxiety and depression until they reach high school. Anxiety can affect the way people interact with their family and peers. In this paper, I will argue why anxiety and mental health problems are a global issue, the
Do you know what it feels like to have your palms sweat, throat close up, and your fingers tremble? This is the everyday life of someone who lives with anxiety. As soon as I wake up in the morning, I hear my brain freaking out about the day ahead of me. What do I eat for breakfast? What do I do first when I get home from school? What happens if I get in a car crash on my way to school? A million thoughts at one time racing through my head. I never have the time to process all of them. Most mornings, I lay in my bed and have to take a few deep breaths to begin my hectic but not so hectic day. That’s just the beginning. It’s safe to say that I feel that I 'm an anxious person and that I have an anxiety disorder.
Treatments for PTSD cannot erase your memory of those events,” (Tull) and, “That said, it is important to remember that symptoms of PTSD can come back again” (Tull). Even though it cannot be cured, it can be treated effectively with treatment. According to mayoclinc.org, “The primary treatment is psychotherapy, but often includes medication” (None). With the help of psychotherapy and medication, people who suffer from PTSD can begin to regain their life from anxiety and
Muscle aches, trouble concentrating, and being tired all the time, these are some effects that anxiety disorders can have on a person. Jake has been diagnosed with an anxiety disorder. Just like there are many different causes and different types of disorders, there are also many ways to treat the disorders. Three different types will be explained within this essay. Number one, the humanistic approach, or being able to fulfill a personal potential. Number two, the behavioral view of the change in behaviors, and then the third, the cognitive side, or mental processes. By looking at these specific views, we will define them and see where they believe the causes are formed and the care they can give to help in combating the anxieties of life.
Anxiety as defined by the American Heritage Dictionary defines anxiety as “a state of uneasiness and distress about future uncertainties…apprehension…intense fear or dread…” (Boyer et al., 1985, p. 117). Bandura (1988) presents anxiety as “a state of anticipatory apprehension over possible deleterious happenings…an emotion of fright indexed by physiological arousal or subjective feelings of agitation” (p. 77-78). Within his definition, he also states that anxiety or emotional arousal can be considered both a physiological and emotional state.
Anxiety is a normal reaction to stress. Every person experiences some form of anxiety in his or her lifetime. Anxiety helps us deal with tense situations like using our flight or fight reaction, study harder for an exam, or keep focus on important deadlines. Anxiety can be useful until it gets to the point of interfering with everyday life. Some people explain it as not being able to shut the anxiety off. When anxiety becomes an excessive, irrational dread of everyday situations, it becomes a disabling disorder (National Institute of Mental Health, 2009). Each year, anxiety disorders affect about 40 million American adults age 18 years and older (National Institute of Mental Health, 2009). There are five major Anxiety Disorders they include Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD), Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), Panic Disorder, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), and Phobias.