A severe anxiety disorder and deep depression most of the time walk hand in hand.
Most of the time, a severe anxiety disorder and deep depression go together. Itís not unusual for a person who suffers from severe anxiety attacks to start thinking about suicide and other morbid thoughts.
There are different types of severe anxiety disorders which include among many, panic disorders, specific phobias and obsessive-compulsive disorders. Panic disorders are recurrent panic attacks that occur suddenly for no obvious reason; specific phobias are symptoms of panic and anxiety due to exposure to a single feared object like elevators or situations like flying; and OCD is characterized by recurrent intrusive thoughts and repetitive behaviors.
These severe anxiety disorders are mental disorders characterized by constant overwhelming anxiety and fear. They are different from normal anxiety since the latter is typically caused by normal stress and affects everyone during certain periods of their lives such as giving a speech for an English class, taking the upcoming entrance exam for college, or going on a date for the first time. The anxiety felt in these situations are considered beneficial in that it helps one to work harder in preparation for the speech or exam or become more cautious and alert of the surroundings during the date. Also, normal anxiety lasts for a short period and disappears when the situation that caused it is over.
On the other hand, these severe anxiety disorders are more intense and last as long as 6 months or years, even. Constant feeling of fear or worry is experienced that disrupts personal, social, and professional relationships. Furthermore, individuals with severe anxiety disorders typically have other accompanying mental disorders like major depression.
When people hear that their friend is suffering from Severe Social Anxiety, their idea of help is to push the person into confrontational situations. This kind of shock therapy is a big mistake. This is unlike pushing someone in a lake to teach him how to swim.
I would strongly recommend that people who suffer from Severe Anxiety Disorder symptoms should be kept away from any stressful situations. If that is not possible, keeping these situations at a minimum is a good enough help. Do not try to be clever by making your friend face his source of anxiety. That will likely cause more harm than good.
Medical treatments for anxiety
More often than not, doctors will prescribe Benzodiazepines to patients with anxiety. This drug, however, is not proven to help people with severe anxiety disorders. This is why psychiatric help is always recommended together with drug therapy whether it would be self-help or professional assistance. Prescription drugs should be regarded only as a last resort. Prescription medicines will only control the physical symptoms of Anxiety, but they really do not address the core of the problem. By contrast, psychiatric help will attack problem at its root: the brain.
You see, it is natural to be afraid. Itís a basic human emotion that we are all familiar with. The problem with severe anxiety disorder sufferers is that their brain, because of some incident in their life, starts to treat most regular day events as threats.
Anxiety disorders are very much treatable, but a certain reconditioning of the brain is required. This is something that can be done with psychological counseling, not with drugs alone. If you are worried that getting such counseling might be too costly, you will be happy to know that there are other inexpensive treatments available. Of course, self-help is always an option.
