Most often, people suffering from anxiety believe they only have a character flaw, not a mental disorder.

For anxiety sufferers, the labels of moody and paranoid are often attached to them. Stressful situations become difficult to deal with and they are seen as blowing things out of proportion.

Psychological Symptoms

The definition of anxiety is experiencing overwhelming thoughts of worry or fear for a period of six months or more. There are however additional symptoms for these disorders that vary from person to person dependent upon type and severity of the illness.

Someone with anxiety is usually short tempered, impatient and irritable. In addition, the sufferer may also be restless, have trouble concentrating or have the inability to complete tasks and goals. Furthermore, they may experience forgetfulness, become easily confused and be absent minded. The inability to express thoughts coherently as well as complaints of their minds going blank are additional symptoms.

Anxiety puts the body in a hyper sense of alertness. The anxious person is constantly on the lookout for danger and tends to anticipate the worst. Others around them will find the person to be pessimistic or a wet blanket.

Agoraphobia or fear of public places is commonly found in those with anxiety combined with obsessive compulsive disorder. This mental disorder is generally not always seen, however it is usually present in most cases just to a lesser degree.

Some anxiety sufferers may also be afflicted with depression and hallucinations. This general occurs in those with severe anxiety and can often lead to thoughts of suicide.

For those suffering with anxiety disorders, worrisome, irrational, and negative feelings are persistent.

Physical Symptoms

Anxiety is a psychological condition, but it can be physically taxing on the body. It has a tendency to manifest itself into several symptoms that can further affect a persons day to day functioning.

Some of the most common physical symptoms include an increased heart rate and higher blood pressure, sweating, dizziness, and headaches. A person with anxiety often has trouble taking deep breaths and hyperventilates quite frequently. He or she may experience fatigue, insomnia, and hyperactivity.

Since a person with anxiety has excess adrenaline, the body can experience muscle tension and body aches/ In addition, the excess adrenaline also accounts for the alteration in moods.

And when the mind spends so much time in a state of worry, other bodily functions are compromised. This leads to a loss of appetite or nausea, diarrhea, or frequent urination, and constantly being thirsty. Many anxiety sufferers even complain about a reduced sex drive.

Other Anxiety Symptoms

However, not all anxiety sufferers experience the same symptoms. In fact, some experience the opposite of the ones mentioned earlier. In most cases, these symptoms are brought on during a high level of anxiety such as someone suffering from SAD who finds themselves in the middle of a group of strangers.

One symptom is excessively low blood pressure. This reaction does not allow the proper oxygen and nutrient levels to get to the brain.

Another symptom reported during high levels of anxiety is a heightened degree of sex drive.

Still others with chronic anxiety report having food cravings. Often the craving is for sugar, and this may be due to the fact that blood pressure is at times chronically low in cases of severe anxiety

An established writer, Funmi Salami loves to share her health related knowledge and experience. Her articles about Anxiety Disorder Dopamine and Anxiety Cognitive Behavioral Therapy can be found on Clivir.com - the free learning community site.

Tags: Mental Health

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