Carbonell Institute

Anxiety

Anxiety serves an adaptive function in our lives and is a useful response in certain situations, as it prepares us to face danger. However, when anxiety occurs in non-dangerous situations, is disproportionate, and significantly interferes with our daily lives, we can say that we are dealing with an anxiety disorder.
The main anxiety disorders are:

Generalized Anxiety Disorder

This is a chronic and excessive worry about a wide range of everyday life issues that the person is unable to control. This worry manifests in the following symptoms: restlessness or impatience, easy fatigability, difficulty concentrating or mind going blank, irritability, muscle tension, and sleep disturbances.

Panic Disorder

The essential manifestation is recurrent attacks of severe anxiety or intense fear (panic), which are not limited to any particular situation and are therefore unpredictable. The dominant symptoms include a sudden onset of palpitations, chest pain, a feeling of suffocation, dizziness, and feelings of unreality. Some attacks have been followed by persistent worry about having further panic attacks or their consequences (fear of dying, losing control, or going crazy, for example).

Agoraphobia

Anxiety arises when in places or situations where escape might be difficult (or embarrassing), or where help might not be available should an unexpected panic attack or panic-like symptoms occur. Agoraphobic fears are often associated with a set of characteristic situations, including being alone outside the home; being in crowds or standing in line; crossing a bridge; or traveling by bus, train, or car.

 

Social Phobia

A marked and persistent fear of one or more social situations or public performances in which the individual is exposed to people they don't know. The individual fears acting in a way (or showing symptoms of anxiety) that will be humiliating or embarrassing. It is the fear of being scrutinized by others that leads to avoidance of social situations.

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

The essential feature of this disorder is the presence of recurrent obsessive thoughts or compulsive acts. Obsessive thoughts are ideas, images, or impulses that repeatedly intrude into the person's mind. They are almost always distressing, so attempts to resist them are unsuccessful.

Compulsive acts or rituals are behaviors that are repeated over and over. These are neither pleasurable nor useful in themselves. Their function is to prevent some objectively improbable event, which usually refers to being harmed by someone or harming someone.



Post-traumatic stress disorder

It arises when a person has experienced or witnessed a traumatic event. Typical characteristics include repeated episodes of reliving the trauma in the form of intrusive flashbacks, dreams, or nightmares, and the person's efforts to avoid reliving it. Because of this, the person avoids or tries to avoid situations that remind them of the traumatic event. Those with this disorder may also experience symptoms such as difficulty falling asleep, outbursts of anger, difficulty concentrating, hypervigilance, and an exaggerated startle response.

Specific phobias

A marked and persistent fear that is excessive or unreasonable, triggered by the presence or anticipation of a specific object or situation (e.g., flying, heights, animals, receiving injections, seeing blood). Being in that situation almost invariably provokes an immediate anxiety response, which may take the form of a situational panic attack or one more or less related to a specific situation. Once the situation has passed, the person recognizes that this fear was excessive or unreasonable.




Separation anxiety disorder

This disorder consists of excessive fear or anxiety related to separation from the primary caregiver. This causes distress at the prospect of being separated from that person, nightmares about it, and intense worry that something bad might happen to them, including the fear of being kidnapped. Furthermore, the person may feel a reluctance to leave the house, be alone, or sleep in someone else's home. Additionally, physiological symptoms such as headaches, nausea, and vomiting may occur.

Selective Mutism

It consists of the inability to speak in social situations where it is expected, even though the person usually speaks in other situations. Therefore, the deficit is not due to a communication disorder or a lack of proficiency in the language spoken. This interferes with the person's life, at school, at work, and in social settings.



Adjustment disorder

It is defined as emotional distress resulting from a significant life change (parental separation, emigration, etc.) or a stressful life event. The main symptoms are: depressed mood, anxiety, worry (or a combination of these); a feeling of being unable to cope with problems, plan for the future, or continue in the present situation; and some degree of impairment in carrying out daily routines. In children, regressive behaviors such as bedwetting, using baby talk, or thumb-sucking are often part of the symptomatic pattern.

Other Anxiety Disorders

There are other, less common but equally treatable anxiety disorders. They can occur alongside depressive and obsessive symptoms, among others.

Causes:

Several factors influence the development of anxiety disorders. These include: Biological factors: Neurotransmitters: elevated norepinephrine and serotonin receptor hypersensitivity. Genetics: studies indicate a familial component. Psychological factors: Perception of danger when it is not. Constant anticipation of negative consequences. Expectations of being uncontrollable.

Course and prognosis:

Generalized anxiety disorder is one of the most prevalent mental disorders. The most common anxiety disorder is specific phobia (between 10 and 11%). The chronicity of these disorders varies, with generalized anxiety disorder being one of the most difficult to treat.


At Instituto Carbonell, we evaluate and treat all types of anxiety disorders in an interdisciplinary manner, adapting to the individual characteristics and needs of each patient.

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