Discover the Anxiety Attack Symptoms , Top Therapies Methods

When the psychologist says that a person is anxious, the statement may be interpreted in either of two ways. It may mean that the individual is anxious at the moment, or it may mean that he is an anxious person. The two interpretations are quite different. The former refers to an immediate and probably ephemeral state, whereas the latter is a constant condition without a time limitation

Another factor affecting the degree of anxiety has to do with their anticipation of harmful consequences in a dangerous situation. These fears are relatively primitive and are closely related to the person's automatic protective functions.

The most beneficial and intensive cognitive restructuring interventions teach the client to revise probability overestimates for the occurrence of panic-related consequences (e.g., fainting, losing control) and to decatastrophize the perceived aversiveness of these feared events.

One study found that 40% of the patients in a cardiology practice were suffering from panic disorder.

Panic disorder is a distinct clinical entity manifesting the classical features first described by Freud in 1895, who called it anxiety neurosis (Freud, 1895). The symptoms vary little among patients. They experience overwhelming feelings of terror and a fear of dying or going mad. Acute somatic discomfort, which cart mimic a cardiac episode, includes chest pains, choking sensations, dyspnea, parasthesias, dizziness, sweating, palpitations, and hot and cold flashes.

Often the feelings of anxiety are lessened or avoided through drugs, alcohol, sexual promiscuity, or other reactive behaviors. However, many positive or constructive behaviors are also motivated by a need to control or avoid the psychological discomfort of anxiety. Such behaviors are usually accompanied by the illusion that what one chooses to do will be so pleasant and so rewarding as to keep the anxiety permanently at bay. This, of course, is wishful thinking. Behaviors engaged in to allay anxiety, whether judged positively or negatively, may actually prove effective in reducing the feelings of anxiety. However, at the same time, they will prove to be either functional or dysfunctional in terms of how they affect the general well-being of the individual. In any case, the motivation to act is provided by a need to move away from the present or potential discomfort of anxiety.

Persons close to the anxious individual can have considerable effect on how he or she responds in any given setting (Schachter, 1964). Many of a person's beliefs and values are handed down by significant adults in his or her life as they are growing up. In essence, the child accepts without question the opinions and beliefs of those who seem to have absolute power. After reaching adulthood, anxious individuals often reference childhood experiences and check how they are doing in a particular situation through comparisons with a personally created composite larger-than-life figure. This metaphorical internal judge is created from an endless array of beliefs, myths, opinions, shoulds, oughts, cannots, must nots,

views of personal potentials, and shortcomings accumulated over the years from parents and other significant relationships.

It is estimated that between 7 and 12 million individuals are agoraphobic, with 75% of these being women.