Anxiety

• Anxiety disorders are serious mental illnesses and include panic disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, social anxiety disorder, specific phobias, and generalized anxiety disorder.

The type of anxiety that most of us experience is simply a normal human emotion and response to stressful experiences. We often feel anxious, be it about work, family, school, or an important step that we have to take in life. However, if chronic anxiety develops, it can become detrimental to one’s health and quality of life, causing or worsening health issues such as hypertension, heart disease, IBS (irritable bowel syndrome), asthma, stroke, and hair loss.

Symptoms: Since anxiety can represent a wide array of disorders, there are many symptoms. These include feelings of panic and uneasiness, uncontrollable and obsessive thoughts, nightmares, sleep problems, shortness of breath, dry mouth, tension, dizziness, and ritualistic behaviors.