Anxiety Disorders (Series 1)
Hello, welcome, back to Mind Matter with Dr.
Ogochukwu Ojiaku. Last time we discussed Prejudice, and discrimination
around mental illness, and how we can fight stigma and support individuals with mental
illness. If you have not watched the last video already,
please endeavor to do so, in other to stay up to date. Today we will be discussing anxiety disorders. This is going to have multiple series. Anxiety disorders are among the most common
of all psychiatric illnesses. It is a mental health diagnosis that is characterized
by feelings of worry, apprehension, and intense fear that are strong enough to interrupt one’s
daily activities. I wanted to discuss anxiety today because
many people are unaware that anxiety can be a mental health disorder that requires
professional intervention. Of course, Anxiety is a normal human emotion. However, there are different levels of anxiety
disorders there is; Mild, moderate, and severe levels, and then there is panic disorder. Mild and moderate levels of anxiety are
normal levels actually, these two can be motivational (For instance, if you have an upcoming exam,
this is the type of anxiety that motivates one to study harder to be successful
on the exam), (In the mild level of anxiety: vital signs are normal, however, there are often
increased awareness of one’s surroundings; in the moderate level of anxiety, there is
mild increase in heart rate, a moderate increase in muscle tone, a subjective feeling of worry,
or apprehension and narrowed perception); then we have the severe level of anxiety and Panic
disorder these two levels are considered pathological, which means they are abnormal. The severe level of anxiety causes the pupils
to dilate, diaphoresis, increased muscle rigidity, causes urinary frequency, diarrhea, and sweating
profusely. Panic disorder on the other hand causes
significantly increased symptoms. However, today, we’ll be focusing on the
mild, moderate, and severe levels of anxiety. In our future series, we will address the
different types of anxiety which will include panic disorder. Anxiety is considered pathological
• When it is disproportionate to events, • When it is sustained over a long period
of time • When it impairs one’s function
• And when it is unrelated to any identifiable event or situation in a person’s
life. This type of anxiety interferes with perceptions,
memory, judgment, and motor responses, so they require professional treatment and therapeutic
intervention. Initially, anxiety present as several physical
illness states. People experiencing anxiety may complain of,
chest pain, heart palpitation, sweating, and even feel as if they’re about to have a heart
attack. Of course, we want to make sure that the Individual
gets proper work up, to rule out cardiac-related issues or other possible causes of their symptoms.Often, anxiety is diagnosed or correctly
identified after unnecessary assessment and diagnostic evaluation, this is due to the
high level of somatic symptoms of anxiety disorder. Research has shown that untreated high levels
of anxiety predispose people to other serious health problems; therefore, with that said,
the first step to seeking treatment is to talk to your medical provider to make sure
that your symptoms are not due to other physical problems. Of course, If anxiety is diagnosed, a mental
health professional can work with you to design the best treatment plan for you. Sadly, many people with anxiety disorder do
not seek treatment, because they are unaware that anxiety is treatable.
As stated earlier, anxiety is among the most common psychiatric illnesses, it is distinguished
by the degree of anxiety experienced by the client, the duration of the anxiety, the severity
of the anxiety and the behavioral manifestation seen in the client experiencing the anxiety. It is important very important to know that
Anxiety ranges from acute state to chronic disorders and they are often associated with
physical symptoms such as chest pain, chest tightness, weakness, and shortness of breath)
In the future, we will explore the different types of anxieties that exist, which will
include: panic disorder • Agoraphobia • Specific Phobia • Social Anxiety • and Generalized
Anxiety Disorder
If you or someone you know is experiencing a medical or mental health emergency, please
call 911, you can also call the crisis line number (866-903-3787) or go to the nearest
emergency room for treatment. Our email address is located in the description
please feel free to send us your general questions. We will randomly select questions to be addressed
in our future videos. Please like, comment, subscribe, and share
this video with your friends and families. Thank you for watching. I am Dr. Ogochukwu Ojiaku. Thank you.
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