The topic that I have chosen to research is Anxiety Disorder (also called angst or worry) - Essay Example

Thesis Statement Anxiety disorder is a considerably prevalent psychosomatic condition, which can be prevented and cured if the masses are made aware about it and educated about the basic clinical aspects of the problem. What is Anxiety Disorder? Anxiety disorder is a general term that is utilized to describe a certain type of mental disorder. It is characterized by extreme uneasiness, worrying, cogitation, apprehension, and generally unexplainable fears related to reality or imagination. Anxiety disorder can affect mental as well as physical health leading to a wholesome degeneration of the psychosomatic conditions of the patient.

Servicemen and women in the departments like police, army, rescue works, etc. are particularly prone to inducting anxiety disorder. In America alone, almost one forth of the general populations is suffering from this disease. Anxiety disorder may be caused by different psychosocial reasons including lifestyle issues and depression. The disease can be either chronic or episodic and may relapse if not treated properly. Also, it may be a manifestation of some other primary or underlying disease such as heart arrhythmia, ischemic heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, etc.

(Varcarolis) Prevalence of the Disease There is a wide range of anxiety disorder varieties such as phobic disorder, panic disorder, nervous breakdown, generalized anxiety, etc. In 2005, Kessler and his research team conducted a detailed medical survey on the prevalence, severity, and comorbidity of anxiety disorders. As per the findings of the research, Kessler et al state, “Although anxiety disorders were by far the most common mental disorders, the proportion of serious cases was lower than for other classes of disorder.” (627) The researchers also claim that around 14% and 18% of the European and American populations respectively are affected by one or multiple types of anxiety disorders.

Treatment Anxiety disorder is also called angst or worry. Therefore, addressing the causal psychosocial discomfort can be a very helpful option for the patient. In other words, the patient should be counseled, taken care of, and not left alone. However, in complicated cases, professional medical intervention should be done as early as possible. The test batteries like Zung Self-Rating Anxiety Scale can help the psychiatrist to diagnose the disease in an early stage and evaluate its potential morbidity in the case the patient has reached an advanced state of the disease.

Zung’s diagnosis model and related specifications can further help the clinician to decide the course of the medical treatment to be given. Treatment techniques like cognitive behavior therapy, adaptive behavioral therapy, etc. can be immensely helpful. Especially, cognitive behavior therapy can help the counselor to address the patient’s problems in a more interactive way while the need for assistive medicines is lessened. This prevents potential side effects by lowering the dosage of psychiatric drugs.

The patient is strengthened enough to counter anxiety invoking situations and also he/she is made to feel comfortable by removing the feelings of being watched, followed, spied, or harshly judged by others in the surroundings (Varcarolis). Furthermore, medicine categories like selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) and serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor