Different Types of Anxiety

Separation anxiety

This anxiety is described in children, in whom it can cause significant disorders.

Existential anxiety

Theorists like Paul Tillich and psychoanalysts like Sigmund Freud have described this kind of anxiety as the “trauma of non-being”. The human being arrives at a moment in his life, when he realizes that there is the possibility of ceasing to exist (die). He then develops anxiety about reality and existence. According to Tillich and Freud, religion therefore becomes an important mechanism for dealing with this type of anxiety, since many religions define death as an eternal and divine continuity of life on earth in opposition to the complete end of life. ‘Existence. According to Viktor Frankl , author of the book Man’s Search for Meaning(in English), the human instinct in the face of mortal danger is to seek a sense of life to combat this “trauma of non-being” as death approaches, when the temptation to succumb to it (even by suicide ) is very strong.

Performance anxiety

Anxiety about exams can manifest as uneasiness, apprehension, or fear in students who fear they will fail an exam.

Social anxiety

This anxiety exists to varying degrees in many people. For example, the stage fright of performing artists. When it consists of a persistent and intense fear of one or more social or performance situations which can expose the person to the attentive observation of others, we speak of social phobia, but it is not a phobia in his traditional sense.

Patient anxiety

Some researchers suggest that the quality of life of cancer patients can be improved by managing their anxiety. This form of treatment generally includes psychosocial help, relaxation techniques or the use of benzodiazepines.

Climatic anxiety or solastalgia

It is a psychological distress linked to helplessness in the face of environmental changes and climate change.

Treatments

Healthy living

There are many different ways for those who suffer from anxiety to help themselves and relax, which play an important role in the treatment of anxiety symptoms. These different ways include:

Good eating practices: including moderate consumption of caffeine, sugar and general improvement in eating habits. The reduction in caffeine consumption should be spread out. According to some anxiety patients, these measures would significantly reduce the symptoms of anxiety. It is also advisable to consume as much fatty acids as possible, such as omega-3;

Physical activity: physical activity would be an effective measure to treat stress 16 thanks to its ability to reduce the level of cortisol in the patient’s body. It is useful to note that the rapid palpitations that physical activity can cause trigger in some cases a panic attack , it is therefore advisable to spread out the implementation of any physical activity program;

Correct sleep .

Meditation and relaxation techniques

Simple breathing techniques (for example: diaphragmatic breathing) or other relaxation techniques (for example: yoga , hypnosis , sophrology , mindfulness ), or listening to relaxing sounds or music may be of interest.

Insignificant studies believed to detect the effects of prayer 17 , 18 , but a meta-analysis of 2014 19 showed that, in the state of research, this was not demonstrated, the only definite correlation being between the prevalence of obsessive-compulsive disorder and religious belief.

Among the various meditation and relaxation techniques , transcendental meditation has demonstrated its effectiveness during moderate but also severe anxiety states as well as in the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder with a more marked effectiveness in more important anxieties, allowing reduction and sometimes cessation of psychotropic drugs.

Medicines

The specific symptoms of anxiety are most often managed with certain medications like benzodiazepines, Antihistamines, etc.

Benzodiazepines

The diazepam , a drug from the family of benzodiazepines , was among the first drugs used for this purpose. The administration of this kind of products can prove to be dangerous and it should be managed by a doctor, preferably a psychiatrist. It is also advisable not to suddenly stop this type of treatment once started.

The buspirone, the meprobamate , or the Etifoxine can also be used.

Antihistamines

The antihistamines (the hydroxyzine , the captodiame ) can replace benzodiazepines. They are often better tolerated.

Propranolol

A beta blocker [ref. necessary] may be prescribed: propranolol. It can for example be indicated in Post-Traumatic Stress Disorders (PTSD) (also known as Post Traumatic Stress Disorders, PTSD) and is also currently being studied to prevent the formation of anxiety-provoking, traumatic, recurrent, obsessive memories, and the consequences of these which can involve these states of post-traumatic stress (PTSD) [ref. required] . But, for propranolol to have the desired effect in this case, it is necessary that it be administered immediately after the possibly traumatic event.

Drug alternative

A study indicates that a combination of lemon balm, passionflower and hawthorn in galenic SIPF is as effective as Lorazepam, without the side effects or addiction 23 .

Cognitive behavioral therapy

The goal of this type of therapy is to prevent the patient from avoiding the source of their anxiety disorder and to help the patient develop specific techniques to deal with it.

Unlike drugs, the effectiveness of cognitive behavioral therapy depends on a variety of factors, including the skill level of the therapist involved. In addition to so-called “conventional” treatments, there are many cognitive-behavioral programs that the patient can use to treat themselves. This may include techniques used to:

Limit any negative thoughts about yourself;

Develop the capacity to have positive thoughts;

Develop the ability to replace negative thoughts with positive ones;

Exposing the patient step by step to the source of his fear;

Provide the patient with information that can help them cope with anxiety 24 .