07/28/2015
Well it Wednesday. Trying to make it to the weekend from here can be tough!
Today EPMHW provides a mental health check-in. Today’s topic is Anxiety.
via
http://www.adaa.org/living-with-anxiety/managing-anxiety
From the time a girl reaches puberty until about the age of 50, she is twice as likely to have an anxiety disorder as a man. Anxiety disorders also occur earlier in women than in men.
Women are also more likely to have multiple psychiatric disorders during their lifetime than men. The most common to co-occur with anxiety is depression.
Differences in brain chemistry may account for at least part of these differences. The brain system involved in the fight-or-flight response is activated more readily in women and stays activated longer than men, partly as a result of the action of estrogen and progesterone.
The neurotransmitter serotonin may also play a role in responsiveness to stress and anxiety. Some evidence suggests that the female brain does not process serotonin as quickly as the male brain. Recent research has found that women are more sensitive to low levels of corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF), a hormone that organizes stress responses in mammals, making them twice as vulnerable as men to stress-related disorders.
Everyday anxiety or an anxiety disorder?
Everyday Anxiety:
Worry about paying bills, landing a job, a romantic breakup, or other important life events
Anxiety Disorder: Constant and unsubstantiated worry that causes significant distress and interferes with daily life.
Everyday Anxiety: Embarrassment or self-consciousness in an uncomfortable or awkward social situation.
Anxiety Disorder: Avoiding social situations for fear of being judged, embarrassed, or humiliated.
Everyday Anxiety: A case of nerves or sweating before a big test, business presentation, stage performance, or other significant event.
Anxiety disorder:Seemingly out-of-the-blue panic attacks and the preoccupation with the fear of having another one.
Everyday Anxiety: Realistic fear of a dangerous object, place, or situation.
Anxiety disorder: Irrational fear or avoidance of an object, place, or situation that poses little or no threat of danger:
Everyday Anxiety: Making sure that you are healthy and living in a safe hazard-free environment.
Anxiety disorder: Performing uncontrollable repetitive actions such as excessive cleaning or checking, or touching and arranging.
Everyday Anxiety: Anxiety, sadness, or difficulty sleeping immediately after a traumatic event.
Anxiety disorder:Recurring nightmares, flashbacks, or emotional numbing related to a traumatic event that occurred several months or years before
Note:
Researchers are learning that anxiety disorders run in families, and that they have a biological basis, much like allergies or diabetes and other disorders. Anxiety disorders may develop from a complex set of risk factors, including genetics, brain chemistry, personality, and life events.
