Know the Signs
What are the Symptoms of Anxiety?
Much like depression, there are several disorders considered to be anxiety disorder. As a result, the symptoms of anxiety can vary depending on the type of disorder as well as the person experiencing the disorder. For example, people who experience generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) may experience symptoms such as the following:
- Restlessness
- Difficulty concentrating
- Sleep problems
- Irritability
For those who experience a panic disorder, they may experience the following symptoms:
- Pounding or racing heart
- Sweating
- Chest pain
- Feelings of being out of control
Additionally, those who may be experiencing an anxiety disorder such as social anxiety disorder may display the following symptoms:
- Stomach aches and body pain
- Rigid body posture or speaking with a timid voice
- Difficulty making eye contact or being around people they don’t know
- Intense feelings of self-consciousness
- Intense fear that people will judge them negatively
These symptoms go above and beyond anxiety many of us face on average. In order for someone to be officially diagnosed with anxiety or a specific anxiety disorder, they must be seen and diagnosed by an experienced mental health professional.
One of the biggest risks of a dual diagnosis is that either the mental illness or the substance abuse will be overlooked. Because of the situation, they find themselves in, they may not realize the problem they have is severe. Overlooking one or the other can be devastating. Without treatment one or both disorders can get out of control rather easily. The risk of having both a mental illness as well as a substance abuse problem is that neither of them will receive the treatment they need, leaving the patient in worse shape than ever before.
While parallel treatment seems like a logical solution, it is rather ineffective. It can be difficult to determine which symptoms are associated with which problem. Now doctors recommend taking an integrative approach. Instead of having a team develop a treatment plan for the mental illness and a different team develop a treatment plan for the substance abuse, one team will take care of both disorders at the same time. With this type of treatment, one team will be able to observe and make adjustments to the treatment plan, It allows for a more complete treatment program that is more effective and has a better success rate. Having one treatment team also eliminates any miscommunication between doctors that could disrupt the treatment plan.