Anxiety is the normal feeling of nervousness that everyone experiences from time to time. An anxiety disorder happens when anxiety becomes severe and lasts a long time, making it hard for you to go about your daily activities.
UPMC offers comprehensive behavioral health care for anxiety, including diagnosis and personalized treatment.
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What Is Anxiety?
Anxiety is the normal feeling of nervousness that everyone experiences from time to time, such as during a stressful life event or before an exam or performance. An anxiety disorder happens when anxiety becomes severe and lasts a long time, making it hard for you to go about your daily activities.
What are the types of anxiety disorders?
There are several types of anxiety disorders, including:
- Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) — Causes excessive worry about common issues such as health, money, work, or loved ones, with symptoms occurring almost daily for six months or longer.
- Panic disorder — Causes panic attacks, which are sudden, recurring episodes of fear when there is no apparent danger.
- Phobias — Causes extreme fear of objects or situations that are not dangerous, such as public speaking, flying, crowds, or insects.
How common is anxiety?
Everyone experiences anxiety now and then, usually related to things like performances, exams, deadlines, or stressful life events.
However, anxiety disorders are also common, with the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) estimating that 31% of U.S. adults will experience an anxiety disorder at some point in their lives. NIMH research also estimates that 19% of adults in the U.S. are diagnosed with an anxiety disorder each year.
What causes anxiety?
When you feel anxious or worried, your body releases stress hormones that cause physical symptoms, such as a racing heart or sweating. If you have an anxiety disorder, you may feel worried and anxious nearly all the time, which causes your body to constantly release stress hormones that lead to physical symptoms.
Researchers aren’t sure what causes anxiety disorders, but believe several factors could play a role, including:
- Behaviors learned from family members.
- Brain chemistry and biology.
- Stressful or challenging life events.
- Your environment.
- Your genes.
What are anxiety triggers?
Anxiety can be triggered by:
- Alcohol or drug use.
- Chronic or serious medical conditions, such as cancer or long-term illness.
- Financial issues, such as bills, debt, or loss of income.
- Social concerns, such as challenging relationships with friends, family, or co-workers.
- Stressful life events, such as the death of a family member, divorce, or job loss.
- Traumatic past experiences, such as abuse or neglect.
- Work-related issues, such as deadlines or layoffs.
If you have GAD, you may not be able to pinpoint an exact trigger for your anxiety. You may also find that your worries frequently change from one thing to another.
Anxiety risk factors
Risk factors for anxiety include:
- Experiencing a stressful or traumatic life event.
- Having a family member with anxiety.
- Personality traits, such as being shy or being a perfectionist.
- Physical health problems, such as thyroid or heart rhythm disorders.
Complications of anxiety
Complications of anxiety may include:
- Inability to perform everyday activities, such as going to work, school, or caring for family members.
- Increased risk of depression, substance abuse, self-harm, suicide, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), or other mental health disorders.
- Financial problems caused by the inability to work.
- Physical health problems, such as unexplained aches and pains, headaches, racing heart, high blood pressure, muscle tension, and diarrhea.
- Relationship problems.
- Social isolation.
How can I prevent anxiety?
You may not be able to prevent anxiety, but making healthy lifestyle changes may reduce your risk.
Lifestyle changes include:
- Eating a healthy diet.
- Getting regular exercise.
- Maintaining a regular sleep schedule.
- Managing stress.
What Are the Signs and Symptoms of Anxiety?
Symptoms of anxiety disorders may include:
- Agitation or restlessness.
- Anger or irritability.
- Appetite changes, including eating too much or too little.
- Becoming isolated from family or friends.
- Crying for no reason.
- Difficulty concentrating.
- Difficulty controlling anxious thoughts.
- Fatigue.
- Loss of interest in or avoiding hobbies and activities you used to enjoy.
- Physical symptoms, such as unexplained aches and pains, rapid heartbeat, shortness of breath, or sweating.
- Sleeping too much or too little.
- Thoughts of death, suicide, or self-harm.
When should I see a doctor about my anxiety symptoms?
If you think you may have symptoms of an anxiety disorder, contact a mental health professional or your primary care provider right away. Early diagnosis and treatment can help reduce your risk of complications and improve your overall well-being more quickly.
If you or a loved one is thinking about suicide, you can get help by:
- Calling 911 or going to the nearest hospital Emergency Department.
- Calling or texting 988 or 988lifeline.org for confidential, free, 24/7 support.
- Calling 1-800-273-8255 (1-800-273-TALK).
How Do You Diagnose Anxiety?
To diagnose anxiety, your doctor will perform a physical exam, review your symptoms and medical history, and complete a mental health evaluation. Your doctor may also order medical tests to rule out physical health conditions that could be causing your symptoms.
What to expect during your visit
To diagnose anxiety, your doctor will:
- Ask you about your symptoms.
- Complete a mental health evaluation.
- Order tests to rule out physical health problems.
- Perform a physical exam.
- Review your medical history.
How Do You Treat Anxiety?
The goals of anxiety treatment are to reduce or eliminate symptoms, prevent complications, and improve your ability to engage in everyday activities. Treatment options include:
Tests to diagnose anxiety
Doctors and mental health professionals will perform a mental health evaluation to diagnose anxiety.
Your health care provider will ask you a series of questions about your symptoms, including your physical, mental, and social health. Be sure to answer the questions truthfully to get the most accurate diagnosis.
Anxiety prognosis
With treatment, most people experience improvement in their anxiety symptoms. Although symptoms of anxiety may go away over time for some people, anxiety symptoms may also come and go throughout your life or require lifelong treatment. Your doctor or mental health professional will monitor your condition and adjust your treatment plan based on your needs.
Medications
Your doctor may recommend an antidepressant or other medication to help manage your symptoms.
Some medications, such as antidepressants, must be taken every day. Other medications work more quickly to treat acute anxiety symptoms and panic attacks, so they can be taken as needed. Your doctor may also recommend medications to treat specific symptoms, such as muscle tension or insomnia.
You may have to try a few different medications or combinations of medications to find the treatment that works best for you.
Psychotherapy
Also known as talk therapy or counseling, psychotherapy involves working with a mental health professional to learn coping skills that help you manage thoughts, behaviors, experiences, relationships, and interactions that may be contributing to your anxiety.
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a common treatment for anxiety. CBT focuses on helping you change how you respond to anxiety triggers.
Why Choose UPMC for Anxiety Care?
When you choose UPMC for anxiety care, you will receive:
- Access to board-certified and licensed specialists — Our multidisciplinary team of experts provides leading-edge behavioral health care for people with anxiety disorders.
- Expert diagnosis and personalized care — Our team will develop a customized treatment plan to reduce your anxiety symptoms and improve your quality of life.
- A full range of treatment options — We use the latest therapies and approaches to provide comprehensive care, including medication, psychotherapy, or a combination of treatments to enhance your well-being.
