Can Anxiety Be Cured?
Can Anxiety Be Cured?
Anxiety is the body’s natural response to stress, perceived threats, and fear. Anxiety usually goes away once the threat or stressor passes and your system calms down.
However, if you have an anxiety disorder, anxiety can linger beyond the triggering event and become out of proportion. Chronic (long-term) or severe anxiety can seriously impair your daily functioning.
While you can’t banish anxiety altogether, anxiety and anxiety disorders can be treated and managed.
We’ll go over what distinguishes anxiety disorders from standard anxiety, risk factors, treatment options, and more.
Does anxiety ever really go away?
A person’s tendency toward anxiety is determined by several factors, including their genetic makeup, life experiences, environment, and more.
Since it’s a natural part of the human condition, anxiety is not completely curable. But feeling anxious should be a temporary state that resolves when a stressor or trigger has passed.
Anxiety is bound to make an appearance sometimes, such as when you’re giving a big presentation at work or when you have an acute health issue.
Anxiety disorders, on the other hand, are different from average feelings of anxiety. Anxiety disorders are marked by excessive, prolonged worrying. You might feel overwhelmed easily and be unable to stop feeling anxious.
If left untreated, anxiety disorders can worsen over time and negatively impact your quality of life.
This might look like:
avoiding personal or professional obligations
isolating yourself or not wanting to go out
becoming depressed
lower self-esteem
having panic attacks
It’s important to recognize when anxiety has too much control over you and to seek help. There are ways to manage anxiety and keep it from running your life.
What is anxiety?
Anxiety is an emotional state that involves feelings of worry, apprehension, and stress. As the American Psychiatric Association explains, anxiety usually involves being concerned about something happening in the future. This could be a specific event or an abstract fear.
When you’re anxious, you can also have temporary physical symptoms, such as an increased heart rate and sweating.
Anxiety is also a state of high alert when there’s a perceived threat or possibility of a threat. It serves an evolutionary purpose to keep us alert to danger and looking out for our self-preservation.When does anxiety become a disorder?
If your anxiety starts acting up all the time, it can make small stresses and situations feel like life or death. This can negatively affect your quality of life and may indicate an anxiety disorder.
Types of anxiety disorders include:
generalized anxiety disorder (GAD)
separation anxiety disorder
social anxiety disorder (fear of going out, talking with people, socializing)
panic disorder (recurrent panic attacks)
phobias (fear of certain things or situations)
People with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and obsessive-compulsive disorder may also experience anxiety symptoms. These used to be classified as anxiety disorders but are now separate in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th edition (DSM-5). The DSM-5 is the major resource used by healthcare professionals to diagnose mental health conditionsPeople with other types of mental health conditions, such as borderline personality disorder (BPD) and schizophrenia, may also experience anxiety more frequently than the average person.
Anxiety disorders or anxiety caused by other mental health conditions can cause significant problems in daily life. They can impact your relationships and performance at work or school.
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Can Anxiety Be Cured?
Medically reviewed by Bethany Juby, PsyD — By Ann Pietrangelo and Erica Cirino on March 15, 2022
Does anxiety ever go away?
Definition
Anxiety disorder
Treatment
Why anxiety returns
Self-care tips
Alternative treatment options
Natural remedies
Outlook
Anxiety is the body’s natural response to stress, perceived threats, and fear. Anxiety usually goes away once the threat or stressor passes and your system calms down.
However, if you have an anxiety disorder, anxiety can linger beyond the triggering event and become out of proportion. Chronic (long-term) or severe anxiety can seriously impair your daily functioning.
While you can’t banish anxiety altogether, anxiety and anxiety disorders can be treated and managed.
We’ll go over what distinguishes anxiety disorders from standard anxiety, risk factors, treatment options, and more.
Does anxiety ever really go away?
A person’s tendency toward anxiety is determined by several factors, including their genetic makeup, life experiences, environment, and more.
Since it’s a natural part of the human condition, anxiety is not completely curable. But feeling anxious should be a temporary state that resolves when a stressor or trigger has passed.
Anxiety is bound to make an appearance sometimes, such as when you’re giving a big presentation at work or when you have an acute health issue.
Anxiety disorders, on the other hand, are different from average feelings of anxiety. Anxiety disorders are marked by excessive, prolonged worrying. You might feel overwhelmed easily and be unable to stop feeling anxious.
If left untreated, anxiety disorders can worsen over time and negatively impact your quality of life.
This might look like:
avoiding personal or professional obligations
isolating yourself or not wanting to go out
becoming depressed
lower self-esteem
having panic attacks
It’s important to recognize when anxiety has too much control over you and to seek help. There are ways to manage anxiety and keep it from running your life.
What is anxiety?
Anxiety is an emotional state that involves feelings of worry, apprehension, and stress. As the American Psychiatric Association explains, anxiety usually involves being concerned about something happening in the future. This could be a specific event or an abstract fear.
When you’re anxious, you can also have temporary physical symptoms, such as an increased heart rate and sweating.
Anxiety is also a state of high alert when there’s a perceived threat or possibility of a threat. It serves an evolutionary purpose to keep us alert to danger and looking out for our self-preservation.
When does anxiety become a disorder?
If your anxiety starts acting up all the time, it can make small stresses and situations feel like life or death. This can negatively affect your quality of life and may indicate an anxiety disorder.
Types of anxiety disorders include:
generalized anxiety disorder (GAD)
separation anxiety disorder
social anxiety disorder (fear of going out, talking with people, socializing)
panic disorder (recurrent panic attacks)
phobias (fear of certain things or situations)
People with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and obsessive-compulsive disorder may also experience anxiety symptoms. These used to be classified as anxiety disorders but are now separate in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th edition (DSM-5). The DSM-5 is the major resource used by healthcare professionals to diagnose mental health conditions.
People with other types of mental health conditions, such as borderline personality disorder (BPD) and schizophrenia, may also experience anxiety more frequently than the average person.
Anxiety disorders or anxiety caused by other mental health conditions can cause significant problems in daily life. They can impact your relationships and performance at work or school.
Some risk factorsTrusted Source for developing an anxiety disorder or a related condition include:
exposure to significant stressful and negative events
family history of anxiety or other mental health conditions
health conditions such as thyroid problems or heart arrhythmia
having a highly sensitive personality
a tendency to be shy
Other approaches
While these treatments don’t replace therapy or medication, they could still have benefit as part of your treatment plan.
Alternative approaches might include:
hypnotherapy
acupuncture
supplements for depression or anxiety
Learn more about alternative remedies for depression and anxiety
The bottom line
Anxiety and depression can feel overwhelming, especially when you live with both conditions, or aren’t exactly sure which condition you’re dealing with.
But you don’t have to manage those symptoms alone. Getting support for distress that lasts more than a few days or begins to affect your daily life can go a long way toward helping you find relief.
When it comes to treatment for depression and anxiety, you have plenty of options. A therapist can always offer more guidance with identifying symptoms and possible triggers, and exploring the most helpful approaches to treatment.
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