Panic Disorder, Agoraphobia, Social Phobia

A small list of anxiety disorders are the panic disorder, agoraphobia, social phobia,and the obsessive compulsive disorder. This entire list of disorders all have to do with how people react to and deal with stressful moments and situations in their lifetime.
The panic disorder relates to panic attacks, when people randomly become extremely shaky and stressed (Ediger,2015). A panic attack is said to be your body’s natural response to being threatened. When someone has an attack, they immediately lose their breath, become light headed, and can sometimes feel numbness in their muscles (Ediger,2015). Most people often think that they are dying, from something like a heart attack during their first panic attack, and most of the time they end up
in the emergency room (Ediger,2015). People that have attacks often become agoraphobic which results in them becoming a hermit because they think that all the people and things around them are their problems causing the stress (Ediger,2015). With many of the other common disorders psychotherapy can be used as the main treatment for the panic attack disorder. Although, this disorder is actually known to have medical treatments unlike many of the other disorders. According to Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research (2015), “Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, which are generally safe with a low risk of serious side effects, SSRI antidepressants are typically recommended as the first choice of medications to treat panic attacks. The next medical treatment is Serotonin and Norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors, these medications are another form of antidepressants. The SNRI drug called venlafaxine hydrochloride is FDA approved for the treatment of panic disorder. Benzodiazepines are sedatives that are central nervous system depressants. Benzodiazepines may be habit-forming, causing mental or physical dependence, especially when taken for a long time or in high doses”. (p. 8)
Agoraphobia is paired with panic disorder most of the time, but can be much worse alone.
Agoraphobia is the fear of being in any place or situation without being able to escape or flee easily (Spiegel,2015). There are many definitions or ideas of agoraphobia is, but the real definition is the fear of the marketplace. Some might think that the phobia means that people are just afraid of going outside, but really they are afraid of all and any public places, or crowds of people (Spiegel,2015). People with the fear typically create mental safe zones where they can go to quickly to try and lose or calm down their anxiety or stress. A few of the most common risk factors of obtaining agoraphobia are stressful childhood events, panic disorder type symptoms or the tendency towards anxiety (Spiegel,2015). Women are more than three times more likely to achieve agoraphobia, and it mostly results in isolation, depression, and sometimes even substance abuse (Spiegel,2015). According to Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research (2014), “Psychotherapy, also known as talk therapy or psychological counseling, psychotherapy involves working with a therapist to reduce your anxiety symptoms. Cognitive behavioral therapy therapy is one of the most effective forms of psychotherapy for anxiety disorders including agoraphobia. You can learn that your fears are unlikely to come true, that your anxiety gradually decreases if you remain in public and you can manage those symptoms until they
do, and what factors may trigger a panic attack or panic like symptoms and what makes them worse”.(P. 8)
Next there is the social phobia and anxiety, this phobia is mainly the fear of any sort of negative evaluation or criticisms from other people (Abdulrehman,2015).
There are many different thoughts of the symptoms, like only ever thinking about what other people think of you, or making derogatory or bad comments about yourself (Abdulrehman,2015). Some other aspects of the phobia are more physical ones, like rapid shortness of breath, higher heart rate, dizziness, and even nausea (Abdulrehman,2015). There can even be symptoms like blushing, shaking, or stuttering and stammering (Abdulrehman,2015). People who have social anxiety often become anxious and they begin to take in all sorts of different thoughts that turn out to be completely inaccurate. Sometimes a treatment for this disorder can just be large amounts of support towards the anxious ones, but it's mainly psychotherapy (Abdulrehman,2015). According to Mayo Foundation for Medical Education of Research(2015), “Several types of medications are used to treat social anxiety disorder. However, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are often the first type of medication tried for persistent symptoms of social anxiety. The serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor (SNRI) venlafaxine (effexor XR) also may be an option for social anxiety disorder”. (P.
8)
The obsessive compulsive disorder has to do with obsessive thoughts, images, or compulsions. Usually an obsession that someone has usually ends up being extremly intimate thoughts and sometimes even a vision that they try to get out of their head. People with this disorder often undergo compulsions, which help them to reduce their anxiety (Torgrud,2015). Compulsions are the behaviors or thoughts of the patients that are designed to reduce the individual's anxiety, or to try and prevent their bad thoughts from happening. There are more common compulsions that are often done like the OCD examples of continuously washing hands throughout the day, and also people who have to go and re-check certain things a very large amount of times (Torgrud,2015). There are a number of treatments for people with this disorder like self help books and therapy, but the best thing for these people is exposure (Torgrud,2015). According to Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research (2016), “Obsessive-compulsive disorder treatment may not result in a cure, but it can help bring symptoms under control so that they don’t rule your daily life. Some people need treatment for the rest of their lives. The two main treatments for OCD are psychotherapy and medications. Often, treatment is most effective with a combination of these. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), a type of psychotherapy, is effective for many people with OCD. Exposure and response prevention (ERP) a type of CBT therapy, involves gradually exposing you to a feared object or obsession, such as dirt, and having you learn healthy ways to cope with your anxiety. ERP takes effort and practice, but you may enjoy a better quality of life once you learn to manage your obsessions and compulsions”. (P. 8)