Coping with Mood: Anxiety

Introduction

Everyone experiences signs and symptoms that point to depression or anxiety. However, there are approved symptoms that ascertain the diagnosis of clinical depression or anxiety. Often, people deduce that one is depressed or suffers from anxiety by necessary observation of what the society perceives as the symptoms of depression ( Comer, 2016) . Other time, people fail to understand depression or anxiety on their family or friends leading to worsening of the condition and at times the situation becomes fatal (Locke et al., 2015). Nevertheless, there are symptoms that one can identify with their relatives or friends that can provoke one to pursue a clinical diagnosis of depression and anxiety. Taking anxiety, for instance, it is a largely undiagnosed condition among people that usually intensifies over time and is misinterpreted. Analysis of symptoms that led to being diagnosed with an anxiety disorder will provide an idea of what meets the criteria for the diagnosis of critical anxiety 

Anxiety Symptoms and Criteria for a Diagnosis of Clinical Anxiety

Based on personal experience, anxiety is characterized by symptoms such as nervousness, panic, increased breathing, sweating, insomnia, worry and abdominal discomforts to state the least. The symptoms mostly surface when one is faced with situations that make them anxious. Anxiety is a mechanism of the body attempting to respond to anticipated danger (Health line, 2018). However; these are the general signs and symptoms that lead to the suspicion of anxiety. The DSM IV guides that for a clinical diagnosis of anxiety disorder the symptoms have to have surfaced severally on most days for at least half a year. A patient must show at least four symptoms of anxiety at the same time and frequency. Also, anxiety has to be unprovoked by major life incidents such as public humiliation or new environments. Finally, the social effects should show in the social or occupational lives of the patients (Barton et al., 2014). 

Differences between Feelings of Worry and Clinical Anxiety

Feelings of worry and clinical anxiety are very different; which is a significant factor to consider in diagnosis. The differences contributed widely to misdiagnosis and missed-diagnosis. Firstly, feelings of worry are occasional and circumstantial as in breakups or failed tests while in clinical anxiety worry is chronically recurrent and long-term. Worry as to be consistent for about five months to qualify as a sign of clinical anxiety. Secondly, worry jitters are random and mild in the cases of feelings of worry while they are repeated panic attacks in clinical anxiety (Anxiety and Depression Association of America, n.d). 

Thirdly, in feelings of worry, the fear or anxiety is coming from practical aspects of one's life while in clinical anxiety fear and worry come from an illogical point of thought. In clinical anxiety, the patients are afraid or anxious about minor things that may not be harmful at all ( Comer, 2016) . Feelings of worry are one time episodes that are calmed down by the simple assurance of safety while clinical anxiety is a constant and controllable obsession over something regardless of assurance of safety (Anxiety and Depression Association of America, n.d). In summary, clinical anxiety is the extreme feelings of worry that cannot be calmed by simple acts but are mechanized in the brain leading to repetitiveness and nervousness due to the buildup of anticipation. 

Strategies for Combating Symptoms of Depression 

Various approaches can help cope with feelings of worry or clinical anxiety. A good example is a physical exercise which aids the body in burning off the buildup anticipation and working out the strain of the nerves ( Comer, 2016) . Exercises such as walking or the gym take the mind off the subject of worry and help one cope with the situation . Another strategy is the eating enough food and ensuring the consumption of balanced diets. Healthy foods such as fruits and vegetables help the body generate the calories used up during anxiety. Other foods such as caffeine cause anxiety and hence the need to stick to a balanced diet. Therapy is another effective strategy for coping with worry or clinical anxiety. In therapy, one talks about the issues that make them anxious and gets to relieve the inner fears as well as get professional assistance ion worst case scenarios (Wells, 2013). Thus, the strategies to coping with worry focus on releasing the fear and calming the nerve to enable one to function normally.

Implementing the Strategies for Preventive Purposes

Exercising can be useful to prevent worry by releasing the negative energy of fear and nervousness as it builds up. This way the energy does not accumulate to cause worry and anxiety. A balanced diet provides the body with necessary nutrients to nourish the body which ensures the body is sufficient to fight stress. Anxiety is energy consuming, and with a balanced diet, one can handle situations better and curb worry. Therapy helps people talk about issues in their lives that cause sleepless nights and fear or anxiety. Through sharing, one can release the negative energy from their bodies as well as get professional advice on how to handle situations to avoid worry .

Conclusion

Evidently, there is a margin between worry and clinical anxiety. The lifespan of symptoms and the intensity of the symptoms signify whether the condition is clinical or not. When symptoms are signifying anxiety persist, professional advice should be sought to analyze the symptoms through acceptable criteria for anxiety and treatment. Some strategies can be employed as either is cautionary measures to avoid anxiety disorder or worry or to help patients cope with the disorder. Anxiety disorders are usually misdiagnosed as assumed and hence the need to be keen on symptoms and adopt necessary cautionary measure, All in all, clinical perspectives best determine anxiety disorder and offer appropriate treatment.

References

Anxiety and Depression Association of America. (n.d). What is the difference between normal anxiety and anxiety disorder? Retrieved on 18 March 2018 from https://www.blinn.edu/counseling/Anxiety.pdf.

Barton S. et al. (2014) Appendix 1: Diagnostic criteria for anxiety disorders set out in DSM-IV and ICD-10 classification systems. In Clinical effectiveness of interventions for treatment-resistant anxiety in older people: a systematic review . Southampton (UK): NIHR Journals Library.

Comer, R. J. (2016). Fundamentals of abnormal psychology (8th Ed). New York: Worth Publishers.

Health Line. (2018). Anxiety symptoms . Retrieved on 18 March 2018 from https://www.healthline.com/health/anxiety-symptoms.

Locke, A. et al. (2015). Diagnosis and management of generalized anxiety disorder and panic disorder in adults. Am Family Physician , 91(9), 617-624.  

Wells, A. (2013). Cognitive therapy of anxiety disorders: A practice manual and conceptual guide . Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.