Get Diagnosed For Anxiety By A Professional

Although we sometimes tend to think of mental health issues as easily identifiable, many mental health disorders, such as a generalized anxiety disorder or panic disorder, have the potential to go unnoticed as not all the symptoms within a disorder present severe enough to warrant a trip to a doctor or therapist's office.

For example, anxiety is commonly associated with panic attacks from panic disorder. While these attacks can occur in individuals with an anxiety disorder and are, therefore, easy to spot, not everyone who experiences anxiety experiences panic attacks. Other symptoms of anxiety can go unaddressed and negatively impact us, even without our full awareness.

If you have experienced anxiety that’s less easy to identify, you may often second-guess yourself regarding your mental health. You may even wonder whether you are overreacting or truly dealing with a mental health issue. If you believe that you may have anxiety, it’s vital to get the opinion of a mental health professional so they may determine an appropriate diagnosis for you.

What is anxiety, and when is it a problem?

When one hears the word “anxiety,” one might picture an individual who is constantly worried or afraid about most aspects of their life and is experiencing physical side effects because of anxiety symptoms. While this may be the case for some individuals, it is a limited picture of the spectrum of anxiety experiences, including generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) and panic disorder; the scope of anxiety disorders can range from severe and life-altering to minor and intermittent.

Another common misconception regarding anxiety is the belief that anxiety is a clear indication of mental disorders and is a bad sign when it appears in our lives. But in fact, anxiety is a healthy emotion when experienced in balanced proportions designed to help us with survival. 

When something scares or worries us, it triggers our fight-or-flight response, boosting the adrenaline in our systems and manifesting in physical and mental ways: for instance, quickened pulse, sharpened awareness, tunnel vision, and so on. While danger can trigger this response, so can a non-life-threatening situation like a job interview or public presentation. These responses of anxiety are completely typical and will often wear off after the situation resolves.

iStock/Ivan Pantic

Rather than experiencing anxiety when it strikes, these individuals are always anticipating dangers to come up in their lives, which prevents them from following through in all or specific aspects of their lives. 

Anxiety disorders can range anywhere from mild to severe, which is why it can sometimes be hard for some individuals to determine whether they have an anxiety disorder, especially if they have been living with feelings of anxiety for a long time.

Common symptoms of anxiety disorders

Knowing some of the most common symptoms associated with anxiety disorders is the first step to knowing if you do have one. Here are some of the major symptoms that come with anxiety disorders:

Excessive worrying

People with a normal coping capacity for anxiety will typically know how much they should worry about a situation based on how serious it is. For example, if you are waiting to hear back about a small medical issue from your doctor, you will likely be less worried than if you were waiting to hear back about whether you will be fired from your job. People who have anxiety disorders like social phobia, however, will typically worry excessively about a given situation and will have an atypical stress response to varying situations. People with an anxiety disorder are more likely to be preoccupied with worry on a regular basis. 

Feeling agitated and irritated

The human body is not designed to process large amounts of stress and nervousness for extended periods. Hormones that are released during this process have a negative impact over time when they are constantly being released; a side effect of this consistent release and storage of chemicals in the body is agitation which can often result in an individual lashing out at others with no provocation. 

Restlessness 

While it is not a symptom of an anxiety disorder on its own, feeling restless or “on edge” for most of your days during any given week is a sign that often accompanies other symptoms in this list. In addition, this restlessness can also cause problems at night, as those experiencing it may have trouble falling or staying asleep due to feelings of nervousness and fear.

Tension and fatigue

An anxiety disorder can often make a person feel tense and tired; fear and nervousness while constantly dealing with intrusive thoughts can result in muscle tension and overall fatigue. If you are feeling tired and tense and struggling to find ways to de-stress, your feelings may indicate that you are coping with an anxiety disorder.

Irrational fears that impact functioning

For some individuals, anxiety disorders can bring about irrational fears that spread across all aspects of their lives which can lead to constant anxiety and regular panic attacks. 

For others, however, the fear may be localized to a specific part of life—for instance, debilitating fears of public speaking or leaving home to enter public places. If you are experiencing fear that is strong enough to keep you from certain activities, you may have an anxiety disorder in need of treatment. 

Coping with physical symptoms on a regular basis

If you have ever been really worried about something in your life, you know anxiety can manifest as one or more physical symptoms. You may notice symptoms like:

• increased heart rate or heart palpitations
• chest pain
• difficulty concentrating
• hyperventilation
• sleep disturbance
• excessive sweating
• high blood pressure
• rapid heartbeat
• trembling or shaking
• an inability to concentrate
• stomach pains or other gastrointestinal issues
• panic attacks 

Individuals with more severe anxiety disorders may experience these physical symptoms more severely and regularly. These medical conditions may make them feel anxious to a greater degree.

Anxiety disorders and chronic stress responses have several physical symptoms in common, and both can negatively affect the human body over time. If you are experiencing one or more of the physical symptoms listed above but do not routinely feel overwhelming nervousness or fear, you may be experiencing chronic stress, not anxiety. But severe stress can lead to anxiety or other mental and physical health concerns; therefore, it’s as important to address this issue as soon as possible. The ability to manage anxiety and common mental health conditions is crucial.

Counselor reviews

Consider these reviews from BetterHelp users who have worked with online therapists to address their anxiety issues:

“Sherell Taylor-Page has been wonderful to talk to. She helps me whittle my anxieties down to their beginnings and work on the root of them. She offers many different types of tools to use when I am anxious that have helped immensely. She is supportive of actions I would like to take and helps me to take those next steps. I would highly recommend her.”

“Darlyn has changed my life in a very short amount of time. I had never participated in counseling before, but with Darlyn’s support, I went from feeling stuck and anxious to having the courage to initiate changes in my life, both minuscule and drastic. She offers incredible perspective and asks great thought-provoking questions. Chatting with her via messaging and our weekly sessions has become a great support system and I would 10/10 recommend her to everyone I know.”