ANXIETY DISORDERS - Equilibrio - specialized in the diagnosis and comprehensive treatment of eating disorders bogotá

WHAT IS AN ANXIETY DISORDER?

In these disorders, anxiety is the main symptom, and it is generally accompanied by avoidance behaviors and a marked activation or state of alertness.

A patient may present one or several anxiety disorders throughout life. These usually first appear during childhood.

RISK FACTORS

These are the sum of genetic, biological and psychological vulnerabilities, which, together with specific environmental situations, facilitate the appearance of the described symptoms.

Anxious personality traits (which are linked to the genetic factor and are its clearest expression) increase the risk of presenting an anxiety disorder. The occurrence of "threatening" experiences also constitutes a triggering event and is another risk factor.

types of Anxiety Disorders

Generalized anxiety disorder

Chronic tension that does not seem to have been caused by anything in particular. This preoccupation is present almost on a daily basis and it is diagnosed as such when it lasts at least six months.

Panic

Recurrent anxiety crises that appear spontaneously and suddenly. The anxiety experienced is acute and extreme, leading the person to believe that she is going to die, go mad, or lose control. This disorder may be accompanied by agoraphobia, which consists of an intense fear of leaving places identified as “safe”, and which therefore significantly limits the person’s mobility.

Phobias

The essential feature of this disorder is the presence of an irrational and persistent fear towards a specific object, activity or situation, along with the consequent avoidance of the feared object. For example: fear of flying, of dogs, of open spaces, or of social situations in which the person thinks she can be negatively evaluated.

Obsessive-compulsive disorder

People with this disorder present ideas or images that appear uninvited in their minds, cause distress, and are generally recognized as absurd (as obsessions). These generally lead to behaviors tending to reduce anxiety (compulsions or rituals).

Treating Anxiety Disorders

In adult patients, anxiety disorders must be treated with psychotherapy and specific psychopharmaceuticals. In less severe cases or in anxiety disorders in children and adolescents, the treatment of choice is psychotherapy.

The type of psychotherapy that Equilibrio offers is based on a cognitive-behavioral model (in this type of disorders, exposure to feared situations is an essential component of the treatment).