Anxiety neurosis – what is it? How can I help?

Anxiety disorder is a type of neurosis that worsens under the influence of environmental and psychological factors. Some people are more likely to develop anxiety neurosis . The symptoms of this disorder are the stimulation of the autonomic system, which translates into difficulty breathing, tinnitus, flashes in the eye. Find out more about neurosis, symptoms and treatment.

What is an anxiety neurosis?

Anxiety neurosis is a type of persistent and general anxiety that accompanies you constantly, regardless of environmental factors. Usually, feeling anxious relates to everyday situations, i.e. those related to family life, work, finances and health. Although every person experiences various stresses and tensions in these fields, people with a disorder in the form of neurosis tire much more. The scale of the problem can be so large that it hinders normal everyday functioning and the joy of life, leads to diseases, disorders, social separation or loss of interest in the world.

We talk about anxiety neurosis when the patient:

feels intrusive thoughts that disturb him – even when there are no rational reasons to worry,
has problems with the functioning of individual organs ( cardiac neurosis, gastric neurosis ),
has psychosomatic symptoms.

It is important that in many aspects the psychological symptoms of neurosis are associated with ailments of a physical nature, thus causing psychosomatic disorders. What does it mean? That living under stress and anxiety leads to depression, stomach ulcers, and dysfunction of the heart and other organs. That is why it is so important early diagnosis and appropriate treatment of problems in order to stop the destructive process and improve the quality of life, mental and physical well-being of the patient.

Symptoms of anxiety neurosis

Stress accompanies everyone and if its intensity is at a normal level, you can deal with it. The problem begins when the state of tension and fear paralyzes you, hinders normal functioning, and negatively affects your family or professional life.

In order to be able to even think about starting the diagnosis of anxiety neurosis , the accompanying state of high tension and stress should last for about 6 months. If it is “only” episodic, associated with the occurrence of specific stressors and emergency situations, then it can be considered a normal condition and does not require medical intervention. Meanwhile, even if you feel that your stress is overwhelming you, and that the neurosis of the stomach or heart is getting worse, it is worthwhile psychological consultations and visiting a specialist.

Wondering if your problem is called “neurosis”? The main symptoms of this condition are:

WAKING UP THE AUTONOMOUS SYSTEM, PHYSIOLOGICAL CHANGES

increased sweating of the body
faster heartbeat
seizures, such as when you feel cold
dry mouth .
stomach upset, nausea,
breathing difficulties, feeling of lack of air, tightness in the chest.

PSYCHOLOGICAL SYMPTOMS

fear of death, illness, loneliness,
fear of losing control,
fear of insomnia, difficulty falling asleep,
staying tense and alert,
exaggerated reaction to stress or other life situations,
restlessness , lack of relaxation,
difficulty gathering thoughts,
irritability, apathy, easy anger and loss of self-control.

Contrary to appearances the symptoms of anxiety neurosis are not only mental but often somatic as well. If you have flashes in your eye, tinnitus, or even a burning sensation in your throat that have no rational medical explanation, you are likely to be experiencing anxiety neurosis . >

Atypical symptoms of anxiety neurosis

The symptoms of anxiety neurosis are not always unambiguous and therefore easy to interpret. It often happens that the diagnosis of the disease is delayed because the ailments described by the patient are considered symptoms of physical disorders, e.g. gastrological, ophthalmic or ENT disorders. Only putting them together, placing them in time and analyzing them allows for a correct interpretation.

The unusual but common symptoms of anxiety neurosis include:

burning throat – neurosis and sore throat and esophagus? Does it have any connection at all? It turns out that it is. Primarily because the body under stress activates defense mechanisms, one of which is the increased secretion of stomach acid. It causes ulcers and causes a burning sensation in the throat. Neurosis often requires relief, which the patient looks for in alcohol or cigarettes. These also negatively affect the respiratory system, causing dryness and irritation of the mucous membranes,
tinnitus – neurosis often manifests as tinnitus, which is easy to explain. While neurological diseases, deafness and inflammation are ruled out, it can be suspected that the culprit is anxiety neurosis. Usually, this symptom applies to people with depression, who are also panic, have shortness of breath or dizziness,
flashes in the eye – neurosis can also be felt in this form. Photopsies are dysfunctions of the nervous system that cause flashes to appear in the patient’s field of vision. They are caused by a malfunction of the retina, which is stimulated and reacts inadequately to the situation.

Are you having any of the above problems? Translating the symptoms of neurosis is not always sensible, unless you do the appropriate tests under the supervision of a specialist beforehand. If he excludes other diseases, the next stage of diagnosis should be a visit to a psychotherapist. It will determine not only whether you suffer from neurosis, but also determine the type of disorder you are struggling with. And there are quite a lot of them, so only the correct diagnosis allows for the implementation of treatment that will bring visible results in the form of improvement in health, mental and physical comfort.

Neurosis – types

The neurosis can take many different faces. The following disorders are distinguished:

neurasthenic – do you suffer from morning fatigue, which passes when it’s lunch time? Do you have problems with sleep, concentration and memory problems? Perhaps you have fallen victim to neurasthenic neurosis , which manifests itself in a negative attitude towards the environment and other people,
anxiety – fear for yourself and others paralyzes you? You sweat from stress, you don’t control your hand tremors, and your heart beats as if it’s going to pop out of your chest? These could be symptoms of an anxiety neurosis that is getting worse (panic attacks)
obsessions – you love rituals and you are not able to function without them? Do you count the passing trees and check every corner before you leave the house? The obsessive compulsive disorder is a multitude of compulsive, exhausting behaviors,
hysterical – this neurosis affects people who are constantly listening to their body and looking for symptoms of diseases that do not exist. Symptoms include paralysis, seizures and even loss of consciousness due to stress. Bad health is apparent, and its purpose is to attract attention of the environment.
social phobias – you avoid people, you don’t like confrontation, are you afraid of leaving the house, do you create your own crazy stories? Social phobia is a simple road to loneliness and depression,
post-traumatic neurosis – dizziness, hand tremors and other symptoms often bother you, especially after an accident or other difficult experience? This may indicate post-traumatic neurosis,
vegetative neuroses – appear as a result of prolonged exposure to stress and cause arterial hypertension or gastric ulceration.

This classification is based on situations that trigger neurosis and the symptoms that accompany patients. Sometimes the causes are genetic and burden the patient in a way without his knowledge or will. Other times, they appear after a difficult experience, such as a car accident, death of a loved one, or divorce.

In medical terminology it also appears:

cardiac neurosis – it is an unpleasant ailment that occurs as a result of stress. Although the structure of this organ has not changed, the way it functions is changing. The patient experiences discomfort resulting from accelerated heartbeat, pressure in the chest or palpitations. The ailments are accompanied by attacks of shortness of breath, dizziness, weakness, nausea, excessive sweating and even redness of the skin,
gastric neurosis – is another disorder attributed to neurosis that is associated with nausea, abdominal pain, gas, gas, constipation or diarrhea. How do you know if these are symptoms of neurosis? They worsen when the patient is accompanied by strong emotions, stress or stage fright. Before the association of gastric neurosis with a psychological disorder, it is necessary to exclude gastrointestinal diseases, including ulcers or neoplasms.

The symptoms of neurosis must be attributed to a specific disease, to know what treatment therapy to implement. It may turn out that the disorders are combined and in addition to psychotherapy, specialist consultations with an ophthalmologist, gastrologist, ENT specialist, oncologist or other doctors will also be useful.

Treatment of anxiety neurosis

Why is it so important to diagnose the disease early? It is exacerbated in adolescence, which is burdened with many changes, challenges, difficulties and hormonal storms. It is quite tricky, because any disturbing symptoms can be explained by difficult adolescence. However, the earlier the reaction of parents, guardians, partner or people from the patient’s environment, the greater the chance of stopping the destructive neurosis. Untreated, it leads to the occurrence of more serious disorders and complications, e.g. depression, falling into alcohol and drug addictions, addiction to sedatives.

How to treat neurosis? Certainly not underestimating its importance and impact on human life. She should be treated as a really formidable and insidious opponent. During psychotherapy (usually it is cognitive-behavioral therapy) not only tools for coping with disorders are provided, but also its causes are searched. Thus, it is possible to establish the source of the problem and solve it at the root.