​Anxiety is one of the most common mental illnesses worldwide. Many people suffer some form of anxiety occasionally but others cannot manage this natural response to a stressful situation. When a person experiences a highly stressful or threatening scenario, the mind can be overloaded and fail to develop ways of coping.

Anxiety can trigger the following responses:

• Physical-such as an irregular heartbeat, sweating
  
• Cognitive-which can cause negative thoughts
  
• Behavioral-which may include uncharacteristic aggression or restlessness
  
• Emotional-such as fear

Depending on which of these symptoms are suffered, different anxiety disorders may be diagnosed. These include:

• generalized anxiety disorder (GAD)
  
• panic disorder
• social anxiety disorder
  
• post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
  
• obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
  

There are a variety of causes of anxiety; all have different treatments. A person’s personality, behavior or thinking style can cause them to be more susceptible to anxiety. Research has proven it also can be hereditary. Biochemical factors such as a chemical imbalance in the brain also has been proven to cause anxiety.

In a comprehensive literature review appearing in CNS Neuroscience and Therapeutics, it was proven that acupuncture is as effective as cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), which psychologists commonly use to treat anxiety (Errington-Evans, 2011).

 

Anxiety Disorder

​​Let the Healing Begin