Wednesday, April 9, 2014

Anxiety and Depression Symptoms - 4 Ways it Effects the Psyche


Stress and anxiety can become a part of every day life as we deal with challenges at work and home. When these two aspects are combined, great psychological difficulties can occur. When left untreated, it is likely to escalate and manifest into severe deterioration of your mental well being. Here are some anxiety and depression symptoms and 4 ways it can effect your psyche.

Depersonalization
Depersonalization is a feeling of detachment, with the sensation of being separated from the situation, and sometime even feeling as though there is a separation from the body itself. You may feel as if you are 'unreal' and no longer exist as a person. You may even feel that you have become invisible and those around you are real, but you are not. Some describe it as feeling like a robot and no longer like a human being. Depersonalization tends to happen immediately after the onset of a panic attack, during an attack or with other severe anxiety symptoms. Once depersonalization has been experienced, it is likely that it will occur more frequently and will be triggered more easily.

Derealization
Derealization, like depersonalization is caused by a shift in the part of the brain that provides us with a 'real' awareness of our environment. This part of the brain is directly linked to the organ that is responsible for anxiety, the amygdala. In the case of derealization, that which seems to be unreal is your surroundings. At times, you may feel as if reality is no longer something you can fully grasp. You may even question the existence of things and wonder if life itself is a dream of some type. This symptom can be described as being inside a bubble or trying to see everything through a curtain or thick fog. However, as anxiety levels are reduced, derealization will also disappear.

Nightmares
Of all anxiety and depression symptoms, nightmares are not uncommon. Nightmares can be caused by excessive stress, post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and certain medications such as antidepressants. They can be described as dreams in which terrible and traumatic events take place and can feel so real that some wake up feeling the physical symptoms of anxiety; sweating, rapid heart beats, tremors and fear. Some of the most common anxiety induced dreams are of falling, being chased, losing teeth and being naked in public.

Automatic Negative Thoughts
Automatic negative thoughts are a component of stress induced anxiety. They are the kind of thoughts that instantly follow a presented situation, such as a short notice meeting scheduled for the next day. Anxiety sufferers may automatically think that they won't be prepared for it and it will be a disaster, regardless of the meeting's importance or subject matter. Stress induced anxiety sufferers may additionally act on these thoughts unconsciously. For example, if one says that they will fail a test, then it is likely they will not study hard enough and fail the test.

Anxiety and depression symptoms can be seriously debilitating and wreak havoc on our lives. Not only do they effect us psychologically, they can do great damage to our physical and emotional well being. Fortunately, there is help for the depressed and anxiety stricken. If you or someone you know is affected with this condition, it is highly recommended to seek out the proper treatment in order to cope with these symptoms

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