Anxiety & Panic
Anxiety disorder exists when a sufferer encounters a situation that would normally not be considered a significant threat and experiences an exaggerated anxiety response. When the anxiety response is disproportionate to the 'actual' level of threat, it becomes inappropriate anxiety.This isn't depression or any other mental illness, this is high anxiety – a higher emotional fear level, nothing more.
Anxiety (and therefore inappropriate anxiety) is subconsciously triggered by the Amygdala, a small organ in the brain.
Normally, the Amygdala operates at 'calm/normal' status. When we are faced with an anxiety-provoking situation, the Amygdala switches to 'anxious' and, depending on the level of threat perceived, initiates 'self-preservation' responses within the body.
Once the threat has dissipated, the Amygdala reverts back to 'calm/normal'. The effects of the 'self-preservation' responses may remain for a short time but eventually also fade as the body returns to a 'resting' status.
Exposure to extreme or prolonged periods of anxiety can cause the Amygdala to become reset, establishing 'anxious' as the new 'default' anxiety level. The Amygdala has 'learned' anxious behaviour. You KNOW logically that you shouldn't feel anxious but are powerless to do anything to change it.
The Amygdala now over-reacts to situations that would normally have low levels of threat with an exaggerated response and initiates extreme self-preservation mechanisms, normally reserved for potentially life-threatening scenarios. The net effect is that you don't respond how you used to and you experience symptoms and sensations you never had before.
The individual subconsciously adopts an 'anxious' disposition and has developed an anxiety disorder. However, the term 'disorder' suggests 'illness', which is incorrect. This condition has been 'learned' and is, as such, a 'behavioural' condition.
Panic attacks are the extreme manifestation of high anxiety and these happen because the body has developed a mechanism that uses up excess adrenalin in order to settle the body back to normal... in anxiety disorders, this doesn't happen effectively and sufferers often experience extreme and sometimes frightening thoughts and sensations.
The best news is, however... this is ALL completely and quickly curable.
