Anxiety requires treatment for some

June 23--Some worry in life is normal, but when thoughts become overwhelming or persistent, they can go from the typical stresses of life to anxiety that needs addressing.

"Some worry is normal. When it becomes excessive, interrupting your daily functioning, that's when it's time to see someone," says Kathryn Worland, director of Northwest Behavioral Health and a licensed clinical social worker. "It can be uncontrollable, when you are worrying every day and it's not getting better."

Anxiety disorders, including panic attacks, phobias and social anxiety, affect approximately 18 percent of people over the age of 18, according to the National Institute of Mental Health. Although they are typically treatable, approximately two thirds of people with anxiety don't seek treatment.

"With anxiety, because you do worry and there tend to be a lot of irrational thoughts, it almost immobilizes you and you are afraid to get help because you're not sure what the help will bring," Ms. Worland says. "By kind of accepting it, moving on and watching it, you can maybe get the help you need."

Science of anxiety

Anxiety can be caused by a variety of factors, including life events such as moving or losing a job, social situations and chemical imbalances.

"Some people may just have a personality or have always been called a worrier and feel like of restless a lot. It just depends on what is causing that," Ms. Worland says. "It's nothing that the person has done."

Symptoms of anxiety include general feelings of panic or uneasiness. It can also cause physical symptoms including a shortness of breath, tingling or numbness in the hands or feet, cold or sweaty palms and problems sleeping.

"When people have those symptoms, they don't think it's anxiety necessarily, but a lot of times, we find out that that's really what's going on," Ms. Worland says.

A common misconception is that people with anxiety can "just quit worrying," Ms. Worland says.

"It's like telling a diabetic 'quit making your blood sugar high,' or telling someone with high blood pressure to just not make it so high. It's not something you can control," she says. "I always tell people, if someone could turn on and off anxiety, they would do it."

Relief techniques

The Anxiety and Depression Association of America recommends practicing meditation or deep breathing, getting adequate sleep and learning what triggers anxiety in order to help manage it.

"Progressive muscle relaxation is also huge," Ms. Worland says. "It's basically a technique where you are focusing on systematically tensing and releasing your muscles in groups of your body. That helps hugely."

She recommends using a support group or finding someone to talk to about anxiety.

"With regular practice, anything can be beneficial, but it takes some time. You've got to be patient and really try," she says. "Just talking about it and talking about some of the irrational fears can help."

When seeking professional help, a therapist can walk people through their symptoms and determine what is causing the anxiety, Ms. Worland says. They can then develop tools to help control the feelings of anxiety.

"I would encourage people to own it and get help for it because anxiety is a horrible thing for people to suffer with," she says. "If you can own it and get help, you can be in such a better place."

There also are many misconceptions about anxiety.

"People think anxiety is something that they've done, and it's not. People don't typically do something that makes them an anxious person," Ms. Worland says. "They think it's a weakness. It's definitely not a weakness."

Worrying is often an unavoidable part of life, but when it disrupts daily life -- even for a few weeks at a time -- it can be time to seek further help, Ms. Worland says.

"It's an ongoing process. It may not get better overnight. You just have to remember it's ongoing," she says. "If you had high blood pressure, you'd seek treatment. If you have anxiety, you should seek treatment."

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