Anxiety Disorders

Are anxiety disorders over treated with medication? Explain you answer. Also, what is the difference between normal anxiety and pathological anxiety?

Anxiety is usually defined as an unpleasant emotion associated with a general sense of danger--the feeling that something bad is going to happen (Hansell & Damour, 2008). People with anxiety disorders can feel anxious or terrified even when there is no threat present. Anxiety disorders can be over treated with medication. Amytal was used to treat symptoms until the 1950's because that drug was found to be highly addictive. Benzodiazepines like Valium, Xanax, and Ativan are safer but still psychically addictive and have side effects such as loss of coordination. These medications should only be used on a temporary basis because they are for short-term treatment of anxiety.

Normal anxiety is short-term. It doesn't interfere with your life dramatically. Normal anxiety comes as a reaction to stress. It could be things such as taking a big exam, getting a job promotion, or even losing your job. Pathological anxiety is defined as anxiety that occurs in an inappropriate context or is toward the extreme end of the continuum between normal and abnormal anxiety (Hansell & Damour, 2008).

Works Cited

James Hansell, L. D. (2008). Anxiety and the Anxiety Disorders, John Wiley& Sons Inc.

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