uestion 21
What are the symptoms of anxiety disorders?

When we become anxious, both the body and mind experience unpleasant changes. The appearance of an anxious person is characteristic; his face appears strained and posture tense; he becomes restless and may have hand tremors. He may also complain of headache and increased sweating especially of the palms, feet and armpits. He experiences more forceful heartbeats (palpitations), shortness of breath, muscle stiffness and numbness of the hands. Very often there are disturbances of the digestive system such as stomach discomfort, excessive wind, dry mouth, difficulty in swallowing as well as loose motions.

The anxious person often appears apprehensive; he is tensed, feels uneasy and his eyes scan the surroundings. He is easily startled by any sudden sounds or movements and complains of poor concentration, feeling of fear, worry and anticipation of misfortune to himself or others.

Anxious people often report having disturbed sleep. On retiring to bed they lie awake worrying about when they will actually get to sleep. Once they fall asleep, they tend to wake up intermittently. The next day, they feel unrefreshed and tired having the sensation that they have not slept at all.

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uestion 22
What is panic attack?

A panic attack is a special form of anxiety. Unlike generalised anxiety these episodes are discrete and occur quite suddenly. During a panic attack, the patient experiences episodes of severe anxiety associated with palpitations, trembling, sweating and difficulty in breathing. He also experiences the fear that he is about to die or that he is going mad. These attacks usually last a few minutes and disappear quite abruptly. Some people who suffer from severe panic may report experiencing several attacks a day and develop panic disorder.

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uestion 23
Is depression a symptom or an illness?

Depression is a common experience. Failures, disappointments, losses (of objects, persons or relationships) or conflicts (within our own mind or with other people) may bring feelings of depression to almost everyone. Fortunately, the feelings of depression have a tendency to disappear (or become less intense) with time and our efforts to cope. We may be able to continue our daily activities as usual and sometimes even accept the loss suffered. But there are times when low feelings simply do not go away even after two weeks and one loses the ability to continue one’s daily routine. Depression of this degree is an illness and needs treatment. Depressive illness affects the body, mood and thoughts; it is not a sign of personal weakness.

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uestion 24
What is depressive illness?

The characteristics of depressive illness are:

• Feeling sad, tearful, hopeless, lonely, unloved, worthless, pessimistic, guilty or worried.
• Loss of appetite, weight, sleep, energy, enthusiasm, self-confidence, interest in hobbies, work or sex.
• Slowing of thought processes and of movements.

Depressed patients find it impossible to sustain attention and drive for daily activities. Some find themselves run-down as soon as they wake up every morning, others feel that the day’s activities tire them excessively by evening. Invariably, sleep is affected. Sometimes they develop false unshakeable beliefs. Often these beliefs involve worries about their body functioning, pessimistic ideas or guilt. Risk of suicide is also greatly increased.

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uestion 25
I’m told that a bottle of alcohol is okay but too much can lead to Alcohol Dependence Syndrome. What is this syndrome?

The ordinary person drinks in varying quantities from day to day, but there is less variation in the drinking pattern of the dependent individual, who drinks regularly to relieve withdrawal symptoms and is solely concerned with maintaining a constantly high blood alcohol level.

Drinking takes priority over other aspects of his life. Tolerance develops and this manifests as a need to drink more to achieve the same desired effect.

Abrupt cessation of alcohol causes sweating, tremors (the “shakes”), vomiting, agitation, anxiety, sleep difficulty, listlessness and visual hallucinations (seeing strange animals, people, etc. when there are none). A severe form of withdrawal symptom is called delirium tremens. The withdrawal symptoms are relieved by further drinking. There is an urge to drink and the individual can no longer be sure of stopping once he has started.

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