Anxiety can be triggered by environmental, biological, genetic and psychological aspects, and may be present along with depression. Some circumstances can lead to anxiety, such as: continued stress, traumatic experiences both in childhood and adulthood, substance intake (e.g., drugs, alcohol, and smoking) and personality traits (e.g., perfectionism and need for control).
Continued anxiety can cause physical symptoms such as immune deficiencies, herpes, psoriasis, digestive problems, among others. Other symptoms may include: increased heart rate, shrinkage of blood vessels, in order to transport blood faster; decreased bowel movements in order to store energy for other procedures; release of glucose into the blood in greater quantity, with the purpose of supplying energy to cells; release of cortisol, causing the growth of body fat and the suspension of gastric wall mucus, and distension of the pupils, aiming to improve vision.
Individuals suffering from anxiety attacks may experience intense restlessness, fear in simple periods of the day, and certain physical manifestations that complicate their daily tasks.
Anxiety problems can trigger panic attacks, with features such as death thoughts, uncontrolled feelings of irritability and panic, increased breathing and heart rate, gastrointestinal complications, dizziness and vertigo, among others.
Previous studies indicate that the diagnosis of depression exceeds anxiety in 2% of cases, and that prolonged anxiety situations become depression in 24% of cases.
How can psychological counseling help in anxiety?
Psychological support can help the individual understand the motives of anxiety, learn to deal with anxiety, and lessen symptoms.
Chapters in Scientific Books
Naz, H., Ilyas, N. & von Humboldt, S. (2021). Performance anxiety. In D. Gu & M. E. Dupre (Eds.), Encyclopedia of gerontology and population aging. (pp. 3746-3750). New York, NY: Springer, Cham. (View Details).
Peer-Reviewed Indexed Journal Articles
Jesus, F. & von Humboldt, S. (2022). Impacto Psicológico da COVID-19: Relação com o Stress e Ansiedade dos Idosos. Psicologia, Saúde & Doenças, 23(2), 495-501. (View Details).
Peer-Reviewed Abstracts
Jesus, F. & von Humboldt, S. (2022). Impacto psicológico da COVID-19: Relação com o stress e ansiedade dos idosos. Psicologia, Saúde & Doenças, 23, 67-67.
Peer-Reviewed Communications
Jesus, F. & von Humboldt, S. (2022). Impacto psicológico da COVID-19: Relação com o stress e ansiedade dos idosos [Psychological impact of COVID-19: Relationship with stress and anxiety in older adults]. Presentation at a symposium at the 14th National Congress of Health Psychology, Funchal. September, 2022.
