has lasted for more than six months, although most people with the disorder can trace it back to childhood or adolescence. (Harvard, 2). Only 25% of people with the disorder seek professional care leaving millions of sufferers to go without simple treatments which can make a great difference. (Wickelgren, 56). Treatment consists of a mixture of medication and counseling, finding the most useful combination for each patient. Anxiety disorders can be confused with stress reactions. Stress reactions may have anxiety as a primary feature and include rapid response to sudden stressful life events, leading to disorientation, and adjustment reactions - slower responses to life events that occur days or weeks later as symptoms of anxiety, irritability, and depression. These are usually limited and helped by reassurance, ventilation, and problem solving. Anxiety disorders oftentimes cannot be linked to specific life events and persist for months if not years at a time. Many people with anxiety disorders can be helped with treatment. Most of the medications which are prescribed are started at low doses and tapered off when treatment is near an end. Side effects generally become tolerated or diminished with time. Behavioral therapy and cognitive-behavioral therapy can be effective for treating several of the anxiety disorders. Behavioral therapy focuses on changing specific actions and uses different techniques to alter unwanted behavior. Techniques include special breathing exercises and exposure therapy - gradually exposing patients to what frightens them and helps them cope with their fears. Cognitive-behavioral therapy teaches patients to react differently to the situations and bodily sensations that trigger panic attacks and other anxiety symptoms. Patients also learn to understand how to change their thoughts so that symptoms are less likely to occur. These techniques are designed to help people confront their fears. Without treatment, anxie...
