Common Characteristics of Anxiety
Medically, anxiety is defined as a state of apprehension, fear or uneasiness about some impending
or anticipated event. It is a specific emotional reaction, which may be accompanied by a variety
of physical symptoms, such as difficulty in swallowing, diarrhea, muscle tension or irregular heartbeats.
Anxiety is one of the most common of all emotions. In some situations such as one involving physical
danger, anxiety is an appropriate response. In others, either the degree of anxiety or the apprehensive
response itself is not warranted by the situation.
Appropriate and Inappropriate Anxiety
Anxiety is a natural response to something that threatens health or well being. Throughout life, most
of us are subjected to many stressful situations that provoke anxiety. However, if the degree of anxiety
is inappropriate to its cause, is exaggerated beyond reason or is brought on by unlikely events, the
response is usually considered abnormal and may require treatment.
Appropriate anxiety is chiefly characterized by worry. For example, if your job is threatened, you might
be constantly thinking of where else you might find employment and be planning steps for obtaining a new
position. In this situation, the anxiety serves a useful purpose: It causes enough stress to send you in
search of a constructive solution to the problem.
If, however, the dread of job loss is not realistic, then the anxiety breeds more anxiety. This type of
anxiousness that has no identifiable cause very often impairs the individual's ability to function.
The origins of such internal emotional problems are still not fully understood. In some instances, they
may be traced to childhood experiences. This is often true of phobias, such as a fear of dogs that can be
traced to a childhood dog bite. Another common example of a phobia is agoraphobia (fear of open spaces),
in which anxiety is aroused when a person tries to leave the familiar setting of the home. Outside the
home--in crowded shops, subways or theaters--anxiety is heightened; the person usually hovers near a door
in order to get away if necessary. Since the painful anxiety is diminished when fear-producing situations
are avoided, withdrawal to familiar surroundings is reinforced and, in severe cases, the person may become
completely housebound. Certain organic illnesses, such as low blood sugar (hypoglycemia) also may produce
feelings of anxiety. In about half of all cases of clinical anxiety, however, there is no discernible cause.
