In this article, we are going to be providing you with a brief understanding of what anxiety neurosis is all about.
Anxiety is a state of tension or uneasiness and distress akin to fear, but produced by a threatened loss of inner control rather than the perception of an external danger.
Anxiety can be described as neurotic or morbid if its physiological and psychological manifestations impairs or interferes with the day to day activities of the individual’s life.
Causes of Anxiety Neurosis
1. Predisposing Factors
- hereditary
- personality – insecure, immature, over dependent personality
2. Precipitating Factors
- Parental influence – anxious, inconsistent parents are likely to breed anxious children
- threat to biological integrity – food, drink and warmth
- Threat to security of self such as
- unmet expectation important to self integrity
- unmet needs for status and prestige
- anticipated disapproval by significant others
- inability to gain a re-enforce self respect or to gain recognition from others
- guilt or discrepancies between self -view and actual behaviour
Signs and Symptoms
1. Physiological
- increased heart rate
- difficulty in breathing
- sweaty palm
- trembling
- dry mouth
- lump in the throat
2. Psychological
- Uncomfortable feeling of impending doom or danger
- overwhelming awareness o being powerless
- inability to perceive the unreality of the threat
- prolonged felling of tension and exhaustive readiness for the expected danger.
- There may be description of feelings of irritability, anger, uptight, jittery, nervousness, worries.
Stages of Anxiety
1. Mild Anxiety
in the stage the perceived danger is not threatening, thereby allowing the individual to deal constructively with the stress. There is greater perception, increased energy/motivation and a greater attention focus.
2. Moderate Anxiety
the individual remains alert, but the perceptive field narrows. The client shuts out events on the periphery while focusing on the central concerns. This is known as selective inattention.
3. Severe Anxiety
There is a reduced sensory perception, focusing only on small and scattered details of an experience. They have difficulty in problem solving with reduced ability to organize. Selective inattention is reduced. New stimuli may even make anxiety level to rise higher. The sympathetic nervous system is activated, causing the signs and symptoms mentioned above.
4. Panic Stage
There is completely disrupted perceptual field. Details are enlarged and scattered, logical thinking and effective decision making may be impossible, behaviour purposeless and communication unintelligible. Defense mechanism of projects and rationalization may be displayed.
Management of Anxiety Neurosis
Most clients with anxiety neurosis require out-patient treatment, though severe cases required brief hospital admission. Admission of care include;
- Assessment; a comprehensive history of the presenting complain is taken in order to expose nature of the underlying conflict- whether real or imaginary
- Behavioural therapy – Desensitization by reciprocal inhibition can be employed in certain cases
- Chemotherapy – minor tranquilizers, anti depressants, or hypnotics may be used to reduce tension while healing take place
- Psychological Care; the attitude of the nurse should should be one that will give the patient the impression that all is not lost. He/she should be calm, sympathetic, a good listener, persuasive and a good counselor.
- recreational therapy
- occupational therapy
We hope this information was helpful. Feel free to ask your questions in the comment section below