Anxiety disorders in people

Emotional object constancy helps in managing the fear of abandonment, rejection, and conflicts. A vagal brake is a part of the central nervous system that controls the heart rate. In case of anxiety, the vagal brake induces diaphragmatic breathing and which elicits a calming response. Vagal brake controls the heart rate by sending impulses to the vagus nerve which in turn controls the level of adrenaline and cortisol hormones, an activity that restores a person to calmness. Because of its ability to monitor the response to environmental changes, the vagal brake allows for immediate attachment and disengagement during social relations (Rock et al. Cognitive errors result from feelings of insecurity and negative perceptions about reality. Serotonin, gaba, and oxytocin are protective neurochemicals that perform specific tasks in the body.

Serotonin hormone bolsters a person’s confidence and self-esteem and reduces the feelings of insecurity by promoting balance equilibrium. Gaba is an inhibitory hormone that calms response during anxiety by promoting relaxation. In the case of anxiety, the nerve cells activate gaba hormone and restore an individual’s relaxed state. The interaction between the brain and the heart that is mediated by the vagus nerve determines a person’s reaction to anxiety. The Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for a specific disorder key begins by developing anxiety about a given situation. The second step entails avoiding the situation through intense anxiety. Thirdly, anxiety becomes out proportion to the actual fear of the case (Vigerland et al. The anxiety then causes impairment in social functioning and finally leads to the development of anxiety symptoms.

Vigerland, S. , Thulin, U. , Ljótsson, B. , Svirsky, L. , Öst, L. It drives the point of life being inherently pointless provided that there are limits and boundaries of this life and in such that we all have to die someday. The provision of existentialist anxiety has drawn attention for both religious and non-religious groups to reflect on it giving out views of concern. There are similarities as well as differences among religious existentialist like Frankl and non-religious existentialist like Irvin Yalom on their opinions on existential anxiety as discussed in the paper. Similarities The inevitable part of life: the aspect of anxiety development in any person’s life has been drawn to not only associate with a few occurrences on selected people’s lives but also to universal life dimensions for all people.

There is no selective application of anxiety development in one’s life since it occurs whenever there is that friendly environment for it to develop. Through this, the existentialists have established the worry and questions of people who wonder if indeed they have to die, why the urge to live or exist. In the overall dimension, it is clear that the religious and non-religious thinkers agree on the provision that the existential anxiety qualifies as a driving force to death. The belief and relevance of God in human life: the religious believers argue that there exists a supernatural being whom they refer to as God. God is the reference to their spiritual inclinations as well as the reason they are alive even with the challenges they face on a daily basis.

In the dimension of existentialist anxiety, both the religious and non-religious thinkers argue that they need God in their livelihood. The deliberate reasoning is that they run away from it and avoid the pain as possible as they can. On the other side, non-religious thinkers offer a differing opinion on this aspect. The provision on their thinking is that as a dedication to a cause, an individual or nation has to go through the life cycle of existentialist anxiety for life to give meaning as well as make a person to cooperate to the scheme, (Berry-Smith, 2012). The application means that life is mounted on anxiety as a life cycle that one has to undergo no matter their feelings or reactions. To them, life will not make meaning if one tries as much as they can to avoid this form of pain during their livelihood.

Butėnaitė, J. , Sondaitė, J. , & Mockus, A. Components of existential crisis: a theoretical analysis. International journal of psychology: a biopsychosocial approach, 2016,[Vol. Retrieved from https://www. mentalhelp. net/articles/the-existential-crisis-depression-anxiety-and-mortality/ Stages of Stress Introduction One's reaction during a stressful encounter and the steps taken when in such a situation are essential in preventing severe damage. It is not possible for an individual to eliminate every stressful situation. Therefore, it is crucial for one to find ways to respond to it. As the body prepares and mobilizes itself to respond to the case, an individual can choose between a flight or fight response. The type of the reaction that someone chooses will determine their response to the situation. During the alarm stage, the nerve system is prepared either to fight or to escape the case, it causes your mind to either choose to flee or to remain in an environment that stressful environment.

In the alarm stage, a person can experience various complications such as fast heartbeats, which may result in access blood flow to the legs and arms (Legg, 2017). During this stage, the adrenal gland releases the stress hormone commonly known as cortisol, and there is energy increase due to the boost that the body receives from adrenaline. The blood pressure remains elevated while the body continues to secrete the stress hormone. These stressed individuals may think they are responding well to the stress, but the physical body response may be indicating otherwise. The continuation of the resistance state for a prolonged period without relief may lead to the next stage the stress response, the exhaustion stage. The Exhaustion stage The exhaustion stage occurs due to the chronical and prolonged stress due to an individual struggling with anxiety for an extended period.

This long period of struggling with anxiety may lead to the destruction of emotional, physical and mental resources. The weak immune system may expose the individual to cancer and high-risk infections. References Blum, H. P. Repression, transference, and reconstruction. The International Journal of Psychoanalysis, 497-503. html Morel, G. The Unsinkable Fantasy. European Journal of Psychoanalysis. Nagera, H. On Arrest in Development, Fixation, and Regression. One day during a hot summer when Debra was stuck in the traffic, her two children start yelling and arguing in the back seat. Debra begins to feel light-headed with a racing pulse. She thought she was experiencing a heart attack and was terrified, so she drove her children to their pediatrician. After discussing symptoms with the pediatrician, he informed her that she just had a panic attack and would be fine.

Regarding the case study, this paper will use the psychodynamic terms/ concepts to analyze the case. Defense Mechanism A defense mechanism is strategies that are applied by the ego to address conflict and problems in one's life. The defensive tool helps an individual reduce negative feelings. These are the psychological strategies that are essential in protecting personal anxiety that results from emotions and thoughts they could not accept. Debra should use a defense mechanism to protect herself from feelings of anxiety, of being threatened that her husband may be having an affair. Debra’s feeling of anxiety may also be as a result of a high demand from her superego or id that is non-voluntarist and out of her conscious control.

Repression makes her think a lot about her husband’s absence. Fixation Fixation is a persistent focus on the pleasure of the id where an individual becomes attached to another individual or object. The obsession may start developing at an initial stage of psychosexual development. Conflict during the psychosexual stage that is not solved may lead to the issue of passion where an individual focus to the unsolved scene to be able to move to the next step (Nagera, 2017). David may be suffering from the issue of fixation which is why he neglects his family and focuses on his job and friend. Individuals can use defensive mechanisms to control and eliminate negative thoughts that will threaten their health. Dealing with psychological issues an early stage is essential in preventing adverse effects that may lead to a panic attack.