Concept Analysis Of Anxiety
Concept Analysis Of Anxiety
I. Abstract
The paper is an examination of anxiety as a concept. This report began with a definition of the concept and some statistics surrounding the prevalence of anxiety among patients. Thereafter, the paper looked at observational traits of the disease. Thereafter, it was necessary to look at its occurrence in three different case studies; i.e. a typical case study with no other medical conditions, a contrary case study with other medical conditions and borderline case study where an individual registered two types of anxiety disorders. This paper will be useful in nursing education because it will contribute towards concept analysis, it will be insightful in research and management because it will provide new information about how to handle different conditions of the disorder.
A Definition and background
Anxiety is a condition in which an individual is in a constant state of worry or is always nervous regardless of normal actions. This state of anxiety eventually leads to anxiety disorders which are then regarded as emotional or psychological health conditions.
Anxiety and anxiety related disorders are one of the most common mental reasons for seeing medical professionals today. This is why recent statistics indicate that about a quarter of the country’s population have exhibited symptoms of anxiety disorders. It is a worrying trend for nursing practitioners specifically and for the medical profession in general because it signifies serious mental health problems. (Hayes & Strosahl, 2004)
One of the major reasons for these excessive occurrences is that society’s demands have changed. Today’s working environment is more demanding than ever before. Relationships are becoming increasingly difficult to maintain thus serving as fertile ground for propagating anxiety. Anxiety may occur in various forms. Sometimes, it may be exhibited as a mild case, in other scenarios, it can progress to become severe and can impede one’s day to day life. Anxiety usually manifests itself in the form of a series of disorders most of which include; phobias, generalized anxiety disorder, post traumatic stress disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder and separation anxiety disorder. Some of the latter mentioned forms exhibit more or less the same symptoms. Consequently, one can deal with them as distinct groups.
B Purpose of the analysis
The purpose of the analysis is to demystify anxiety as a clinical disease. The research will give some insights into various features of the concept. It will also examine the consequences of anxiety on patients. These will all be analyzed though the use of typical cases, non-typical cases and cases that lie in between. Additionally, the empirical referents relating to this concept (anxiety) will be examined in greater detail.
III. Literature review
Fox (2001) asserts that the major characteristics in almost all persons who suffer from anxiety is the existence of fear. All individuals are faced with fear at one point or another in their lives. However, those who are controlled by it are said to be suffering from anxiety or anxiety disorders. (Craske and Barlow, 2003) This fear is so intense that it hampers the person from performing their daily obligations or roles.
In certain scenarios, anxiety may be manifested in the form of tension or anticipation about a certain issue. The latter form is mild. In other instances, anxiety may be exhibited by acute panic attacks. Bourne (2000) explains that the following physical symptoms are prevalent in a number of patients diagnosed with anxiety
Tension
Headaches
Loss of appetite
Stomach upsets
Lack of sleep
Diarrhea
Muscle aches
Besides these symptoms, acute cases of fear among patients with anxiety disorders may be depicted. For instance, certain individuals get panic attacks. When this occurs they may begin having a dry mouth, experience numbness in their bodies, difficulty breathing, chest discomfort, racing hearts, disorientation, low concentration spans, dizziness and unsteadiness. (Hoffman & Barlow, 1999)
Many writers also assert that the largest percentage of cases of anxiety are characterized by cognitive traits where cognitive refers to matters concerning the mind. When anxiety strikes, certain ideas or images are usually present in one’s mind. Usually, anxious individuals think that some danger may befall them or the person they care about. (Chorpita & Barlow, 1998) This is usually depicted as a phobia where an individual believes that something dangerous may happen to them even when the chances of its occurrence are quite slim. In order words, one of the major cognitive characteristics is possession of irrational thoughts. Such person usually distort actual facts and lack control over their thoughts. (Bourne,