The amygdala is an area of our brain with almond-shaped and receives a large amount of information in our environment, for example, smells, sights, sounds … We could say that the amygdala is our sentinel.

What do you do with all those signs? Responds to them by primitive signs thanks to his connections with the spinal cord, such as heart rate, blood pressure and respiratory rate. This explains that when someone comes to us at night and the fact that our life is in danger, we increase the heart rate, blood pressure and breathe in a jerky fashion. In addition, the pupils dilate and increases sweating. The amygdala has just activated the alarm.
Connections of the amygdala

The signals from the amygdala reach the hypothalamus, the area where corticotropic releasing hormone (HCT), which in turn is responsible for the release of cortisol (stress hormone). Cortisol is the substance responsible for leading the fight or flight through connections with our metabolism, since it directly influences the amount of glucose you should get the muscles.

There are connections from the amygdala that go to the cingulate cortex and other fibers that go directly into specific muscles. Such connections are what make the dog growl, arching your back and tighten cat musculature of the human vocal cords. So when we fear we get a high-pitched voice.

The information is also directed toward the locus coeruleus, an area in the brainstem, which is responsible for producing norepinephrine and disperse throughout the brain. The result? All of our brain is alert, the smallest of the stimulus can make us tremble in fear.

These connections bypass the cerebral cortex, what does this mean? We can not control. Our rational brain is outside the control of all these kinds of responses.

Neurotransmitters and fear

Being afraid is not bad. It is natural and positive, inherent in all animals. What is your role? Alerted to the danger, the defense planning and ensure our survival. Now, one of the characteristics of fear is anxiety and this depends basically on the interrelationship between two neurotransmitters, oxytocin and vasopressin at the level of the amygdala.

When the amygdala oxytocin dominates the person is calmer in situations of danger, while if more vasopressin increases anxiety, uncertainty and, ultimately, fear grips us. Our body prepares for fight or flight.
Fear Gene

Experience shows that not all people react the same way to a dangerous situation and, in part, our genes have much to say. Some scientists believe they have discovered the gene for fear. It is called COMT and directly regulates anxiety. It has been shown that this gene has two variants: Met 158 ​​and Val 158, ie, at position 158 can be methionine or valine. Those with two copies of Met 158 have a greater degree of anxiety when viewing unpleasant pictures and those with two copies of Val 158 to better control their emotions .

In short, the amygdala is the conductor of the responses of fear and its score are oxytocin and vasopressin.

Examples of images used in the study. (Photo: Archives of General Psychiatry) Know exactly what happens in the minds of those who suffer the condition is vital to help them move forward and leave behind the anxiety generated by their appearance. Many are unable to lead a normal, half requiring hospitalization at some point in their lives and about 25% attempt suicide.

Research published in the latest issue of Archives of General Psychiatry compared the brain areas were activated in 17 affected and 16 other healthy while viewing a photograph of themselves and another for a famous actor.

To tune a bit more on analysis of visual processing, scientists, University of California (United States) – Digital images were shown in three different resolutions: standard, in a format that highlights the details (spots, profile of the nose and eyes, hair) or a configuration in which only perceived the spatial relationship between different parts of the face and shape of it.

The medical imaging technique used was the fMRI, which allows observing in real time what brain areas are activated by performing a particular activity.

When individuals with body dimorphic disorder looked at his face, there was a hyper activation of brain structures related to the specific visual processing. This does not happen if they looked the picture of famous actor and healthy people do not happen or your own image or that of the celebrities.

However, when the portrait was taught not altered and only one in which the facial contour can be seen, there is a hypo activation of brain regions involved in this process.

On the other hand, deviations from the unaffected were more marked the greater the severity of the symptoms of those who believed deformed.

These abnormal patterns of activation show that people with the disease have difficulties in extracting information from a face. “These individuals perceive the details and have fundamentally damaged the ability to contextualize them within a whole,” the authors note.

The findings of this study show some similarities with the observed brain activity in individuals with obsessive-compulsive disorder. It is hypothesized that both disorders respond to similar neurological mechanisms.

Patients usually suffer from panic to see in the mirror and keeps your eyelid contract without being able to control is sometimes close to a patient that you mentioned this annoying condition.

The patient will automatically think the worst diagnosis: brain tumors, epilepsy, the onset of facial paralysis, etc., But fortunately is very wrong.

For peace of patients by far the most common cause of PD is anxiety or stress. Most patients are tired, has not slept well for several days or had problems at work or home.

Then the treatment is first of all try to relax, try to disconnect (it is that you can) the problems, sports, etc. If the MP is very upset or ashamed to have her patient, anxiety may be indicated to lower your anxiety level.

The problem with anxiety is that people are very sensitive to them and are permanently “dazed” after taking the drug.

In addition, the MP does not disappear immediately after taking the anti-anxiety, it is usual to take several days before this contraction is reduced involuntary “nervous.”

As it is extremely rare to find an organic cause of the MP, it is rare that additional tests are needed to make the diagnosis.

So the advice is to relax and if they have at some point the MP, is a good time to take a break or decrease engine speed, is the easiest way to get better.

The drugs are very effective to relieve symptoms of anxiety. Anti-anxiety medications may be used with antidepressants or anxiolytic effect (not all antidepressants have it).

The benzodiazepine anxiolytics should not be used for longer than one month and that over time tend to produce habituation and a need to increase the dose.

TAG Being a long-term disorder as recommended for psychopharmacological management of symptoms of anxiety is the use of anxiolytic effect associated with antidepressants.

The following antidepressants are approved by the FDA for the treatment of GAD: Escitalopram, Venlafaxine XR / LP, duloxetine and paroxetine. Antidepressants, Anxiolytics unlike benzodiazepines, does not produce habituation (tolerance), therefore there is no risk of generating a drug addiction.

Hence, it is preferable to use in long-term treatment of anxiety. On the other hand the quality of sleep caused by sedative antidepressants is much higher than that of benzodiazepine anxiolytics, as they generate a deep and restful sleep.

There are now increasingly available drugs for the treatment of Generalized Anxiety Disorder. So that if a drug does not give the expected result, there are usually others that can be used. Moreover, they are discovering new drugs for the treatment of anxiety symptoms, as is the case of pregabalin.

Research has also shown that behavioral therapy and cognitive therapy are effective for the treatment of GAD. Also useful are Relaxation Techniques and Bio-Feedback (Biofeedback) to control the mental and muscular tension.

There are considerable cultural variations on the expression of anxiety (eg, in some cultures express anxiety through somatic symptoms predominate, and in others through cognitive symptoms).

It is important to take into account the cultural context when assessing the excessiveness of some concern.

In children and adolescents with generalized anxiety disorder, anxiety and worry often refer to the performance or competence at school or sports, even when these individuals are not evaluated by others. Sometimes timeliness is the issue that concerns focused excessive.

Other times, catastrophic events such as earthquakes or nuclear war. Children with the disorder can appear overtly conforming, perfectionist, unsure of themselves and inclined to repeat their work by an excessive disparity to the view that the results do not reach perfection.

In pursuing the approval of others may show a characteristic jealousy, excessive need to ensure the quality of performance or other issues that motivate their concern. In general, the symptoms of GAD tend to decrease with age.

The disorder is slightly more common in females than in males when studying samples of centers (approximately 55-60% of diagnoses are made in women). In epidemiological studies of general population the sex ratio is two thirds for women.

The state of anxiety is almost constant, oscillating slightly during the course of the day and affecting sleep quality.

Anxiety is frequently associated with excessive worry (apprehensive expectation call). For example: fear that a close relative or the person who suffers from this disorder may have an accident, illness or death. The person finds it difficult to control this state of constant concern.

Anxiety and worry are associated with three or more of the following symptoms:

*Nervousness, restlessness or impatience
*Fatigue (tiredness) easy
*Difficulty concentrating or making the mind blank
*Irritability
*Muscle tension, tremor, headache (headache), leg movement and inability to relax
*Sleep disturbance: difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep or waking up not feeling rested well (restless sleep)
*Sweating, palpitations or tachycardia, gastrointestinal problems, dry mouth, dizziness, hyperventilation (increase in the number of breaths per minute).

The anxiety, worry or physical symptoms cause significant distress or impairment in family relations, social, occupational or other important areas of activity of the person.

Symptoms of anxiety in the GAD are consistent unlike what happens in Panic Disorder where anxiety-panic appears as paroxysmal taking the form of a panic attack. The panic usually lasts no more than 30 minutes but leaves the sufferer with some hesitation to make a new crisis. This “fear of fear” is called “anticipatory anxiety” and can be confused with Generalized Anxiety Disorder.

It is also important to rule out anxiety symptoms are not due to the ingestion of any substance causes anxiety: caffeine, amphetamines or a medical condition (eg hyperthyroidism.). There are many causes for anxiety in a secondary, more information will be available in High Anxiety page. Depressive disorders also frequently associated with anxiety. It is very important to make a right “Differential Diagnosis” to arrive at an accurate diagnosis of what happens to those who are suffering a picture of anxiety. The main cause of treatment failure is the lack of diagnosis or misdiagnosis.

Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) is much more than what a normal person experiences anxiety in their daily lives. They are chronic worry and tension even when nothing seems to provoke. Having suffered from this disorder means always anticipating disaster, often worrying excessively about health, money, family or work. However, sometimes the root of the worry is hard to locate. Simply thinking about the day ahead can cause anxiety.

According to Viktor Frankl, author of the book Man’s Search for Meaning (in English), the lowest instincts of the human face of mortal danger is to find a way of life to combat this “trauma of non- being “at the approach of death, when the temptation to succumb to (even by suicide) is very strong.

There are many times in our lives when we think that things are difficult and indeed stressful but to me one of the most daunting and difficult jobs we have is the one of parenthood. Although women will not appreciate it I felt as a man very stressful the moment our first child appeared on the hospital monitor when the good lady was just a few weeks pregnant. You are immediately conjuring up thoughts in your mind, will the baby be okay, will my wife be okay, how will we cope with another mouth to feed, will we manage on one wage, is my job secure. All in all then many worries and stresses rush through you and your baby is still several months away from being born.

Even if you manage to overcome some anxious moments the role of parenthood is still difficult. Sadly in this day and age and the virtual abolition of what was once called a job for life in many industries the anxiety of keeping a job is paramount and the stress unbelievable. Although you do your best to keep all this pressure to yourself and to not let it affect the children it is easier said than done.

Should your anxiety affect your kids then you are in need of help. Anxiousness causes irritation and sometimes short temperedness. This is all the result of the physical symptoms. Nausea, dizziness, butterflies in your stomach sometimes even in extreme cases actual breathing can cause pain. Days, sometimes weeks are disrupted by anxiety. How can you possible be a good parent when your life is being disrupted by perhaps the threat of redundancy for example? It is difficult to say the least.

How can you let this NOT affect your children? To start with you must check on exactly how the anxiety is affecting you. Do you shout a lot, is your temper almost at boiling point. Children are not stupid and whatever age they are will pick up on these traits and might even be frightened of you. They will undoubtedly pick up the negative vibes that are emanating from you and from your good lady if your anxiety is affecting her as well. You must do your utmost to ensure that your relationship with your children and your partner is not ruined.

Try and observe how your anxiety attitude is affecting your children. Do they appear to panic when you do? If you rush around do you expect them to do the same? Anxiety can definitely be contagious. If it is not possible to pick up any problems with them then check discreetly with their teachers or friends. If problems are occurring then do not panic (this is where we came in!) because it is always possible to patch things up. Remember that children need security and love and that is exactly what you should intend to give them.

Your children will have noticed that things are not how they should be indoors so talk to them. Explain as simply as you can about problems and reach a decision to cope together as a family. This will give them a degree of security and hopefully make them aware that they are also helping you with your own anxiety. You can all help each other. One good way to help is to do breathing exercises together. A family breath-in! Helping everyone at the same time. You feel more relaxed and these relaxing vibes for want of a better expression are seeping through all of you. Quality time is also essential. Give them some of your time. Try and teach them the true way of breathing.

Place a large mat on the floor and turn the TV off. Place chairs in a circle so you can see face to face. All of you sit down and place your hands on your lap. Inhale through your nose for a count of four, hold your breath for a count of seven and exhale for a count of eight. This is just one way that I have tried and tested successfully.

Worrying can only make matters worse. If anxiety is affecting your children all you need is to provide a helping hand. It is difficult for some but well worth the effort.

Rob Stone writes many articles on Health and Fitness to Home Improvement and Childrens Toys such as Nitro RC Cars.