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Anxiety Disorders

Treating Anxiety Disorder with Zoloft

Zoloft was FDA approved for the treatment of depression over a decade ago. Since then, researchers recognized that Zoloft effects were successful in addressing anxiety disorders. Zoloft was then FDA approved as an anxiety disorder treatment, which includes the treatment for social anxiety disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, as well as panic, obsessive compulsive, and post traumatic stress disorder.

As with depression, the relationship between Zoloft and anxiety is unclear. Why Zoloft and other SSRIs are effective in treating anxiety disorders is not fully understood. Researchers believe that increased levels of the neurotransmitter serotonin present in the brain is the reason why Zoloft is effective in treating anxiety disorders. Although SSRIs, such as Zoloft, are proven effective in treating anxiety disorders, why they are effective remains a mystery.

Zoloft is FDA approved for the treatment of the following anxiety disorders:

Social Anxiety Disorder and Generalized Anxiety Disorder

Social anxiety disorder causes people to be very anxious and fearful about being or the prospect of being with other people. The fear of embarrassment or being judged by others is at the root of this disorder. It can cause serious hardship to a person, in terms of relationships and employment, and lead a person to avoid any social situations whatsoever.

People with social anxiety disorder fear meeting new people, drawing attention to themselves, public speaking or communicating with others.

In such situations, individuals with social anxiety disorder tend to blush, tremble, sweat, show increased heart rate, and even feel nauseas.

Social anxiety disorder often appears in late childhood or early adolescence.

Panic Disorder

There are many experiences in life where a panic response is warranted, such as losing track of a child in a shopping mall. Panic disorder, on the other hand, involves feeling intense fear and panic, often for no reason at all. Panic attacks can occur any time, with or without a cause.

Those suffering from panic disorder experience panic attacks regularly. These attacks cause the person to experienced increased heart rate, sweat, tremble, feel shortness of breath, feel like they're choking, feel stomach pain or nausea, feel faint or dizzy, experience chills or hot flashes, and even experience an intense fear of dying.

Panic disorder involves repeated panic attacks, and an accompanying fear of being in crowds, public places or anywhere where an attack may occur.

Panic disorder usually appears in young adulthood, before the age of 35.

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

Obsessive compulsive disorder causes an individual to have the same thoughts, ideas, or impulses over and over again. These are known as obsessions, and lead to repetitive behaviors in an attempt to relieve the anxiety and fear the obsessions cause. These repetitive behaviors are known as compulsions.

Those suffering from OCD find that their obsessions and compulsions cause them to spend an inordinate amount of time engaged in behaviors or rituals. Patients with OCD know that their fears are unfounded, but are unable to control them. These behaviors can lead to avoidance of certain situations, and can interfere greatly in relationships and jobs.

Signs of OCD include those behaviors that cause an individual a great deal of time - over an hour a day, that cause a person to become upset and distressed, and that interfere with normal daily functioning.

Obsessive compulsive disorder usually appears in teenagers or in early adulthood, however it can appear in children as well.

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

Post traumatic stress disorder involves a severe and debilitating reaction to a highly traumatic event. The distress involve persists over a long period of time, and as such, is differentiated from the normal response to a traumatic event.

Examples of events that can trigger PTSD include rape, assault, childhood abuse, war, neglect, and others.

Symptoms of PTSD include symptoms that fall into three categories; re-experiencing, avoidance/numbing, and hyperarousal. The symptoms must be present for at least one month and cause profound problems in daily functioning and/or distress.

Post traumatic stress disorder can appear at any time of life, after a traumatic event, and is more common in women than in men.

Although it remains unclear why the effects of Zoloft and anxiety are positive, taking Zoloft for anxiety disorders has become a common and accepted practice for anxiety disorder treatment.

To learn more about Zoloft and the treatment of anxiety disorders, read through the official Zoloft website.