Anxiety is a pandemic today. Most of the people suffering from it accept it to be their normal state. The stigma attached in some cultures is such that mostly the sufferers are looked down upon. Anxiety is indeed a difficult diagnosis. It’s not a bacteria or virus that can be detected by a blood test.
Thankfully, there are some tests that can easily detect anxiety. Zung Self rating anxiety scale, Hamilton Anxiety scale, Beck Anxiety Inventory, Social Phobia Inventory, Penn State Worry Questionnaire, Generalized Anxiety disorder scale and Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale are a few tests used by medical practitioners to determine anxiety.
Most of these tests are questionnaire based. A one on one with the patient is also very helpful as it reduces margin of error. The doctor can then recommend solutions for the same like HHC, OTC drugs or some natural therapies. If you are wondering what is HHC, it is a new hemp derived cannabinoid that is becoming popular in treating anxiety disorders.
During an appointment with the medical practitioner one mustn’t lie about any underlying condition or medical history. There should be complete transparency between the patient and the doctor. Anxiety can even be a symptom of other disorders like phobias, panic disorders, Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and social phobias. Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) is a broad disorder which may not cover the above mentioned specific disorders. Anxiety disorders are also quite common in children.
Anxiety related interviews with the medical practitioners often include other family members too. That’s because this condition affects families due to their interdependence. By this logic children are also sufferers in most of the cases and are called for interviews. Symptoms of anxiety are similar in children as in adults. If the symptoms persist for more than a month then the child must be taken to a medical practitioner at the earliest to avoid any complications to develop. Therapists and support groups are also of great help.