Understanding Anxiety – Is Anxiety a Disability in Canada?

It is common to experience fear or unease before any important event or special occasion, most of us have felt this at one time or another. This feeling called anxiety is the perceived threat of some future event, and it is pretty common in everyone.

The situation gets worse when this starts happening very frequently. It starts affecting our daily lives.

In this article, we’ll explore anxiety disorder, the common symptoms, and how to get rid of it. Besides, we’ll answer a very common question- is anxiety a disability in Canada?

What is Anxiety Disorder?

Feeling unease, fear, or pressure is normal when we face situations we’ve never faced or when something big happens in our lives. It affects how we respond to the event physically as well as mentally. This common phenomenon turns into a disorder when someone starts feeling the same before any small event or simpler situation. This disorder can be mild or severe, based on the frequency of anxiety. If not treated, the symptoms may worsen with time. Anxiety disorder doesn’t just affect the person but leaves a serious impact on the relationships with others, as well as all aspects of life

Apprehension vs Anxiety

It is quite common to mix up apprehension and anxiety, as both share some common characteristics. But these two have some significant differences, too. Apprehension refers to someone’s uncertain or uneasy feeling about an upcoming event or situation. It is specifically related to the future. Also, it doesn’t have any physical or psychological symptoms.

Anxiety, on the other hand, is a broader term. It expresses the feeling of fear or unease towards anything. Besides, it is closely related to a person’s physical and/or psychological reaction. It is easier to identify through the symptoms like lack of concentration, tiredness, dry mouth, etc. Similarly, it is often mixed up with depression, but they are different in many ways.

Anxiety Symbols or Symptoms

As anxiety has a severe impact on our physical condition, mental health, and behavior, some noticeable symptoms help to identify anxiety in a person. Some common symptoms are-

• Rapid breathing
• Feeling restless or nervous
• Muscle tension
• Perspiration
• Trembling or dizziness
• Easily irritable
• Feeling of weakness or tiredness
• Faster or irregular heart rate
• Headache
• Nausea or tummy ache
• Muscle pain
• Dry mouth
• Trouble with sleeping
• Difficulty in focusing or concentrating
• Overactive mind

If you observe a few of the anxiety symbols frequently, it’s time to discuss with a specialist.

What are the 6 Types of Anxiety Disorders?

According to DSM-5-TR by the American Psychiatric Association, such disorders can be of several types. Here, you’ll find 6 types of anxiety disorders that happen most frequently.

Generalized Anxiety Disorder

GAD is the consistent and severe worries or anxiety about any event or activity, even if it is a regular phenomenon. It is associated with strong physical symptoms, including dizziness, irregular heartbeat, and muscle tension. If this frequent anxiety continues for more than six months, you can call it Generalized Anxiety Disorder.

Panic Disorder

It is another most common type of anxiety disorder that affects personal and professional life seriously. Panic disorder is associated with panic attacks (intense anxiety or fear reaching the top within a few minutes). It causes a racing heart, chest pain, shortness of breath, or nausea. Because of such attacks, people try to avoid situations that cause sudden panic.

Social Anxiety Disorder

It is often called social phobia, which is the fear of public harassment. It involves fear and anxiety of being judged by others in any social situation. People with this disorder avoid social gatherings as much as possible. Stage fright, fear of intimacy, etc., are included in social phobia.

Separation Anxiety Disorder

It is associated with separation from parents, someone playing parental roles, or someone close. Such a disorder is common in children who have been separated from their parents. It affects their development and later life.

Specific Phobia

Such phobias are associated with a specific object or element. It is a bit different from regular anxiety disorder, but they have similarities, too. People with phobia try to avoid the trigger. Even if they try to control their fear when they’re around, they fail in most cases. The fear or anxiety from phobia often turns into a panic attack.

Selective Mutism

The consistent fear or anxiety of performing in specific places is called selective mutism. Mostly, children face this problem while expressing themselves in class. People with selective mutism can speak fluently but fail to express themselves in some specific places. It severely affects their performance in school or the workplace.

Anxiety due to a Medical Condition, Substance-induced Anxiety Disorder, Agoraphobia, etc., are some less-known anxiety disorders. They show similar symptoms discussed above. But the reasons are different.

Is Anxiety a Disability in Canada?

While anxiety is a common phenomenon, things are not simple when it turns into a disorder. It affects the personal, social, and professional life of a person. That’s why the Canadian government considers it a disability. Thus, someone with a proven anxiety disorder is qualified for mental illness disability benefits Canada.

The benefits depend on the individual state of anxiety disorder. Anxiety disability allowance, disability insurance (long-term and short-term), worker’s compensation, disability tax credit, etc., are some mental health disability benefits the Canadian government offers. Disability for anxiety can be proven through medical diagnosis, treatment plan, impact of medication, evidence of issues in the workplace, etc.

Treating Anxiety Disorder

Anxiety can be treated in several ways. But anxiety affirmations (positive statements that encourage positive thinking can help to fight anxiety) are considered as the primary condition to treating it. Here are some ways here are some ways you can treat your anxiety disorder you can treat your anxiety disorder.

Psychotherapy

This therapy is an efficient treatment for anxiety and stress. Here, people with anxiety disability work with a psychotherapist to get rid of anxiety from the core.

Psychotherapy can be of different types. Among them, CBT (Cognitive Behavior Therapy) works best to treat anxiety. Here, the therapist teaches some skills to avoid the fear related to anxiety. It includes exposure to the situation or object that triggers the anxiety.

Hypnotherapy

Through hypnotherapy, the therapist searches for the causes behind the anxiety and suggests ways to avoid anxiety through hypnotism. It was not a widely practiced way of treating anxiety. But a research in 2016 has found that hypnotherapy helps people to control their emotions.

You can schedule a meeting with a hypnotherapist to help you get rid of frequent anxiety.

Medication

Some medicines can work well on anxiety, it is best to consult a doctor to help you find the right anti anxiety medication. Such medications may come with possible side effects. Please remember to discuss with your doctor if you have any medical conditions