Medically reviewed by Kendra Kubala, PsyD, Psychology — By The Healthline Editorial Team — Updated on February 17, 2022 Stress is any demand placed on your brain or physical body. Any event or scenario that makes you feel frustrated or nervous can trigger it. Anxiety is a feeling of fear, worry, or unease. While it can occur as a reaction to stress, it can also happen without any obvious trigger. Both stress and anxiety involve mostly identical symptoms, including:
Most people experience some feelings of stress and anxiety at some point, and that isn’t necessarily a “bad” thing. After all, stress and anxiety can sometimes be a helpful motivator to accomplish daunting tasks or do things you’d rather not (but really should). But unmanaged stress and anxiety can start to interfere with your daily life and take a toll on your mental and physical health. Here’s a closer look at stress and anxiety, how they differ, and how to find support for managing both. The big difference between stress and anxiety is the presence of a specific trigger. Stress is typically tied to a specific situation. Once that situation resolves, so does your stress. Maybe you have an upcoming exam that you’re worried about taking. Or you’re trying to juggle working from home with three small children who are competing for your attention. In both cases, there’s a specific root of your stress. Once the exam is over or your children return to daycare, your stress starts to go away. That doesn’t mean stress is always short-lived, though. Chronic stress refers to long lasting stress that occurs in response to ongoing pressure, like a demanding job or family conflict. Anxiety, by contrast, doesn’t always have a specific stressor. While stress and anxiety are different things, they’re closely connected. In some cases, stress might trigger anxiety. If you’re stressed about a big upcoming move, for example, you might find that you start to feel generally nervous about nothing in particular. Not sure whether stress or anxiety is behind your symptoms? Take a step back and think of what’s going on in your life right now. What kinds of things do you tend to worry about? Are they specific threats or events? Consider car troubles. Maybe you know you really need new tires, especially now that it’s starting to snow. But you can’t afford to replace them just yet. For the next few weeks, you feel uneasy about driving. What if you slide on a patch of ice? What if you get a flat on your way home from a late-night shift on that stretch of road with lousy reception? A few weeks later, you have a fresh set of tires and stop worrying about driving to and from work safely. In this case, your nervousness was due to stress, triggered by having old tires. But maybe you get new tires and don’t really notice a change in your symptoms. You’re still nervous about driving and feel a vague sense of unease that you can’t quite put your finger on. Or, your tires were never an issue in the first place, but you can shake an overall feeling of nervousness about getting on the road. That would be anxiety.
Stress typically happens in response to physical or mental pressure. This pressure might involve a big life change, like:
But stress triggers don’t need to be life-altering. You might feel stress due to:
Stress and anxiety-related disordersStress and anxiety that occur frequently or seem out of proportion to the stressor could be signs of an underlying condition, including:
It’s best to talk with a mental health professional any time stress or anxiety starts to affect your day-to-day life. Keep in mind: You don’t need to have a specific mental health condition to benefit from therapy. A qualified therapist can help you identify potential triggers and create effective coping mechanisms to minimize their impact, even if you don’t meet the diagnostic criteria for an anxiety disorder. It’s also worth reaching out if stress or anxiety leaves you feeling hopeless, or if you start having thoughts of harming yourself or others. If you’re not sure where to start, consider asking your primary healthcare professional for a referral. Or check out our guide to finding a therapist. Find more suicide prevention resources here. Many types of therapy can help with stress and anxiety. A mental health professional can help you find the right approach for your specific symptoms. Some examples of approaches they might recommend are:
Depending on your symptoms, they may also recommend medication to help with anxiety symptoms. These may include selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), such as sertraline (Zoloft) or paroxetine (Paxil). In some cases, a clinician might recommend benzodiazepines, such as diazepam (Valium) or lorazepam (Ativan), but these approaches are generally used on a short-term basis due to the risk of dependence. While some amount of stress and anxiety in life is expected and shouldn’t be a cause for concern, it’s important to recognize when these feelings are causing negative consequences. If you feel like your stress and anxiety are becoming unmanageable, a mental health professional can help you develop new coping skills. Read this article in Spanish. Last medically reviewed on February 17, 2022 Fear is an automatic neurophysiological state of alarm characterized by a fight or flight response to a cognitive appraisal of present or imminent danger (real or perceived). Anxiety is linked to fear and manifests as a future-oriented mood state that consists of a complex cognitive, affective, physiological, and behavioral response system associated with preparation for the anticipated events or circumstances perceived as threatening. This activity reviews the pathophysiology of anxiety, its presentation, diagnosis and highlights the role of the interprofessional team in its management. Objectives:
Fear is an automatic neurophysiological state of alarm characterized by a fight or flight response to a cognitive appraisal of present or imminent danger (real or perceived). Anxiety is linked to fear and manifests as a future-oriented mood state that consists of a complex cognitive, affective, physiological, and behavioral response system associated with preparation for the anticipated events or circumstances perceived as threatening. Pathological anxiety is triggered when there is an overestimation of perceived threat or an erroneous danger appraisal of a situation which leads to excessive and inappropriate responses.[1][2][3] Anxiety is one of the most common psychiatric disorders but the true prevalence is not known as many people do not seek help or clinicians fail to make the diagnosis. Anxiety disorders appear to be caused by an interaction of biopsychosocial factors. Genetic vulnerability interacts with situations that are stressful or traumatic to produce clinically significant syndromes. Anxiety can be caused by the following conditions:
Anxiety is one of the most common psychiatric disorders in the general population. Specific phobia is the most common with a 12-month prevalence rate of 12.1%. Social anxiety disorder is the next most common, with a 12-month prevalence rate of 7.4%. The least common anxiety disorder is agoraphobia with a 12-month prevalence rate of 2.5%. Anxiety disorders occur more frequently in females than in males with an approximate 2:1 ratio.[4] The significant mediators of anxiety in the central nervous system are thought to be norepinephrine, serotonin, dopamine, and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA). The autonomic nervous system, especially the sympathetic nervous system, mediates most of the symptoms. The amygdala plays an important role in tempering fear and anxiety. Patients with anxiety disorders have been found to show heightened amygdala response to anxiety cues. The amygdala and limbic system structures are connected to prefrontal cortex regions, and prefrontal-limbic activation abnormalities may be reversed with psychological or pharmacologic interventions. Characteristic Symptoms Pathological Anxiety Cognitive symptoms: fear of losing control; fear of physical injury or death; fear of "going crazy"; fear of negative evaluation by others; frightening thoughts, mental images, or memories; perception of unreality or detachment; poor concentration, confusion, distractible; narrowing of attention, hypervigilance for threat; poor memory; and difficulty speaking. Physiological symptoms: increased heart rate, palpitations; shortness of breath, rapid breathing; chest pain or pressure; choking sensation; dizzy, light-headed; sweaty, hot flashes, chills; nausea, upset stomach, diarrhea; trembling, shaking; tingling or numbness in arms and legs; weakness, unsteadiness, faintness; tense muscles, rigidity; and dry mouth. Behavioral symptoms: avoidance of threat cues or situations; escape, flight; pursuit of safety, reassurance; restlessness, agitation, pacing; hyperventilation; freezing, motionless; and difficulty speaking. Affective symptoms: nervous, tense, wound up; frightened, fearful, terrified; edgy, jumpy, jittery; and impatient, frustrated. Anxiety Disorders as defined in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th ed.; DSM–5; American Psychiatric Association, 2013):
When the history and examination do not suggest the symptoms as arising from any other medical disorder, the initial laboratory studies may be limited to the following: complete blood cell count (CBC) chemistry profile, thyroid function tests, urinalysis, and urine drug screen.[5][6][7] If the anxiety symptoms are atypical or there are some abnormalities noted in the physical examination more detailed evaluations may be indicated to identify or exclude underlying medical conditions. This would include the following: electroencephalography, brain computed tomography (CT) scan, electrocardiography, tests for infection, arterial blood gas analysis, chest radiography, and thyroid function tests. Acute anxiety may require treatment with a benzodiazepine. Chronic anxiety treatment consists of psychotherapy, pharmacotherapy, or a combination of both. Pharmacotherapy: selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs), benzodiazepines, tricyclic antidepressants, mild tranquilizers, and beta-blockers treat anxiety disorders. [3][8][9]
Psychotherapy: One of the most effective forms of psychotherapy is cognitive-behavioral therapy. It is a structured, goal-oriented, and didactic form of therapy that focuses on helping individuals identify and modify characteristic maladaptive thinking patterns and beliefs that trigger and maintain symptoms. This form of therapy focuses on building behavioral skills so that patients can behave and react more adaptively to anxiety-producing situations. Exposure therapy is utilized to move individuals towards facing the anxiety-provoking situations and stimuli which they typically avoid. This exposure results in a reduction in anxiety symptoms as they learn that their anxiety is causing them to experience false alarms and they do not need to fear the situation or stimuli and can cope effectively with such a situation. Differential DiagnosisAnxiety disorders have very high morbidity including substance abuse, alcoholism, and major depression. In addition, constant anxiety also increases the risk of adverse cardiac events. In others, anxiety impairs the ability to develop social relationships and worsens the quality of life. Severe anxiety has also been linked to high rates of suicide. Characteristic Features Noted in Individuals with Clinical Anxiety
Anxiety disorders are very common and can present in diverse ways. Because the condition is underdiagnosed and associated with high morbidity, it is best managed by an interprofessional team consisting of a mental health nurse, psychiatrist, psychotherapist, social worker, and a primary care provider. Family members need to be educated about the disorder and help monitor the symptoms and provide support. A mental health nurse should closely follow these patients as suicidal ideations are not rare. The pharmacist should educate the patient on different medications, their benefits, and potential adverse effects. Collaboration between the team members is vital to ensure that no patient is neglected and that all patients are receiving an acceptable standard of care. The outlook for patients with anxiety is guarded. Data indicate that the high rates of mortality are associated with adverse cardiac events. In those with social phobia, the condition leads to significant functional impairment and a very poor quality of life. The risk of suicides is also high in this population. Patients with anxiety need lifelong follow-up because, despite drug therapy, relapse rates are high. [2][10][11](Level V) Review Questions1. Hawken T, Turner-Cobb J, Barnett J. Coping and adjustment in caregivers: A systematic review. Health Psychol Open. 2018 Jul-Dec;5(2):2055102918810659. [PMC free article: PMC6236498] [PubMed: 30450216] 2.Domhardt M, Geßlein H, von Rezori RE, Baumeister H. Internet- and mobile-based interventions for anxiety disorders: A meta-analytic review of intervention components. Depress Anxiety. 2019 Mar;36(3):213-224. [PubMed: 30450811] 3.Lahousen T, Kapfhammer HP. [Anxiety disorders - clinical and neurobiological aspects]. Psychiatr Danub. 2018 Dec;30(4):479-490. [PubMed: 30439809] 4.Remes O, Wainwright N, Surtees P, Lafortune L, Khaw KT, Brayne C. Generalised anxiety disorder and hospital admissions: findings from a large, population cohort study. BMJ Open. 2018 Oct 27;8(10):e018539. [PMC free article: PMC6224748] [PubMed: 30368445] 5.Durazzo M, Gargiulo G, Pellicano R. Non-cardiac chest pain: a 2018 update. Minerva Cardioangiol. 2018 Dec;66(6):770-783. [PubMed: 29642692] 6.Jafferany M, Khalid Z, McDonald KA, Shelley AJ. Psychological Aspects of Factitious Disorder. Prim Care Companion CNS Disord. 2018 Feb 22;20(1) [PubMed: 29489075] 7.Cosci F, Fava GA, Sonino N. Mood and anxiety disorders as early manifestations of medical illness: a systematic review. Psychother Psychosom. 2015;84(1):22-9. [PubMed: 25547421] 8.Chapdelaine A, Carrier JD, Fournier L, Duhoux A, Roberge P. Treatment adequacy for social anxiety disorder in primary care patients. PLoS One. 2018;13(11):e0206357. [PMC free article: PMC6218038] [PubMed: 30395608] 9.Rickels K, Moeller HJ. Benzodiazepines in anxiety disorders: Reassessment of usefulness and safety. World J Biol Psychiatry. 2019 Sep;20(7):514-518. [PubMed: 30252578] 10.Kreuze LJ, Pijnenborg GHM, de Jonge YB, Nauta MH. Cognitive-behavior therapy for children and adolescents with anxiety disorders: A meta-analysis of secondary outcomes. J Anxiety Disord. 2018 Dec;60:43-57. [PubMed: 30447493] 11.Pereira AS, Willhelm AR, Koller SH, Almeida RMM. Risk and protective factors for suicide attempt in emerging adulthood. Cien Saude Colet. 2018 Nov;23(11):3767-3777. [PubMed: 30427447] |