ANXIETY

A. DEFINITION
Anxiety is a feeling of worry, nervousness or unease. An imminent event is felt as a threat.
Anxiety is related to feelings of uncertainty and helpless. Anxiety is different from fear. Fear
is an intellectual assessment of dangerous events, while anxiety is an emotional response to
the assessment.
According to WHO, anxiety (collaborating with depression) cost the global economy US$1
trillion each year.

B. ANXIETY LEVEL
Based on it’s levels, anxiety consists of:
1. Mild anxiety
Mild anxiety is associated with everyday life tensions and makes a person to be alerted and
increase the perception area (Videbeck, 2008). On this stage, someone become more alert and
their awareness becomes sharper towards the environment. This type of anxiety can motivate
learning and generate growth and creativity.
2. Moderate anxiety
At this level, someone focus on the important things and ignore the others. This anxiety level
narrows the field of perception. Someone has no selective attention, decreased visual, hearing
and smelling ability (Stuart, 2007). Someone has more focus to do something when directed.
3. Severe anxiety
At this anxiety level, the field of someone’s perception is very narrow (Videbeck, 2008) and
they tend to focus on detailed and specific thing and can’t think about anything else. All
behaviors are intended to reduce tensions. Someone needs a lot of direction to focus on other
areas. Someone's perception ability decrease significantly and their attention is fragmented.
They only focuses on one thing and doesn't think of the other.
4. Panic
Panic means losing control, someone unable to do something even with directions. Panic
drives personality disorganizations and increase motoric activities, decrease the abilities to
connect with the others, distort perceptions and loss of rational thinking. Fatigue and death
could occur, if panic prolongs for a long time, (Videbeck, 2008). Symptoms that occur are
palpitations, chest pain, nausea or vomiting, fear of losing control, paresthesias, hot or cold
feeling.
C. CAUSES OF ANXIETY
1. Daily stresses
2. Diseases
3. Loss of meaningful people/s
4. Changes in employment status
5. Changes in social status and role

D. SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS

1. Symptoms
Patient report about: worry, anxious, agitation, fear of imminent events.
2. Signs
a. Cognitive
 Less attention
 Less concentration
 Incorrect assessment
 Disturbed memory (forgetful)
 Blocking
 Field of perception decreases
 Confused
 Asking a lot
b. Emotion
 Irritable
 Impatient
 Restless
 Frightened
 Fear
 Frustration
c. Physical
 Decreased appetite
 Palpitation
 Increased respiratory rate
 Sweating
 Insomnia
 d. Behavior
 Restless
 Physical tension
 Tremor
 Nervous
 Talk so fast
 Less coordination

E. HANDLING
1. Use verbal distraction, auditory and behavioral method
2. Use a deep breath relaxation
3. Use Five-finger hypnosis
4. Spiritual way
5. Take medication