Usually Valium or another benzodiazepine class drugs are used to treat anxiety disorders. Therefore, a brief but comprehensive explanation of these disorders is provided. You are also introduced to other types of disorders that Valium may sometimes be used to treat.
Panic Disorder-This is a scenario in which a person often mistakes symptoms for a heart attack. Usually the patient and/or loved ones or friends are usually relieved to find the sufferer is in good health except for experiencing heart palpitations, sweating palms, racing thoughts, along with intense fear, worry or dread.
Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)-No severe attack is experienced by this user. Rather, it is a general sense of fear or dread that occurs often. It might result because of the fear of another panic attack, but it also can be classified as the fear of everything. This fear may be related to “what ifs” about things that may not happen and it is not related necessarily to any past trauma.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)-This type of fear is usually related to some kind of recent or distant past trauma. It is an intense fear or dread brought on by abuse incident, accidental injury, spousal death, or nationwide war.
Children who have been physically, emotionally, or sexually traumatized might experience this problem and sometime adults who go to war may have this experience. The recreation of the feelings of anxiety, terror, or panic might recur on or around the anniversary of a traumatic occurrence.
Either that or this problem might take place perhaps acutely, as a temporary way to deal with a past violation or accident. A place, home, sound, word, voice, action, or even piece of clothing might trigger a post-traumatic reaction.
Social Phobia-A person who suffers this type of anxiety disorder is one who has an extreme fear, or dread of social situations. This fear may be so great that it might accompany agoraphobia (fear of open, public spaces and/or fear of panic attack), which often causes people to not even want to leave the house. People with this problem may have been picked on quite a bit when they were younger, but it can be a form of extreme shyness that people have had since birth.
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder-This is a type of anxiety disorder that involves the repetition of certain actions in order to relieve anxiety. Obsessions are the thoughts, and the compulsion is acting out the thoughts. A wide range of obsessions can turn into compulsions.
For instance, OCD sufferers often are constantly checking to make sure their doors and windows are locked. They might also wash dishes about 12 times a day, or they repeatedly wash their hands, or they are guilty of excessive hoarding food or clothing.
In the worst extreme, they might become sex addicts or alcoholics and drug users, or compulsive spenders. This disorder sometimes unfortunately takes a twist and turn as a person who is OCD might even become dangerous and stalk people or they might commit even worst despicable acts.
The good news is most OCD sufferers are not dangerous. Also, excessive worrying is an obsession, but if it is not acted upon in any way it is not considered OCD.
Valium is also used to treat a variety of other mental illness symptoms and conditions. For instance, it may treat anxiety problems in people who have seizures or bipolar. (However, this drug is not recommended as often as it was in the past for bipolar.)
This medication is also used to treat insomnia, as it is a relaxant. It also is used as a pain killer for similar reasons. Sometimes people with restless leg syndrome also use it, and so do people who are suffering from alcohol withdrawal symptoms. It sometimes is used for people with Meniere’s disease (disorder that affects hearing and balance).