Anxiety suppression: Difference between revisions

'''Anxiety suppression''' (also known as '''anxiolysis'''<ref>Anxiolysis definition | https://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/Anxiolysis</ref>) is a partial to complete suppression of a person’s ability to feel anxiety, general unease, and negative feelings of psychological tension.<ref>Medications for Anxiety, Panic and Phobias (PsychCentral) | https://psychcentral.com/lib/medications-for-anxiety-panic-and-phobias/</ref><ref>Anxiety medications explained (Psychology Today) | https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/anxiety-help/201111/anti-anxiety-medications-explained</ref> The experience of this effect may decrease anxiety-related behaviours such as rumination, muscular tension, panic attacks, and restlessness. This typically results in feelings of extreme calmness and relaxation.

Anxiety suppression is often accompanied by other coinciding effects such as [[disinhibition]] and [[sedation]]. It is most commonly induced under the influence of [[dosage#common|moderate]] [[dosage|dosages]] of [[anxiolytic]] compounds which primarily include [[GABAergic]] [[depressant|depressants]],<ref>Lydiard, R. B. (2003). The role of GABA in anxiety disorders. The Journal of clinical psychiatry, 64, 21-27. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12662130</ref><ref>Nuss, P. (2015). Anxiety disorders and GABA neurotransmission: a disturbance of modulation. Neuropsychiatric disease and treatment, 11, 165. https://dx.doi.org/10.2147%2FNDT.S58841</ref> such as [[benzodiazepine|benzodiazepines]],<ref>Shader, R. I., & Greenblatt, D. J. (1993). Use of benzodiazepines in anxiety disorders. New England Journal of Medicine, 328(19), 1398-1405. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJM199305133281907</ref> [[alcohol]],<ref>Alcohol and Anxiety (healthline) | https://www.healthline.com/health/alcohol-and-anxiety</ref> [[GHB]],<ref>GHB: The First Authentic Antidepressant by Claude Rifat | https://www.biopsychiatry.com/ghb/authentic.html</ref> and [[gabapentinoid|gabapentinoids]]<ref>Pollack, M. H., Matthews, J., & Scott, E. L. (1998). Gabapentin as a potential treatment for anxiety disorders. American Journal of Psychiatry, 155(7), 992-993. (9) https://doi.org/10.1176/ajp.155.7.992</ref>. However, it can also occur to a lesser extent under the influence of a large variety of other pharmacological classes which include but are not limited to [[opioid|opioids]], [[dissociative|dissociatives]],<ref>Irwin, S. A., & Iglewicz, A. (2010). Oral ketamine for the rapid treatment of depression and anxiety in patients receiving hospice care. Journal of palliative medicine, 13(7), 903-908. https://doi.org/10.1089/jpm.2010.9808</ref> and [[SSRI|SSRIs]].