Anxiety Disorders

When we are faced with a dangerous situation, we respond by producing anxiety as a warning to our bodies to prepare to fight or flight. This is a natural response to threatening events, and for most people it is triggered only when a high risk of harm is present.

However, anxiety disorders cause intense fear and anxiety in situations that otherwise would appear relatively safe. Anxiety becomes a disorder when the symptoms become chronic and interfere with our daily lives and our ability to function. People suffering from chronic anxiety often report the following symptoms:

• Feelings of dread
• Pounding heart
• Trouble concentrating
• Irritability
• Muscle tension
• Poor memory
• Sweating
• Confusion
• Fatigue
• Constant worry
• Shortness of breath
• Upset stomach

Anxiety disorders fall into a set of separate diagnoses, depending upon the symptoms and severity of the anxiety. The six major types of anxiety disorders are panic disorder (with or without agoraphobia), specific phobia, social phobia, obsessive-compulsive disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder.

Panic Disorder

As many as 10% of Americans experience an isolated panic attack every year, and more than three million Americans will experience panic disorder during their lifetime. Panic disorder is diagnosed when a person has experienced at least two unexpected panic attacks and develops persistent worry about having more attacks or makes behavioral changes to avoid attacks. While it is not clear what causes the disorder, experts agree that a combination of genetic factors, body chemistry and stressful circumstances or events play a crucial role.

An anxiety attack (also called panic attack) is a period of intense fear and accompanying shortness of breath, chest pain, nausea and dizziness that typically peaks within 10-15 minutes and rarely lasts more than 30 minutes. A person experiencing an anxiety attack will often have a strong urge to flee the place where the attack began. Very often, anxiety attacks occur without warning, although sometimes there’s an obvious trigger, such as hitting strong turbulence on an airplane flight or getting stuck in an elevator.

Agoraphobia

Agoraphobia is a severe and pervasive anxiety about being in situations from which escape might be difficult or embarrassing, or in which help may not be available in the event of having an anxiety attack or panic-like symptoms. Agoraphobic fears typically involve situations that involve being outside the home, being in a crowd or standing in a line, being on a bridge, or traveling in a bus, train, or automobile. A person who experiences agoraphobia avoids such situations, which can result in severe limitations of his or her abilities to participate in everyday life. Most people develop agoraphobia after the onset of panic disorder due to the excessive worry about and avoidance of situations in which anxiety attacks occurred.

Specific Phobia

Approximately 8% of adults experiences one or more specific phobias. This relatively common condition is characterized by a marked, irrational fear of a specific object or situation. Exposure to the phobic object or situation almost invariably provokes an immediate anxiety response, which may take the form of an anxiety attack.

Adults generally recognize this intense fear as irrational; however, they still may go to great lengths to avoid exposure to their phobic stimulus, or endure exposure with much difficulty. The most common specific phobia include a fear of animals (especially snakes, rodents, birds and dogs), insects (especially spiders and bees), heights, elevators, flying, automobile driving, water, storms and blood injections.

Social Phobia

Social phobia, also known as social anxiety disorder, occurs when a person experiences intense anxiety in social situations, particularly when the person anticipates having to speak or perform in some way. A significant symptom of social phobia is a marked fear of the possibility of embarrassment or ridicule. Like specific phobias, this fear is generally recognized by adult as excessive or unreasonable, but the dreaded social situation is avoided or tolerated with great discomfort.

Many people with social phobia are preoccupied with concerns that others will see their anxiety symptoms (i.e., trembling, sweating or blushing), notice their halting or rapid speech, or judge them poorly. Fear of fainting, losing control of bowel or bladder function, or having one’s mind going blank are also not uncommon. Often people with social phobias have increasing anxiety for days or weeks before the dreaded event.

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is a condition in which a person experiences recurrent cycles of obsessions and/or compulsions. Obsessions are repetitive thoughts, ideas or impulses that are experienced as inappropriate, intrusive and unwanted. Compulsions are repetitive behaviors that a person finds compelled to perform in an effort to avoid or decrease the anxiety created by obsessions.

A person with OCD frequently becomes distressed because he or she recognizes the thoughts as excessive and irrational, yet feels powerless to stop or modify the thoughts. OCD compulsions appear in various forms, including recurrent observable behaviors such as hand washing, repetitive non-visual compulsions such as praying rituals, or avoidant behaviors that have an almost phobic quality. OCD obsessions and compulsions can be extremely time-consuming, often taking up many hours of a person’s day. As a result, OCD may greatly interfere with normal day to day activities and interpersonal relationships.

Generalized Anxiety Disorder

Everyone worries to some degree at some point about something in their lives. However, the chronic worry experienced by individuals with Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) is clearly out of proportion to the actual likelihood or impact of the feared event. GAD occurs when the level of anxiety become so severe and persistent that it prevents the person from participating in his or her everyday activities.

People experiencing GAD may worry excessively about their health, finances, a job, loved ones, schoolwork or any number of other topics. In fact, as the name implies, the excessive worries often pertain to many areas and cannot be attributed to a single phobia or stressful event.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a debilitating condition that follows a terrifying event. PTSD, once referred to as “shell shock” or “battle fatigue,” was first brought to public attention by war veterans, but it can result from any traumatic incident in which a person was confronted with actual or threatened death or serious injury and the person’s response involved intense fear, helplessness, or horror.

Often, people with PTSD repeatedly relive the trauma in the form of nightmares and disturbing recollections during the day. They may also experience sleep problems or depression, feel detached or numb, or be easily startled. They may lose interest in things they used to enjoy and have trouble feeling affectionate. They may feel irritable, more aggressive than before, or even violent. Seeing things that remind them of the incident may be very distressing, which could lead them to avoid certain places or situations that bring back those memories.

This information is not meant to replace professional advice, diagnosis or care from a licensed mental health practitioner; its sole intent is for education.

Only an experienced mental health professional can make an actual diagnosis. If you believe you may be suffering from one of these disorders, please consult a mental health professional.