Anxiety disorders
are a group of mental disorders characterized by feelings
of anxiety and fear. Anxiety is a worry about future events and fear is a reaction to current events.
These feelings may cause physical symptoms, such as a fast heart rateand shakiness. There are a
number of anxiety disorders: including generalized anxiety disorder, specific phobia, social anxiety
disorder, separation anxiety disorder, agoraphobia, and panic disorder. The disorder differs by what
results in the symptoms. People often have more than one anxiety disorder.
Signs and symptoms of anxiety disorders
Because anxiety disorders are a group of related conditions rather than a single disorder, they can look
very different from person to person. One individual may suffer from intense anxiety attacks that
strike without warning, while another gets panicky at the thought of mingling at a party. Someone else
may struggle with a disabling fear of driving, or uncontrollable, intrusive thoughts. Yet another may
live in a constant state of tension, worrying about anything and everything.
Despite their different forms, all anxiety disorders share one major symptom: persistent or severe fear
or worry in situations where most people wouldn’t feel threatened.
Emotional symptoms of anxiety
In addition to the primary symptoms of irrational and excessive fear and worry, other common
emotional symptoms include:
Feelings of apprehension or dread, watching for signs of danger, anticipating the worst
Restlessness, trouble concentrating
Feeling tense and jumpy, or irritable
Feeling like your mind's gone blank
Physical symptoms of anxiety
Anxiety is more than just a feeling. As a product of the body’s fight-or-flight response, anxiety
involves a wide range of physical symptoms. Because of the numerous physical symptoms, anxiety
sufferers often mistake their disorder for a medical illness. They may visit many doctors and make
numerous trips to the hospital before their anxiety disorder is discovered.
Common physical symptoms of anxiety include:
Pounding heart, sweating
Headaches, stomach upset, or dizziness
Frequent urination or diarrhea
Shortness of breath
Muscle tension, tremors, and twitches
Fatigue or insomnia
Generalised anxiety disorder (GAD)
A person feels anxious on most days, worrying about lots of different things, for a period of six
months or more.
Social phobia
A person has an intense fear of being criticised, embarrassed or humiliated, even in everyday
situations, such as speaking publicly, eating in public, being assertive at work or making small talk.
Specific phobias
A person feels very fearful about a particular object or situation and may go to great lengths to avoid
it, for example, having an injection or travelling on a plane. There are many different types of
phobias.
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
This can happen after a person experiences a traumatic event (e.g. war, assault, accident, disaster).
Symptoms can include difficulty relaxing, upsetting dreams or flashbacks of the event, and avoidance
of anything related to the event. PTSD is diagnosed when a person has symptoms for at least a month.
Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD)
A person has ongoing unwanted/intrusive thoughts and fears that cause anxiety. Although the person
may acknowledge these thoughts as silly, they often try to relieve their anxiety by carrying out certain
behaviours or rituals.
Panic disorder
A person has panic attacks, which are intense, overwhelming and often uncontrollable feelings of
anxiety combined with a range of physical symptoms. Someone having a panic attack may experience
shortness of breath, chest pain, dizziness and excessive perspiration.
psychotherapy are effective. Of these, cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) works to replace
negative and unproductive thought patterns with more realistic and useful ones. These treatments
focus on taking specific steps to overcome anxiety and depression.
Medications can also be useful. Symptoms of depression and anxiety disorders often occur together,
and research shows that both respond to treatment with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI)
and serotonin norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor (SNRI) medications.
Support from family and friends is important to the recovery process, but it is not the cure. Getting
better takes hard work, mostly from the person with the disorder, and patience from everyone
involved.
Like other illnesses, anxiety and mood disorders, OCD, and PTSD can take a toll on family and
friends. Learning about the disorders will help you know what to expect from the illness and the
recovery process. You should also learn when to exercise patience and when to exert a little pressure.
With appropriate treatment from a mental health professional, a person can overcome an anxiety
disorder and depression, which leads to a better quality of life for everyone.
How common are anxiety disorders? Anxiety disorders are the most common of all mental health
problems. Research into these disorders has shown that up to 1 in 4 adults will have an anxiety
disorder in their lifetime, and that up to 1 in 10 people will have an anxiety disorder each year. These
disorders are the number one mental health problem in women, and the second-most common mental
health problem in men, just behind addiction. Unfortunately, people may suffer for years before
seeking help, sometimes avoiding the stigma attached to these types of mental health issues, and
sometimes believing the common misconception that they are simply a sign of weakness or
instability. The fact is, they are medical disorders that can be diagnosed and treated. Who gets an
anxiety disorder? As mentioned above, anxiety disorders commonly affect both men and women,
though they occur more often in women. They also develop in children. Though the causes of anxiety
disorders are not totally understood, it is believed that they develop due to a mix of biological factors
along with your individual situation, much like other health problems. Some of the risk factors for
developing an anxiety disorder include: • A traumatic experience as a child. If you have suffered
abuse or trauma, or witnessed a traumatic event as a child, you have a higher risk of developing an
anxiety disorder at some point in your life. • Stress due to a physical illness. Living with a chronic or
serious illness, such as cancer, can lead to worries and anxiety about the future. • General stress build-
up. This can occur as a single big event, or as a series of smaller stressful situations that trigger
anxiety, such as the death of a loved one or ongoing financial worries. • Your personality. It appears
that certain personality types are more likely to develop anxiety disorders than others. Also, some
personality disorders, including borderline personality, can be associated with anxiety disorders. •
Being related to someone with an anxiety disorder. • Substance abuse. Drugs or alcohol can cause or
worsen anxiety
