How to Test for Anxiety Disorder

Everyone worries from time to time. You may get sweaty palms before taking an exam or feel nauseated before flying in an airplane. The difference between normal anxiety and symptoms that have become a disorder is usually determined by how often they occur, how easily you control them and how much they interfere with your life.
There is no specific test for anxiety disorders and you'll need to work in partnership with your health care provider not only to determine if you have a disorder, but also to find out which disorder your symptoms fit. The Anxiety Disorder Association of America reports that anxiety disorders include panic attack disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder and phobias.
Anxiety is also a symptom of other disorders, including problems with the thyroid and heart, so it's likely your physician will order tests to rule out those diseases as part of a comprehensive exam.

Things You'll Need

• Journal
• Access to the Internet

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Instructions

How to Test for an Anxiety Disorder

• 1

  Write a list of your typical anxiety symptoms on the first page of your journal. These may include heart palpitations, excessive sweating, an overwhelming feeling of fear, dizziness, trembling, weak knees or nausea. You may also make a list of intervention strategies such as deep breathing, calling a friend and meditating. These prompts are there to make recording your anxiety episodes easier.

• 2

  Record each anxiety episode you have. Give each episode its own page and record the symptoms you felt, the time it occurred, how long it lasted (this could be anywhere from five minutes to an entire afternoon or longer), what you did to calm yourself (if anything) and how well it worked. Write the details down as soon as you are able to remember them fully. You may also add information about what you believe may have triggered the episode.

• 3

  Journal your anxiety episodes for seven days. Then compile the information into a chart that will include the duration of attacks, the time of day they occurred and how well your interventions worked. This will help you look for patterns: your attacks may occur most often outside your house, in a restaurant or driving, or you may see that they're related to something specific, such as spiders. The intervention that may have worked can also give you some idea of what you need to do to alleviate your anxiety.

• 4

  Take a test that's designed to pinpoint anxiety. In general tests are non-specific, but they may help you rule out anxiety, or gauge the severity of your anxiety against the norm. Visit the Anxiety Disorders Association of America or Test Cafe for anxiety tests.

• 5

  Share your data with your health care provider. Based on this information he may also be able to help you figure out what type of anxiety disorder you have, and decide on the best course of treatment.