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Anxiety Differential Diagnosis

Approximately 18 percent of American adults suffer from an anxiety disorder each year, according to the National Institute of Mental Health. Proper medical assessment and diagnosis can help to ensure that appropriate treatment is received by those who need it.

  1. Diagnosis

    • A clinical psychologist, psychiatrist or a primary care physician typically makes a diagnosis of an anxiety disorder. A diagnosis is made based on the presence of specific symptoms as listed in the DSM-IV, a manual containing guidelines for making psychiatric diagnoses.

    Types

    • Types of anxiety disorders include panic disorder, agoraphobia, social phobia, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and specific phobias.

    Features

    • Panic attacks are a common feature of anxiety disorders. Symptoms of a panic attack include irregular or accelerated heart rate, sweating, tremors, hyperventilation, feeling of choking, chest pain, nausea, dizziness, derealization, feeling detached from oneself, fear of losing control, fear of dying, numbness or tingling sensations and chills or hot flashes.

    Identification

    • Identification of the type of anxiety disorder focuses on the source of anxiety. The source of anxiety is recurrent panic attacks for panic disorder, public places for agoraphobia, social interactions for social phobia, obsessive thoughts for OCD, a traumatic event for PTSD, fear of a specific object or situation other than social situations or public places for specific phobia and a wide range of events or objects for GAD.

    Considerations

    • Anxiety may be a symptom of another mental illness, such as major depression or bipolar disorder. Some medications, including many antidepressants and stimulant ADHD medications, have the potential side effect of increasing anxiety.

    Warning

    • Certain medical conditions like heart attacks have symptoms that resemble a panic attack. If you experience numbness or tingling sensations, abnormal heart rate or chest pain, seek immediate medical attention.

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