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Definition of Anxiety Disorder

Anxiety is a normal and sometimes helpful aspect of human life. It manifests itself in the feelings of uneasiness and even moderate fear that you experience before undertaking a new challenge. Such a challenge could be a test, an audition for a school or community theater play, a blind date or any experience about which you harbor uncertainties. However, when the feelings of anxiety go beyond what could be considered normal and grow into something that is debilitating and affects your quality of life, you probably are suffering from anxiety disorder.

  1. Most Common Types

    • The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), part of the National Institutes of Health, defines anxiety disorder as "an excessive, irrational dread of everyday situations." It also points out that so-called anxiety disorder presents itself in a variety of different forms. The five most common types of anxiety disorder, according to NIMH, are post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which is often seen in veterans returning from the battlefront; generalized anxiety disorder; social anxiety disorder, also known as social phobia; panic disorder; and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).

    PTSD

    • Although widely associated with people in the armed forces who've faced war's grim realities, PTSD can follow any traumatic event--such as living through a natural disaster, a violent personal assault, automobile accident or the fear of serious personal harm. Symptoms include difficulty sleeping, disturbing dreams or thoughts related to the earlier trauma and feelings of detachment and emotional numbness.

    Generalized

    • This form of anxiety disorder occurs when concerns about everyday life become blown out of proportion to the extent that the worry, tension and anxiety related to those concerns begin to cripple one's ability to function. Symptoms include irritability, fatigue, muscle aches/tension, twitching, headaches, trembling, hot flashes and excessive perspiration.

    Social

    • When feelings of self-consciousness grow out of control and a person feels so uncomfortable in the company of others that he studiously avoids social interaction, the condition can be diagnosed as social phobia. Those suffering from this form of anxiety disorder are deeply afraid of being observed and judged by others. Other symptoms include nausea, trembling, blushing, difficulty talking and profuse sweating.

    Panic

    • Repeated episodes of extreme fear that come on with little or no warning and have scant, if any, rational basis constitute what psychiatric professionals define as panic disorder. Physical symptoms accompanying this form of anxiety disorder can include dizziness, chest pain, abdominal distress, shortness of breath and heart palpitations.

    OCD

    • The anxiety disorder OCD, according to NIMH, "is characterized by recurrent, unwanted thoughts (obsessions) and/or repetitive behaviors (compulsions)." Repetitive behaviors may include rituals that involve counting, cleaning, checking or hand washing, which may provide temporary relief from the patient's unwanted obsessions and acute anxiety. But soon, the cycle begins again.

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