The Anxiety Disorders Association of America describes its titular conditions as, collectively, the most prevalent mental illness in the United States, affecting nearly 20 percent of all Americans. Exacerbating this problem is the fact that anxiety is massively under-treated. Because sufferers tend to misunderstand the cause of their increased heart rate, irrational sense of dread, and overreaction to common stresses that are typical of this family of disorders, they often seek treatment for the physical symptoms only.
This page provides some essential information about the symptoms and treatments for the five most common types of anxiety disorders. The information compiled her is in no way intended as a diagnostic tool, and visitors who are concerned about their anxiety should seek information from a licensed professional. However, the sections below do include many links to external resources, including psychiatric organizations and government agencies, that delve into great detail and present sufferers with treatment options.
Types of Anxiety Disorders
Although generalized anxiety disorder is fairly common, affecting between 4 to 6 percent of people according to Dr. Michael F. Gliatto (see below), the associated disorders are also quite prevalent. The
National Institute of Mental Health classifies five different types:
- Generalized Anxiety Disorder, also known as GAD, is an overall tendency to worry far in excess of any identifiable stressors, and sometimes without any discernible cause whatsoever. An article published by the American Academy of Family Physicians by Michael F. Gliatto goes into more detail.
- Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, or OCD, is characterized by a fixation on certain thoughts from which it is very difficult to break free, and an uncontrollable urge to engage in repetitive activities as a way of coping. The International OCD Foundation provides fact sheets, news, definitions of terminology, and much more information.
- Panic Disorder can be differentiated from GAD in that the sense of worry comes in extremely intense “attacks” that may often result in physical symptoms, especially faintness. This information comes from the National Alliance on Mental Illness.
- Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a perpetual sense of anxiety over a past event that caused extreme stress, such as a car accident or an episode of violence. PTSD was originally known as “shell shock,” as it was a common affliction among soldiers who had been in combat. Indeed, the information cited above comes from the Department of Veterans Affairs’s National Center for PTSD, although the research available for the general public as well.
- Social Anxiety Disorder usually results from a specific cause: public speaking, casual meetings, interviews, etc. Although it is common for people to be nervous in many of these situations, a social phobia usually exhibits itself as an irrational fear of one very specific kind of social situation, although sufferers may also have anxiety about the presence of people in general. The preceding link leads to the Social Phobia/Social Anxiety Association.
The
American Psychiatric Association provides a quick summary of these disorders together on the same page, although individual sections are available for each.
Chapter Four of the Surgeon General’s Mental Health report defines the main categories of anxiety while citing studies and statistics. But for an professional definition, the official catalogue of mental illnesses, the
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), also includes information about
separation anxiety,
agoraphobia (fear of certain public situations), and
additional phobias in its “Anxiety Disorders” section. These definitions are being prepared for the upcoming print edition of the manual, DRM-5.
Causes and Symptoms
With the exception of post-traumatic stress disorder and specific phobias, the lack of a clear cause of anxiety is one of the traits that characterizes this family of afflictions. The
ADAA describes the causes as a combination of “genetics, brain chemistry, personality, and life events.” In fact, hard-to-define causes can make diagnoses of anxiety disorders difficult, especially since the symptoms are often physical in nature and the majority of sufferers see a doctor before they consult a mental health professional (see
Gliatto). The following are some symptoms that the major forms of anxiety tend to have in common:
- Perpetual and intense concern over largely imagined problems.
- Highly exaggerated reactions to outside stimuli.
- Heart palpitations.
- A general feeling of dread or impending disaster.
- A feeling of worry or panic that is strong enough to disrupt work, school, and/or relationships.
- Avoidance of situations (such as certain kinds of social encounters) that most people do not habitually avoid.
- Difficulty sleeping or frequently interrupted sleep.
- Trouble with concentration.
For more information, the Help Guide’s comprehensive page about
Anxiety Attacks and Disorders begins with a informal checklist of possible symptoms that match some of the criteria above. Sites that provide symptom checkers for medical conditions, such as
MedicineNet and
WebMD, also include quick checklists for anxiety disorders as well.
Treatments
There are two main treatments for anxiety disorders: medication and therapy. The
National Institute of Mental Health strongly recommends that patients make doctors aware of other treatments that they are receiving at the same time, including therapy, before taking a prescription medication. The NIMH also suggests that patients give treatments a proper trial period before deciding if they are effective or not, especially the drugs mentioned below:
- Antidepressants, including Prozac, Zoloft, and Paxil, which are considered “selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors” (SSRIs). Serotonin is a chemical in the brain that is crucial to communication between neurotransmitters. SSRIs stand in contrast with the older tricyclics, which are not as effective in treating OCD, and monamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs), which require a controlled diet.
- Anti-anxiety drugs, or benzodiazepines, are effective in reducing anxiety levels, but sometimes have diminished effect over time and can lead to addiction.
- Beta blockers are normally used to treat heart patients, but can mitigate the physical symptoms associated with some anxiety disorders.
Therapy has varying effects on patients.
The Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies, for example, classifies cognitive-behavioral therapy as “probably efficacious” for general sufferers of anxiety when conducted on a one-to-one basis or in groups with or without parents present (in the case of children). This kind of therapy is “possibly efficacious” in other combinations: individual therapy with parents present, individual therapy with parents trained in cognitive behavioral therapy, and so on. Finally,
The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence provides guidelines for British professionals about GAD, panic disorders, and agoraphobia all in one collection of resources. A separate
PTSD page is available as well.
Additional Resources
The American Psychological Association’s
Anxiety section is a bit different from the others in that, besides providing information about symptoms and treatment options, it also connects visitors to actual professionals and helps them avoid online resources that may do more harm than good. Up-to-date news from a variety of sources is compiled on the page as well. Otherwise,
The Anxiety Disorders Association of America is more specific, providing the statistics cited in the introduction, and
KidsHealth.org: Anxiety Disorders focuses on the unique challenges of adolescents with anxiety. Finally, the popular
Phobia List, first started in 1995, provides the proper name for nearly every type of phobia in existence.
