What Anxiety Disorder do you have?
Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) is a chronic condition characterized by excessive, persistent, and uncontrollable worry about everyday things like work, health, and family, even when there's little reason to worry.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD): Now classified under "Trauma- and Stressor-Related Disorders," it develops after exposure to a traumatic event and involves symptoms like flashbacks, avoidance behaviors, hyperarousal, and emotional numbness.
Anxiety Disorders
Anxiety disorders are a group of mental health conditions characterized by excessive and persistent fear and worry that are out of proportion to the actual situation or age-inappropriate. These feelings interfere with a person's ability to function normally in daily activities and can get worse over time if untreated. They can range anywhere and there all types, knowing which one you have is the hard thing.
Some common ones are
Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD): Involves chronic, exaggerated, and unrealistic worry about everyday events and activities, such as work or family health, lasting for at least six months.
Panic Disorder: Characterized by recurrent, unexpected panic attacks, which are sudden periods of intense fear that peak within minutes and can include physical symptoms like chest pain, rapid heart rate, shortness of breath, and dizziness.
Social Anxiety Disorder (Social Phobia): An intense fear of social interactions and scrutiny by others, driven by worries about being judged negatively or humiliated.
Specific Phobias: Involve an intense, irrational fear of a specific object or situation that poses little or no actual danger (e.g., heights, flying, certain animals).
Agoraphobia: A fear of places or situations where escape might be difficult or embarrassing, such as open spaces, enclosed places, or crowds, often leading to avoidance behaviors that can confine a person to their home.
Separation Anxiety Disorder: Characterized by excessive fear or anxiety about being separated from a loved one or primary caregiver
Panic disorder is an anxiety disorder characterized by repeated, unexpected panic attacks and a persistent fear of having more attacks. These attacks involve a sudden rush of intense fear and physical symptoms, often occurring without a specific trigger.
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD): Now categorized under "Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorders," it involves distressing, persistent, intrusive thoughts (obsessions) and repetitive behaviors or mental acts (compulsions) performed to reduce anxiety or prevent a feared outcome.
Agoraphobia is an anxiety disorder characterized by intense fear and avoidance of places or situations where escape might be difficult or help unavailable if a person experiences incapacitating or embarrassing symptoms, such as a panic attack. This fear is disproportionate to the actual danger present.
Social anxiety disorder, also known as social phobia, is a mental health condition characterized by intense, persistent fear of social situations where one might be scrutinized, judged, or humiliated by others. This goes beyond typical shyness and can significantly interfere with daily life, including work, school, and relationships.
Key Symptoms
Symptoms can be emotional, behavioral, and physical.
Emotional and behavioral symptoms can include intense fear of being judged negatively, worrying about embarrassment, avoiding social situations or enduring them with distress, anxiety leading up to a feared event, difficulty with eye contact or talking, and self-consciousness. In children, symptoms may manifest as crying or tantrums.
Physical symptoms can involve blushing, sweating, trembling, a rapid heartbeat, stomach upset, trouble breathing, or dizziness.
Causes and Risk Factors
Social anxiety disorder is likely caused by a combination of factors:
Genetics, as it can run in families.
Brain structure, such as an overactive amygdala.
Environmental factors like negative experiences or certain parenting styles.
Treatment Options
Effective treatment is available, although many people delay seeking help.
Psychotherapy, particularly cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), helps change negative thoughts and behaviors.
Medications such as SSRIs, SNRIs, anti-anxiety medications, and beta-blockers may be prescribed.
Support through lifestyle changes (exercise, sleep, avoiding alcohol/caffeine) and support groups can also be helpful.
Separation Anxiety Disorder (SAD) is characterized by excessive and developmentally inappropriate fear or anxiety regarding separation from major attachment figures or home. While common in toddlers, the disorder is diagnosed when these symptoms are prolonged and cause significant distress or impairment in daily functioning for older children, adolescents, or adults.