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What are anxiety disorders?
Anxiety disorders range from
feelings of uneasiness to
immobilizing bouts of
terror. This fact sheet
briefly describes the
different types of anxiety
disorders. This fact sheet
is not exhaustive, nor does
it include the full range of
symptoms and treatments.
Keep in mind that new
research can yield rapid and
dramatic changes in our
understanding of and
approaches to mental
disorders. If you believe
you or a loved one has an
anxiety disorder, seek
competent, professional
advice or another form of
support.
Generalized Anxiety
Disorder:
Most people experience
anxiety at some point in
their lives and some
nervousness in anticipation
of a real situation. However
if a person cannot shake
unwarranted worries, or if
the feelings are jarring to
the point of avoiding
everyday activities, he or
she most likely has an
anxiety disorder.
Symptoms: Chronic,
exaggerated worry,
tension, and irritability
that appear to have no
cause or are more intense
than the situation
warrants. Physical signs,
such as restlessness,
trouble falling or staying
asleep, headaches,
trembling, twitching,
muscle tension, or
sweating, often accompany
these psychological
symptoms.
Formal diagnosis:
When someone spends at
least six months worried
excessively about everyday
problems. However,
incapacitating or
troublesome symptoms
warranting treatment may
exist for shorter periods
of time.
Treatment: Anxiety
is among the most common,
most treatable mental
disorders. Effective
treatments include
cognitive behavioral
therapy, relaxation
techniques, and
biofeedback to control
muscle tension.
Medication, most commonly
anti-anxiety drugs, such
as benzodiazepine and its
derivatives, also may be
required in some cases.
Some commonly prescribed
anti-anxiety medications
are diazepam, alprazolam,
and lorazepam. The
non-benzodiazepine
anti-anxiety medication
buspirone can be helpful
for some individuals.
Panic Disorder:
People with panic disorder
experience white-knuckled,
heart-pounding terror that
strikes suddenly and without
warning. Since they cannot
predict when a panic attack
will seize them, many people
live in persistent worry
that another one could
overcome them at any moment.
Symptoms: Pounding
heart, chest pains,
lightheadedness or
dizziness, nausea,
shortness of breath,
shaking or trembling,
choking, fear of dying,
sweating, feelings of
unreality, numbness or
tingling, hot flashes or
chills, and a feeling of
going out of control or
going crazy.
Formal Diagnosis:
Either four attacks within
four weeks or one or more
attacks followed by at
least a month of
persistent fear of having
another attack. A minimum
of four of the symptoms
listed above developed
during at least one of the
attacks. Most panic
attacks last only a few
minutes, but they
occasionally go on for ten
minutes, and, in rare
cases, have been known to
last for as long as an
hour. They can occur at
any time, even during
sleep.
Treatment:
Cognitive behavioral
therapy and medications
such as high-potency
anti-anxiety drugs like
alprazolam. Several
classes of antidepressants
(such as paroxetine, one
of the newer selective
serotonin reuptake
inhibitors) and the older
tricyclics and monoamine
oxidase inhibitors (MAO
inhibitors) are considered
"gold standards" for
treating panic disorder.
Sometimes a combination of
therapy and medication is
the most effective
approach to helping people
manage their symptoms.
Proper treatment helps 70
to 90 percent of people
with panic disorder,
usually within six to
eight weeks.
Phobias:
Most of us steer clear of
certain, hazardous things.
Phobias however, are
irrational fears that lead
people to altogether avoid
specific things or
situations that trigger
intense anxiety. Phobias
occur in several forms, for
example, agoraphobia is the
fear of being in any
situation that might trigger
a panic attack and from
which escape might be
difficult. Social phobia is
a fear of being extremely
embarrassed in front of
other people. The most
common social phobia is fear
of public speaking.
Symptoms: Many of
the physical symptoms that
accompany panic attacks -
such as sweating, racing
heart, and trembling -
also occur with phobias.
Formal Diagnosis:
The person experiences
extreme anxiety with
exposure to the object or
situation; recognizes that
his or her fear is
excessive or unreasonable;
and finds that normal
routines, social
activities, or
relationships are
significantly impaired as
a result of these fears.
Treatment:
Cognitive behavioral
therapy has the best track
record for helping people
overcome most phobic
disorders. The goals of
this therapy are to
desensitize a person to
feared situations or to
teach a person how to
recognize, relax, and cope
with anxious thoughts and
feelings. Medications,
such as anti-anxiety
agents or antidepressants,
can also help relieve
symptoms. Sometimes
therapy and medication are
combined to treat phobias.
Post-traumatic Stress
Disorder:
Researchers now know that
anyone, even children, can
develop PTSD if they have
experienced, witnessed, or
participated in a traumatic
occurrence-especially if the
event was life threatening.
PTSD can result from
terrifying experiences such
as rape, kidnapping, natural
disasters, or war or serious
accidents such as airplane
crashes. The psychological
damage such incidents cause
can interfere with a
person's ability to hold a
job or to develop intimate
relationships with others.
Symptoms: The
symptoms of PTSD can range
from constantly reliving
the event to a general
emotional numbing.
Persistent anxiety,
exaggerated startle
reactions, difficulty
concentrating, nightmares,
and insomnia are common.
People with PTSD typically
avoid situations that
remind them of the
traumatic event, because
they provoke intense
distress or even panic
attacks.
Formal Diagnosis:
Although the symptoms of
PTSD may be an appropriate
initial response to a
traumatic event, they are
considered part of a
disorder when they persist
beyond three months.
Treatment:
Psychotherapy can help
people who have PTSD
regain a sense of control
over their lives. They
also may need cognitive
behavior therapy to change
painful and intrusive
patterns of behavior and
thought and to learn
relaxation techniques.
Support from family and
friends can help speed
recovery and healing.
Medications, such as
antidepressants and
anti-anxiety agents to
reduce anxiety, can ease
the symptoms of depression
and sleep problems.
Treatment for PTSD often
includes both
psychotherapy and
medication.
For more information, as
well as referrals to
specialists and self-help
groups in your State,
contact:
The National Institute of
Mental Health's toll-free
information line is
1-888-ANXIETY; their web
address is
www.nimh.nih.gov/anxiety/anxietymenu.cfm
Note: These are suggested
resources. This is not meant
to be a complete list. |
