Overview: Anxiety Disorders
Anxiety is a common and normal reaction to stressful events. Anxiety disorders are when the worrying becomes excessive and impairs normal functioning. Both the intensity and the frequency of the anxiety become difficult to manage. There are many illnesses that fall under the category of anxiety disorders. Listed below are a few examples of these disorders and their symptoms.
Anxiety disorders commonly go hand in hand with depression and other psychiatric disorders. As with the other illnesses, it is best to treat anxiety as early as possible to prevent further damage to the brain.
Generalized anxiety disorder:
Feeling restless, wound-up, or on-edge
Being easily fatigued
Having difficulty concentrating; mind going blank
Being irritable
Having muscle tension
Difficulty controlling feelings of worry
Having sleep problems, such as difficulty falling or staying asleep, restlessness, or unsatisfying sleep
Panic attacks:
Heart palpitations, a pounding heartbeat, or an accelerated heart rate
Sweating
Trembling or shaking
Sensations of shortness of breath, smothering, or choking
Feelings of impending doom
Feelings of being out of control
Phobias: Intense, excessive fears of objects or situations. Some examples of phobias include the fear of:
Flying
Heights
Specific animals, such as spiders, dogs, or snakes
Receiving injections
Blood
Social Anxiety Disorder:
Intense fear of, or anxiety toward social or performance situations.
Fear that one’s actions or behaviors will be negatively evaluated by others.
Excessive fears of being embarrassed by others.
Avoidance of social situations due to the fears listed above.