Summary

Anxiety is a negative mood state that is accompanied by bodily symptoms such as increased heart rate, muscle tension, a sense of unease, and apprehension about the future. Anxiety is a normal human experience, but when it becomes extreme and impairs someone’s functioning, it enters the realm of possible mental illness.

A combination of biological, psychological, and specific vulnerabilities increase a person’s likelihood of developing an anxiety disorder.

Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is marked by excessive worry that is difficult or even impossible to turn off. This worry is accompanied by muscle tension, fatigue, agitation or restlessness, irritability, difficulties with sleep, or difficulties concentrating.

Unexpected panic attacks are core to panic disorder. In addition to the panic attacks, the person must also experience continued intense anxiety and avoidance related to the attack for at least one month, causing significant distress or interference in their lives. Sometimes people with panic disorder also develop agoraphobia, which is when they begin to avoid several places or situations, or still endures the situations but with a significant amount of anxiety.

Specific phobia occurs when someone has an irrational fear of a specific object or situation that substantially interferes with their ability to function. Four major subtypes of specific phobia are recognized: blood-injury-injection type, situational type, natural environment type, and animal type.

Social anxiety disorder involves severe anxiety in social situations where one can be evaluated. This anxiety must get in the way of the person’s daily life or otherwise severely impact their functioning. If the fear is specific to performance-based situations, this subtype of social anxiety can be diagnosed.

Anxiety disorders are sometimes treated with anti-anxiety medications or antidepressants. Exposure-based cognitive behavioural therapies are very effective ways of treating anxiety disorders psychotherapeutically.

“Summary: Anxiety Disorders” is adapted from Abnormal Psychology by Jordan A. Cummings, used under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.