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What Are Anxiety Disorders?
Anxiety is a normal reaction to stress. It helps us deal with a tense situation in the office, study harder for an exam, or keep focused on an important speech. In general, it helps us cope. But when anxiety becomes excessive, such as an irrational dread of an everyday situation, it has the ability to become a disabling disorder.
Anxiety is an unpleasant emotional state, the sources of which are less readily identified. Distinguishing among different anxiety disorders is important, since accurate diagnosis is more likely to result in effective treatment and a better prognosis. There are five primary anxiety types.
The Five Major Types Of Anxiety Disorders:
- Generalized Anxiety Disorder
- Social Anxiety Disorder
- Panic Disorder
- Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
- Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
When stress spills over into anxiety it causes us to be filled with fearfulness and uncertainty. Unlike the relatively mild and brief anxiety caused by a stressful event (such as speaking in public or a first date), anxiety disorders last at least 6 months and can get worse if they are not treated.
Anxiety disorders commonly occur along with other mental or physical illnesses, including alcohol or substance abuse, which may mask anxiety symptoms or make them worse. In some cases, these other illnesses need to be treated before a person will respond to treatment for the anxiety disorder.
It is also common for anxiety victims to turn to alcohol or substance abuse in an effort to cope with an anxiety disorder. This may offer temporary relief but becomes part of the problem, not part of the solution.
Effective therapies for anxiety disorders are available, and research is uncovering new treatments that can help most people with anxiety disorders lead productive, fulfilling lives. Anxiety disorders are highly treatable today and the sooner you seek treatment the easier it will be to overcome anxiety.
How Common Are Anxiety Disorders?
Here are some statistical facts:
- Anxiety Disorders affect about 40 million American adults age 18 years and older (about 18%) in a given year
- Anxiety disorders are the most common mental illness in the U.S.
- Women are much more likely to be affected than men are
- Occurrences of anxiety disorders in teenagers and younger children are increasing each year
- People with an anxiety disorders are 3 to 5 times more likely to go to the doctor and 6 times more likely to be hospitalized for psychiatric disorders than people who do not suffer from anxiety disorders
Anxiety disorders are not a problem that is isolated to the United States. Anxiety is a global problem that affects people in nearly every country on earth. I have yet to find any hard data on exactly how many people are affected by anxiety disorders worldwide but it is certainly a huge number.
Where Do Anxiety Disorders Come From?
Most researchers believe there is a hereditary factor linked to anxiety disorders meaning that some people are born with the condition. In other cases anxiety can be brought on by an accumulation of stress or a specific triggering event - such as an accident, divorce, or financial crisis.
Anxiety can also be triggered by other situations that are not linked to traumatic events such as taking an important test (Test Anxiety) or being in a social situation.
