According to the American Psychiatric Association, anxiety disorders impact anywhere from 1 to 8 percent of the population, depending on the specific type of disorder. Anxiety disorders can take multiple forms and include panic disorders, phobias, obsessive-compulsive disorders, acute and post-traumatic stress disorders, and generalized anxiety disorder. Specific symptoms vary for each diagnosis; however, the most common acute symptoms include panic attacks, flashbacks, and obsessive or intrusive thought patterns.
Panic Attacks
A panic attack is a sudden onset of intense fear when there is no real danger present in the environment. Symptoms can include excessive sweating, feeling short of breath, trembling or shaking, fear of dying, rapid heartbeat, nausea, chest pain, dizziness, a sudden inability to move and fear of losing control or doing something "crazy." Typically, these symptoms build in intensity and are accompanied by a strong urge to escape. Although panic attacks are a forceful and intense experience, they usually last a maximum of 10 minutes. "The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders" notes that some types of panic attacks are unpredictable and come on without warning. Other panic attacks are brought on by certain features in the environment and are considered "situationally bound" or "situationally predisposed". For example, a situationally bound panic attack might occur if someone with a phobia of snakes sees a snake at the zoo.
Nightmares and Flashbacks
Anxiety is a legitimate reaction to violent or traumatic situations. Individuals who have been victims of such situations may subsequently experience nightmares, flashbacks, or moments of re-experiencing the trauma. During flashbacks, the person may feel as if they are suddenly transported back to the time, place and events of the traumatic experience. Re-experiencing refers to a more ruminative thinking pattern in which the person can lose track of time while thinking about the event. These symptoms can evoke feelings as intense as those experienced during the original event and are disruptive to the daily functioning of the individual. Such symptoms are characteristic of acute stress disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder.
Intrusive or Obsessive "Worry" Thoughts
Intrusive thoughts usually revolve around "if" questions and statements. For example, if a guest is 10 minutes late to dinner, an individual with generalized anxiety disorder may become worried that the guest has been in an accident. Other individuals with obsessive-compulsive disorder may feel that if they don't adhere to certain ritualistic behavior, something bad will happen. For example, they might think, "If I don't lock the door three times somebody I know will get robbed". It is important to note that in OCD, thoughts are often superstitious in nature meaning the potential consequence has nothing to do with the ritualized behavior.
References
- "Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, Text Revision", American Psychiatric Association; 2000
- Behavenet Clinical Capsule: Diagnosis and Criteria by Category, Anxiety Disorders
