5 Things You Need to Know About Different Types of Anxiety

1. Anxiety is Common and Complex

Anxiety is one of the most prevalent psychiatric disorders in the United States, affecting over 40 million Americans, according the National Institute of Mental Health (NIHM). Anxiety is excessive, uncontrollable worrying for over 6 months, to the point that it interferes with your daily routines. There are five major types of anxiety: generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), panic disorder and social phobia.

2. GAD Involves Excessive, Irrational Worrying

General anxiety disorder is not to be confused with occasional worrying about a specific event or a particularly stressful period in your life. GAD is constant, disproportionate, irrational worrying about everyday life occurrences for more than a 6-month period. People suffering from GAD cannot control their excess worrying, even though logically they realize it's irrational. Other symptoms of GAD include restlessness, being easily startled, difficulty concentrating, irritability, sleep disturbances and muscle tension. Approximately 6.8 million Americans suffer from GAD, according to NIHM, and about 55 percent of those affected are women.

3. OCD Is the Cause of Some Repetitive, Ritualistic Behaviors

The movie "As Good As It Gets," starring Jack Nicholson playing an eccentric character with OCD, launched OCD into the mainstream. However, OCD is a fairly rare diagnosis affecting roughly 2 million Americans, according to NIMH. People suffering from OCD experience persistent overwhelming thoughts or obsessions followed by repetitive, ritualistic behaviors or compulsions that interfere with their daily functioning. People attempt to manage their often frightening, obtrusive thoughts through repetitive behaviors, which temporarily relieve their obsessive ruminations.

A common behavior associated with OCD is excessive hand washing to the point where the person's hands are cracking and raw from washing his hands over 100 times per day. The obsessive thoughts and fears about germs cause the excessive hand washing. Counting specific numbers, rechecking and compulsive organizing are also common behaviors.

4. PTSD Can Involve Flashbacks and Sleep Problems

Post-traumatic stress disorder affects approximately 7 million Americans. PTSD is a psychiatric disorder that causes intense anxiety after a person has experienced or witnessed an extremely traumatic event. Rape victims, combat veterans, and survivors of terrorist attacks, genocide, torture and natural disasters have a high likelihood of suffering from PTSD. Persistent, chronic nightmares and flashbacks about the traumatic event are common. Specific events or dates, like the anniversary of a tragic event, can trigger a flashback. The person will go to great lengths to avoid a certain situation and feel at times feel like she is reliving the event. Sleeping is problematic due to recurrent nightmares. Being easily startled and hyper-vigilant are significant symptoms, too.

5. Panic Disorder and Social Phobia Cause Isolation

Panic disorder affects about 6 million Americans, according to NIMH. Panic disorder occurs when a person suffers from an unpredictable, frightening, overwhelming feeling of losing control. More than 22 percent of people who rush to the emergency room because they think they are having a heart attack are actually suffering from a panic attack, according to Harvard Medical School. Chest pains, a pounding heart, shortness of breath, and tingling hands and feet are key physical symptoms of a panic attack. Following a panic attack, some people develop an intense fear of going out in public. They fear they will have another panic attack and embarrass themselves. Even though a panic attack feels like an hour long in duration, the majority of panic attacks peak within 10 minutes max.

Social phobia, or social anxiety disorder, affects about 15 million Americans and is an intense feeling of uneasiness and self-consciousness in everyday situations. People with social phobia avoid social situations and parties because they feel others are judging them. Logically they realize their fears are irrational, but they continue to experience overwhelming feelings of dread before entering social settings.