Doctors define anxiety as intense feelings of fearfulness and uncertainty that interfere with daily activities. Everyone feels anxious at some point, but to be classified as a disorder, the feelings must remain for at least 6 months and often worsen if not treated, explains the National Institute of Mental Health. Many events and situations can cause mental anxiety, and successful treatment depends on determining the underlying factors.
Traumatic Events
Traumatic events that involve physical harm or the threat of physical harm can cause post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, a type of mental anxiety. Traumatic events include wars, muggings, rapes, torture, child abuse, car accidents and natural disasters. PTSD causes patients to become emotionally numb, lose interest in things they used to enjoy or become irritable, aggressive or violent. PTSD can also cause nightmares or flashbacks triggered by everyday sights, sounds, smells or feelings. The National Institute of Mental Health reports that approximately 7.7 million adults in the United States have PTSD.
Irrational Fears
Specific phobias, defined as irrational and intense fear of a specific situation, can cause anxiety. Many different types of specific phobias exist. For example, acrophobia describes the fear of heights, agoraphobia is the fear of public places and claustrophobia is a fear of closed-in places. Specific phobias cause classic symptoms, including panic, fear, rapid heartbeat, shortness of breath, trembling and a strong desire to flee.
Social Situations
Dealing with everyday social situations can cause social anxiety disorder, a specific type of anxiety that affects approximately 15 million American adults, according to the National Institute of Mental Health. People with social anxiety disorder live with the intense and chronic fear of being watched and judged by others. This fear makes them anxious, self-conscious and uncomfortable in social situations.
Obsessions
Obsessions, or an irrational preoccupation with an idea or emotion, can cause anxiety. When people begins to obsess on something—germs for example—they feel anxious, which causes the body to incorrectly believe that it is in danger. The feeling of danger causes the general symptoms of anxiety, including irritability and restlessness, that can lead to aggression.
To control the anxiety, those with obsessions develop compulsions, which are rituals that they perform repetitively—in this example, washing their hands. This anxiety disorder, known as obsessive-compulsive disorder or OCD, affects about 2.2 million adults in the United States each year, according to OCD Center. Patients with OCD often develop other disorders, including eating disorders, depression and other anxiety disorders.
