Anxiety is a normal reaction that helps people cope with circumstances that are threatening or dangerous in some way. In medical terms, "acute" refers to the rapid onset and/or severity of a condition. Anxiety is often classified as either acute or chronic. Generalized anxiety disorder is one example of a chronic anxiety condition. Acute anxiety may be triggered by several conditions.
Phobic Disorders
The text "Goodwin and Guze's Psychiatric Diagnosis" defines a phobia as an unreasonable fear that is intense and recurs in response to a specific situation or stimulus. Some familiar phobias include arachnophobia, or fear of spiders; agoraphobia, or fear of crowds and public places; hydrophobia, or fear of water; and acrophobia, or fear of heights. Social phobias, sometimes called social anxiety disorders, involve the fear of being judged by other people. Examples of these phobias are fear of public speaking, fear of being nude where others might see and fear of criticism from a superior.
Panic Disorder
Panic disorder is characterized by episodes of panic attack. A panic attack is a sudden and unexpected bout of intense fear and anxiety that is accompanied by physical symptoms such as sweating, heart palpitations or flutters, dizziness and chest pain. The physical symptoms result from the activation of the sympathetic nervous system's "fight or flight" response. "Goodwin and Guze's Psychiatric Diagnosis" suggests that panic attacks may be a result of dysfunction in areas of the brain that regulate patterns of respiration and the release of a neurotransmitter called norepinepherine.
Obsessive-compulsive Disorder
The text "Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: Subtypes and Spectrum Conditions" explains that obsessive-compulsive disorder, or OCD, is characterized by obsessions, or the presence of intrusive thoughts or ideas that cause a person distress and anxiety. Compulsions are urges to act on some behavior or ritual that is senseless and excessive to a degree that interferes with a person's ability to function.
Post-traumatic Stress Disorder
"Goodwin and Guze's Psychiatric Diagnosis" explains that post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, is anxiety that is triggered by a traumatic or life-threatening event. The person with PTSD may have witnessed or been the victim of a violent crime that caused feelings of helplessness and horror. People who suffer with PTSD experience intrusive recollections of the traumatic event, often suffering flashbacks or nightmares.
References
- "Goodwin and Guze's Psychiatric Diagnosis (Sixth Edition)"; Carol S. North, M.D., M.P.E. and Sean H. Yutzy, M.D.; 2010
- "Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: Subtypes and Spectrum Conditions"; Jonathan S. Abramowitz, et al. (eds.); 2007
