Anxiety disorders are neurotic mental illnesses in which the sufferer has physical symptoms related to excessive worry or fears. This worry is out of proportion to the events in the life of the person with anxiety. Several major types of anxiety exist and the surgeon general reports that over 16 percent of Americans aged 18 to 54 have an anxiety disorder each year. People with anxiety often have more than one type and are more likely to have another mental illness, such as depression, than the general public. If you feel that you or a loved one has symptoms of an anxiety disorder, seek professional mental health care. Treatment typically involves medication, counseling or both.
Generalized Anxiety Disorder
Generalized anxiety disorder is what is typically thought of as anxiety. It involves an inability to shut off the worries of the day, either rational or irrational. The sufferer has a diminished quality of life due to excessive worry and develops physical symptoms such as a fast heart rate, muscle tension, trembling, nausea and difficulty breathing.
Panic Disorder
Panic disorder occurs when the sufferer develops strong, uncomfortable physical symptoms accompanied by extreme fear. He may feel dizzy and suffer chest pains, a fast heart rate, stomachache and trembling. He may feel as though he is losing control. These episodes last for around half an hour and dissipate, frequently leaving the sufferer exhausted.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
According to the National Institute of Mental Health, post-traumatic stress disorder develops after a person is exposed to a terrifying, often life-threatening event. Instead of recovering, the person has flashbacks or episodes where she relives the feelings experienced during the trauma. A fast heart rate, trembling and extreme emotional upset accompanies these episodes. This may happen during the night, waking the sufferer, or when something she sees or hears something that reminds her of the traumatic event.
Social Anxiety Disorder
Social anxiety disorder is an extreme form of the tension many people feel when speaking in public. Self-consciousness causes a dread of being in public or being around strangers, making functioning in social situations difficult. Symptoms of fast heart rate, difficulty breathing, blushing and difficulty talking can add to the self-consciousness, causing anxiety to escalate.
Obsessive-compulsive Disorder
A well-known anxiety disorder is obsessive-compulsive disorder, characterized by irrational, extreme fears and repetitive behavior that temporarily alleviates the fears. A sufferer may check to see if he locked a door numerous times, wash his hands hundreds of times each day, perform a three-hour ritual during his bath, hoard newspapers, or ask his boss for reassurance several times a day.
