What is an Anxiety Disorder?

It’s perfectly normal to feel anxious every now and again; it’s an emotion you might feel if you’re nervous because of a problem at work, before taking a test, or when you have to make an important decision.

An anxiety disorder, on the other hand, is something completely different because it can prevent you from carrying on with your life normally. Anyone who is suffering from an anxiety disorder will be constantly worried and afraid, and these feelings will be overwhelming.

There are a variety of treatments that can help people manage their feelings and get back to having a fulfilling life.

Different Types of Anxiety Disorders

The term anxiety disorder covers a number of different conditions. People with anxiety disorders may resort to addictive behavior to manage their symptoms. If you have a loved one or friend who is struggling with addiction, you can find out more about specific treatments by visiting forwardrecovery.com.

The different types of anxiety disorders include:

• Generalized Anxiety Disorder – a person that has a generalized anxiety disorder is persistently and excessively worried, so much so that it interferes with daily activities. There may be physical symptoms that accompany the worry and tension including difficulty concentrating, muscle tension, problems sleeping, feeling on edge, easily fatigued, and restlessness. The worries can include family health, work issues, car repairs, appointments, household chores, and many other things.  
• Panic disorder – when a person suffers from repeated panic attacks they are said to be suffering from a panic disorder. There are many different symptoms including sweating, rapid heart rate, shortness of breath, feeling dizzy, hot or cold flushes, nausea, tingling, and fear of dying. A person who is experiencing a panic attack might believe they’re having a heart attack.  
• Phobias, Specific Phobias – this refers to an excessive and persistent fear of a specific object, activity, or situation. Generally, it’s not harmful and the patient will know their fear is excessive, but they can’t overcome it. A fear of flying or spiders are two common examples.  
• Agoraphobia – this is a fear of being in a situation where escape may be difficult or embarrassing. It can be experienced by sufferers when being in open or enclosed spaces, standing in line or in a crowd, being outside the home alone or when using public transport. A person with agoraphobia will actively avoid the situation which is making them afraid or requires a companion. If this disorder is left untreated, a person could be unable to leave their home.  
• Separation Anxiety Disorder – a person with separation anxiety disorder will be constantly worried about losing the person closest to them, be reluctant or refuse to go out or sleep away from home or without that person and may also experience nightmares about separation. The physical symptoms often develop in childhood but can continue through into adulthood.  
• Social Anxiety Disorder – this disorder was previously called social phobia and a sufferer will feel anxious and uncomfortable in social situations because they are worried about being embarrassed, humiliated, rejected, or looked down on. Common examples include a fear of public speaking, eating or drinking in public.