Anxiety Disorders

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Mental Health: Anxiety Disorders

Anxiety disorders affect over can occur at any time – even to people with whom they during sleep. About one-third used to be close), lose interest 57 million adults in America – of people who experience in things they used to enjoy, more than 26 percent of the panic attacks become so and become irritable, fearful that they refuse to aggressive or violent. They U.S. population. leave home. When the avoid situations which remind condition progresses this far, them of the original incident, About Anxiety Disorders it is called agoraphobia – a and anniversaries of the Anxiety disorders commonly fear of open spaces. incident are usually very occur in conjunction with other difficult. PTSD affects nearly 8 mental or physical illnesses, Obsessive-Compulsive million adults in the United last at least six months and Disorder (OCD) States, but can occur at any can get worse without OCD sufferers have persistent, age. treatment. There are six types upsetting thoughts or of anxiety disorders: panic obsessions, and use rituals to Social Phobia disorder, obsessive- control the anxiety these Also called social anxiety compulsive disorder, post- thoughts produce. Most often, disorder, social phobia is traumatic stress disorder, the rituals end up controlling diagnosed when individuals social phobia, specific phobia the person with OCD. For become overwhelmingly and generalized anxiety example, if someone is anxious and excessively self- disorder. obsessed with germs and dirt, conscious in everyday social

he or she may develop a situations. People with this Panic Disorder compulsion for excessive hand phobia have an intense, This condition affects about 6 washing. OCD is estimated to persistent and chronic fear of million U.S. adults – and is affect over 2 million adults in being watched and judged by twice as common in women. It the United States. others and of doing things is characterized by sudden attacks of terror – known as Post-Traumatic Stress panic attacks – which are Disorder (PTSD) usually accompanied by a PTSD develops after a pounding heart, sweating, traumatic event or experience dizziness and/or weakness. that involved physical harm or During these attacks, sufferers the threat of it. PTSD is may flush or feel chilled, their common in war veterans, but hands may tingle or feel numb it can result from a variety of and nausea or chest pain may traumatic incidents, such as occur. Panic attacks usually kidnapping, abuse or a car produce a sense of unreality, accident. People with PTSD a fear of impending doom or a may startle easily, become fear of losing control. They emotionally numb (especially

that will embarrass them. months. Physical symptoms www.nimh.nih.gov or They may worry for days or accompanying this condition 866-615-NIMH (6464). even weeks before a dreaded include fatigue, headaches, situation. Many with social irritability, nausea, frequent Source: NIMH phobia realize that their fear is urination and hot flashes. unwarranted, but are still unable to overcome it. This Diagnosis and Treatment phobia affects about 15 million In general, anxiety disorders American adults. are treated with medication, specific types of Specific Phobias psychotherapy or both. Before A specific phobia is an intense, treatment begins, a doctor irrational fear of something must conduct a careful that actually poses little or no diagnostic evaluation to threat – such as heights, determine whether a person’s escalators, dogs, spiders, symptoms are caused by an closed-in places or water. anxiety disorder or a physical These types of phobias affect problem. Sometimes over 19 million adults in the alcoholism, depression or United States and affect other coexisting conditions women twice as often as men. have such a strong effect on Like social phobia, sufferers the individual that treating the understand that these fears anxiety disorder must wait are irrational, but feel until those conditions are powerless to stop them. The brought under control. causes of these phobias are Those with anxiety disorders not well understood, but usually try several different symptoms usually appear in treatments or combinations of childhood or adolescence and treatment before finding the continue into adulthood. one that works for them.

Generalized Anxiety How to Get Help Disorder (GAD) If you think you have an People with GAD go through anxiety disorder, the first step the day filled with to take is to visit your exaggerated worry and physician. He or she can tension, even when there is determine if your symptoms little or nothing to worry are caused by an anxiety about. An estimated 6.8 disorder, another medical million American adults have condition or both. If an GAD, and it also affects anxiety disorder is diagnosed, women twice as often as men. you will be referred to a GAD is diagnosed when a mental health professional. person worries excessively For more information, contact about a variety of everyday the National Institute of problems for at least 6 Mental Health (NIMH) at

Did You Know...? Each anxiety disorder has different symptoms, but all the symptoms cluster around excessive, irrational fear and dread. It is important to seek treatment if fear is a daily component of your life.