What are the Major Types of Anxiety?
It is estimated that 31.1% of adult Americans will suffer from an anxiety condition at some point in their lives. We all experience anxiety symptoms, including stress, uneasiness, concern, and fear, until the triggering event or circumstance has passed. This is a natural occurrence in the body.
However, an anxiety disorder may be present if the symptoms are extreme or ongoing and cause significant distress. In this situation, you could have a severe and lingering sense of anxiety even when there is nothing stressful going on. The symptoms persist over time and may cause significant disruptions in daily living.
5 main types of anxiety
Phobias
Phobias are extreme anxieties about normally safe activities, places, or things. Anything can cause stress, whether its dogs, spiders, heights, needles, the dentist, or blood draws. People with phobias either avoid the thing or place they are afraid of at all costs, or they confront it despite the high risk of emotional distress. An individual is deemed to have a phobia if their fear has persisted for at least six months.
Generalized Anxiety
When a person suffers from generalized anxiety, they worry about a wide variety of things, such as how they will do in school or on the job, their money, the state of the world, the possibility of natural disasters, and how their interpersonal relationships will fare. These concerns are difficult to manage and persistently resurface, making it difficult for people to concentrate on the tasks. When worries occur frequently and intensively, they disrupt one’s ability to focus and may lead to or exacerbate physical symptoms such as headache, stomachache, muscle tightness, or irritation.
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
Those with post-traumatic stress disorder are troubled by worries about the past because of a terrible event. It’s a chronic condition that, if untreated, may continue to manifest symptoms long after the initial trauma has subsided. Within three months of the traumatic event, PTSD symptoms typically emerge. Sometimes their appearance is delayed for quite some time, even years.
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
A person with obsessive-compulsive disorder struggles to regulate their thoughts. They may find themselves doing the same things over and over again. Individuals with OCD may be overly preoccupied with cleanliness and organization. Aggression, whether it’s directed at you or you directing at someone else, may cause a lot of stress. You might also struggle to get your mind off of sex, religion, or violence. To some, doing anything once isn’t enough; they must keep inspecting it, whether it’s a door or a pile of coins.
Social Anxiety Disorder
Anxiety and distress in social situations are hallmarks of social anxiety disorder, characterized by a persistent fear of judgment or evaluation by others. A person may be paralyzed by the fear of looking or sounding foolish or ashamed. A youngster may have anxiety only in one specific event, such as public speaking, or in a wide variety of settings where they feel uneasy dealing with peers and adults. The anxious individual may shun social situations but be at ease in the company of those closest to them. When out to eat, a person with anxiety may ask someone else to place the order for them.
Panic Disorder- Anxiety
When panic episodes disrupt a person’s daily life, they are considered to be a symptom of a disorder known as panic disorder. Symptoms of a panic attack can include but are not limited to the following: rapid heartbeat and breathing; chest pain; numbness; nausea; or abdominal pain; difficulty focusing; blurred vision; sweating; trembling; a sense of impending doom; a sense that the world isn’t real; or a sense that you are experiencing the moment from the perspective of someone else. In addition, the individual may be afraid of dying or going crazy, or they may worry that they may lose control of their lives. A panic attack can be sparked by something in particular, or it could strike seemingly out of nowhere. Within 15 minutes of starting, most of them reach their maximum strength.
The bottom line
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