It’s a quite normal to be anxious in some frequent activities like exams. But if it crosses beyond the general level and enters into overwhelming stage then you might have Anxiety Disorder Disease. This disorder shows a great impact in your life. Since no two persons have same feelings, the anxiety types are also different. So, have a clear idea about anxiety disorder types to get control over your fears and worries.
Anxiety Disorder Types
A Group of mental disorders with worry and fear are nothing but Anxiety Disorders. The exact cause of anxiety disorders can’t know, but genetics and environmental factors play a major role. About 12% of the people are affecting with this Anxiety disease. Often, mostly these anxiety disorders are visible in females when compared with males and commonly before 25 years of age. In fact, people with anxiety disorders can live the total life without any specific treatment.
Read more: Symptoms of Anxiety
Every individual’s anxiety feeling is different. Some have general anxiety about things which can be easily manageable, but some remain throughout the life. Hence, after a study psychologists categorized this disease into several anxiety disorder types. What are the different types of Anxiety? There are seven kinds of Anxiety Disorders. Hope Knowing these anxiety disorder types helps you to overcome your worries and fears. Hence, have a brief idea of each type.
- Generalized Anxiety Disorder.
- Phobia.
- Panic Disorder.
- Social Anxiety Disorder.
- Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.
- Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder.
- Separation Anxiety.
Generalized Anxiety Disorder
Generalized Anxiety Disorder(GAD), the chronic, long-lasting disorder that affects millions of people in the world. GAD is a state of mental tensions and nervousness that happens without a specific reason. Else, if you feel constant worry, stressed, anxious that has a great impact on your life, then you may have this type of Anxiety Disorder.
People who have generalized anxiety disorder may encounter some degree of fear and anxiety even for daily routine matters also. However, this anxiety type may have a great impact on normal lives in all aspects such as at work, financial problems, family, health, etc. Not only one issue even the minor things also lead to uncontrollable anxiety and terrible feelings.
Read more: Causes of Anxiety
The symptoms associated with this kind of anxiety disorder are irritability, restlessness, lack of concentration, muscle tensions. Mostly, adults will get this generalized disorder. While for children the symptoms of GAD are headaches, abdominal pain, restlessness. Also, they will experience sweating from hands, feet at the time of fear. Proper diagnosis may require if the person is facing these problems constantly for more than six months.
Phobia
A phobia is an enormous feeling of fear for specific objects, scenarios, animals, etc. For example, fear of snakes, spiders, cockroaches, etc. For severe phobia, people will have avoidance rule. The most appropriate example of Special phobias is arachnophobia, fear of spiders and others are flying in airplanes, seeing blood, floods. However, individuals with these stress disorder types of can live their entire life without treatment.
Panic Disorder
Panic Disorder is completely different from Generalized Anxiety Disorder. In a simple meaning, a panic attack is a thought of fight or flight response to the situations. This reaction is sometimes very helpful to escape from dangerous situations. For example, if a tiger comes near to you, this fear gives you the energy to escape from a tiger. Having this anxiety type, a person may have trembling, dizziness, nausea, difficulty in breathing. These panic symptoms may rise to peak levels within ten minutes and last for several hours.
Stress, fear, and other causes are the main triggers for Panic Attacks Anxiety Disorder. Often, a panic sufferer may have changes in normal heartbeat functions. Persons who have this form of anxiety disorder may also catch up with Agoraphobia. It means the fear to stay in places where there are a huge crowd and confined spaces. For example, victims who have panic attacks can’t come to shopping malls and feels strange to travel in ships, airplanes.
Social Anxiety Disorder or Social Phobia
The fourth one of Anxiety Disorder Types is Social Anxiety. Social Anxiety disorder is also known to be as Social Phobia. It describes the situation of lack of social interaction. Mainly, sufferers find difficulty at public speaking, grocery shopping, etc. Also, people who have social phobia may always worry about what other people think about them. Hence, people can stop their work and sometimes go to homes. The extreme shyness and fear also prevent comfortable eating and drinking in front of people. Mainly this anxiety disorder type occurs for women more than men.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder is also one of the Anxiety Disorder Types. As the name itself trauma, it occurs after the happening of any traumatic situation or life-threatening event. The traumatic events include a death of loved ones, nearby accidents, natural disasters, witness to murder, bushfires. PTSD affects people both psychologically and physically.
There exist three different types of Post-Traumatic Anxiety Disorder. These types are divided on the basis of a time interval of symptoms appearance.
- Acute PTSD in which the signs of Anxiety Disorder will last for less than three months.
- Chronic PTSD, the symptoms of this type of Anxiety disorder will disappear for three months or more than that.
- Delayed Onset PTSD is completely different in which this kind of anxiety disorder will not produce any signs until 6 months after a traumatic event.
The symptoms are thinking about the past experiences, flashbacks, hypervigilance, depression, etc. A PTSD patient will also experience difficulty in sleeping, persistent nightmares. Luckily, there are several types of treatments for the people who are suffering from this kind of Anxiety Disorder. Treatments including psychotherapy, cognitive-behavioral therapy are beneficial. Also, support of family and friends is a must for the patients.
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
Among Anxiety Disorders list, obsessive-compulsive disorder is one. It is a destructive type of anxiety disorder that exhibit several behaviors and fears that are confusing to you and people around you. Victims of OCD may have unnecessary thoughts which can’t stop and control. Sometimes they do good and other time causes harm and danger. Also, you may experience successive obsessions and compulsions.
Know more: Symptoms of stress
Obsessions are thoughts or images usually negative, fearful and also recurring worries. For example, forgetting to turn off a stove. Compulsions are behavior based in which the person do the same thing repeatedly that results in distress and social dysfunction. For example, cleaning the floor and washing the hands for several times.
Sometimes you caught up with either obsessions only or compulsions only. Women are more prone to this kind of anxiety disorder compared with men. In total, OCD affects about 2% of adults and 3% adolescents and children.
Separation Anxiety Disorder
The last one in Anxiety types list is Separation Anxiety which is commonly visible in infants. It is a psychological condition that a victim may come up with excessive anxiety regarding separation from parents or loved ones. In other words, separation anxiety is detachment from the people who have a strong relationship with them. Mostly, children between the ages of 6 months to 3 years can have this anxiety disorder type. About 3 to 4 percent of children are facing this SAD disorder. The common symptoms for the children who have separation anxiety type are
- Clinging to parents.
- Refusal for going to school.
- Extreme crying.
- Refusing to sleep alone.
- Poor study.
- Physical illness, such as headaches or vomiting
- Lack of interaction with other children.