Anxiety disorders - types + symptoms

Anxiety versus anxiety disorders

Everyone gets anxious from time to time. A small amount of, or short periods of, anxiety can help you to stay safe, for example it brings about physiological symptoms that warn you to either fight, flight or freeze in dangerous situations, such as running away from a poisonous snake.

A small amount of anxiety also helps you perform better, for example feeling anxious before an exam can assist you to stay alert, which helps you to do your best. So it is not uncommon to feel anxious before exams or when there are stressful events in your life. For more info, check out the Anxiety fact sheet.

However, if anxiety is interfering with many areas of your day to day life, such as schoolwork, relationships and how you socialise with people, it is possible that you may be experiencing symptoms of an anxiety disorder. However, you should see someone about your concerns and see what they think before you label yourself with a disorder.

Anxiety disorders can make you feel very anxious a lot of the time and this anxiousness can last over a long period of time and can happen in a lot of situations.

Eleven percent of people in Australia have an anxiety disorder and it is currently the most common mental health problem in Australia. So if you have an anxiety disorder you are definitely not alone. 

What causes anxiety + anxiety disorders?

Anxiety can be part of your genetic and biochemical make up, as well as part of your personality. There are many things that can trigger anxiety such as your environment, stressful situations like school exams and/or problems within the family or a trauma.

Some of the causes of an anxiety disorder might be:

• Genetics or a history of anxiety within your family.
• Biochemical - an imbalance of the chemicals in the brain that regulate feelings and physical reactions can alter your thoughts, emotions or behaviour, and result in anxiety.
• A stressful event or chain of events such as a family break-up, abuse, ongoing bullying at school, sexual abuse, a death, a relationship break up, family conflict.
• Personality style - Certain personality types are more at risk of anxiety than others.

Symptoms

Symptoms can vary depending on each different anxiety disorder. For more information, follow the relevant link next to the anxiety disorder you want to know more about.

Types of anxiety disorders

There are many different types of anxiety disorders, each with their own symptoms and treatments. Here is a list of the main ones:

• General anxiety is an extreme and uncontrollable anxiety and worry expectation that is not specific to any one thing. Check out the Generalised anxiety disorder fact sheet for more info.
• Social anxiety / social phobia involves a fear of social or performance situations (such as meeting new people) in which an individual may be embarrassed. People with social anxiety commonly avoid social situations. Check out the Social anxiety fact sheet for more info.
• Agoraphobia is anxiety about being in places or situations from which escape might be difficult or embarrassing if an individual has a panic attack. It usually leads to avoidance of certain places and situations.
• Claustrophobia involves the fear of enclosed or confined spaces. People with claustrophobia may experience panic attacks, or fear of having a panic attack, in situations such as being in lifts, trains or small confined spaces.
• Insomnia is the chronic inability to sleep normally, as evidenced by difficulty in falling asleep, frequent waking during the night and/or early morning waking with attendant difficulty in falling back to sleep. Check out the Insomnia fact sheet for more info.
• Panic disorder also known as panic attacks are when you have regular panic attacks. Some people may develop agoraphobia as a result of the panic attacks. Check out the Panic attacks fact sheet for more info.
• Specific phobias involve intense and ongoing fear of particular objects or situations. If they see the object they are afraid of or is in a situation that scares them, they may have a panic attack. Usually the object or situation is avoided.
• Hypochondria refers to an extreme concern or worry about having a serious illness. People with hypochondria have a constant fixation with their body and self-examining and self-diagnosing.
• Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) involves unwanted thoughts and impulses (obsessions) and repetitive, routine behaviours (compulsions). Check out the OCD fact sheet for more info.
• Post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is an anxiety disorder triggered by a major traumatic event, such as rape or a traumatic accident. It is marked by upsetting memories, "blunting" of emotions, and difficulties sleeping. Check out the PTSD fact sheet for more info.

Getting help for an anxiety disorder

There are a number of things you can do to help you manage an anxiety disorder. Follow the link related to the specific anxiety disorder to get more information on specific treatments.

You may want to check out Anxiety Online, a comprehensive online mental health service offering information, assessment, online diagnosis and treatment programs ("eTherapy") for a number of anxiety disorders.

You can also look at the Anxiety Disorder Alliance website for more information.

Treatments

There are a number of treatments for the different anxiety disorders. It might be a good idea to research the disorder relevant to you then arrange to see your doctor. They should be able to tell you about the different treatment options available and let you know what the best approach is for you. Check out the links for more info on specific disorders.

Try to remember that managing your anxiety disorder may take time and there may be good days and not so good ones. Dealing with your anxiety disorder is possible.

More information

For some more info on how to deal with anxiety and stress, why not check out some of these ReachOut.com links...

• Anxiety (Fact sheet)
• Generalised anxiety disorder(Fact sheet)
• I have an anxiety disorder (Story)

Acknowledgement:
Anxiety Disorder Alliance