Anxiety is a common occurrence when a person faces potentially problematic or dangerous situations. It is also felt when a person perceives an external threat. However, chronic and irrational anxiety can lead to a form of anxiety disorder. There are different types of anxiety disorder depending on their causes or triggers.

Common forms of anxiety disorders

Generalized anxiety disorder

A person who has this type of anxiety disorder usually experience prolonged anxiety that is often without basis. More accurately, people with generalized anxiety disorders cannot articulate the reason behind their anxiety. This type of anxiety usually last for six months and often affect women.  Due to the persistence of the anxiety, people affected with generalized anxiety disorder constantly fret and worry. This results to heart palpitations, insomnia, headaches, and dizzy spells.

Specific phobia

Unlike someone with generalized anxiety disorder, a person who has a specific phobia experiences  extreme and often irrational fear of a certain situation or object. When exposed to the object or situation they fear, people with specific phobias exhibit signs of intense fear like shaking, shortness of breath, heart palpitations, and nausea. Common specific phobias include fear of heights, enclosed spaces, blood, and animals. The fear a person with phobia feels can be so extreme that he or she may disregard safety just to escape the situation.

Panic disorder

Also known as Agoraphobia, panic disorders are characterized by recurring panic attacks which are often unexpected. Symptoms are usually shaking, chest pains, dizziness, fear of losing control, and reluctance of being alone. People with panic disorder are aware that their panic is usually unfounded  and illogical. This is why they avoid public situations and being alone. A panic attack can be so severe that people may lose control and hurt themselves.

Social phobia

Alternatively called social anxiety, a person with social phobia may exhibit similar symptoms like those of panic disorder especially in social situations. Shaking, dizziness, shortness of breath, and heart palpitations may ensue when a person with social phobia finds his or herself at the center of attention or in the company of many people, regardless whether they are strangers or not.

Obsessive-compulsive disorder

People with obsessive-compulsive disorder experience anxiety caused by a persistent obsession or idea. They tend to avoid experiencing anxiety by resorting to repetitive actions or behaviors that prevent anxiety. For example, a person who is obsessed about cleanliness may experience anxiety at the mere sight of a vase placed slightly off-center. To prevent anxiety, he or she will clean and organize everything compulsively or without reason.

PTSD

Post-traumatic stress disorder may occur after a person experienced a severely traumatic event. He or she may relive the experience in his or her mind which causes stress and anxiety. If a person with PTSD comes into contact with stimuli (any object, person, or situation) that he or she associates with the traumatic event, he or she may literally re-experience the event by crying uncontrollably, panicking, or losing control. Subtler symptoms include insomnia and avoidant behavior. PTSD may manifest itself immediately after the traumatic event or even years after.

Determining the type of anxiety disorder a person has is crucial to seeking treatment and recovery.  Techniques and methods that are used to help a person cope with a certain anxiety usually target not only the management of symptoms but coping mechanisms when exposed to triggers. Only after thorough diagnosis can treatment and recovery for anxiety disorders really commence.

Related articles

• Anxiety and Bipolar Disorder (everydayhealth.com)
• What is generalized anxiety disorder? (zocdoc.com)

Here is a post from the blog Stop Anxiety Stop Panic. Come visit and learn how to deal with and defeat anxiety and panic disorder.

Different Types of Anxiety Disorders

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The terms introvert, social phobia and social anxiety all give rise to similar types of conditions.  There is however  a difference.  Phobia, of course means fear of and so social phobia denotes fear of social situations.  Simple shyness is generally social phobia light or social phobia in its early stages.

However, with one who is an introvert, fear is not an issue.  An introvert simply works better, functions better and is genuinely happier when alone.   Company tends to sap his/her energy and at certain times will make him/her miserable.  For this reason an intorverted person will avoid social situations by choice but not out of fear.  Introverts are often described as loners.

Of course, feeling uncomfortable with, or having ones creativity stifled by others is a neurosis, but it is not a phobia.  Still, there are introverts in all walks of life.  Many of them are very happy and certainly, well adjusted in many ways.

Many introverts will attend parties or family gatherings, but while they are engaged in such activities, their tendency is not to be seen as the bright people they are.  In other words, they may act like or seem to be dullards when at social gatherings and few if any of the others attending these gatherings will ever realize they are, in fact quite the opposite of a  dullard.

Because public schools involve a myriad of social activities and do in fact, place students into groups, some very intelligent introverts are very poor students.  Sometimes, they even are mistakenly put into special classes.

These types of people will never hit their stride until they are out of school and out on their own.  Because the benefits they derive from school are limited, they tend to be avid readers and are always pursuing knowledge. 

In the long run, not being distracted by the need to look good to others actually give introverts an advantage over others when it comes to making discoveries or being successful in certain fields, such as writing. 

photo credit: Ed Yourdonshyness

Here is a post from the blog Stop Anxiety Stop Panic. Come visit and learn how to deal with and defeat anxiety and panic disorder.

Introvert