Anxiety

Anxiety ​refers to anticipation of a future concern. Mild levels of anxiety can be beneficial in some situations. It can alert us to dangers and help us prepare and pay attention.

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Common anxiety signs and symptoms include:

• Feeling nervous, restless or tense

• Having a sense of impending danger, panic or doom

• Having an increased heart rate

• Breathing rapidly (hyperventilation)

• Sweating

• Trembling

• Feeling weak or tired

• Trouble concentrating

• Trouble thinking about anything other than the present worry

• Having trouble sleeping

• Experiencing gastrointestinal (GI) problems

• Having difficulty controlling worry

• Having the urge to avoid things that trigger anxiety

Anxiety disorders differ from normal feelings of nervousness or anxiousness and involve excessive fear or anxiety.

• Anxiety disorders are the most common of mental disorders.

• They affect nearly 30% of adults at some point in their lives.

• Anxiety disorders are treatable with a number of psychotherapeutic treatments. 

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Anxiety disorders can cause people to try to avoid situations that trigger or worsen their symptoms. Job performance, schoolwork and personal relationships can be affected. ​ In general, for a person to be diagnosed with an anxiety disorder, the fear or anxiety must:

• Be out of proportion to the situation or be age-inappropriate

• Hinder their ability to function normally

There are several types of anxiety disorders: generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder with or without agoraphobia, specific phobias, agoraphobia, social anxiety disorder, separation anxiety disorder and selective mutism.

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From Psychiatry.org and Mayo Clinic 

For more information on the different types of anxiety disorders, follow the above links