Understanding the Different Types of Anxiety Disorders
Medically reviewed by Dakari Quimby, PhD
An anxiety disorder is a mental health condition that involves intense feelings of fear or worry. Different types of anxiety disorders affect millions of Americans. For example, 15 million U.S. adults experience social anxiety disorder, and 6 million experience panic disorder.
Anxiety disorders can be challenging and may greatly impact daily life. Learn about the different types of anxiety disorders, their causes, treatment, coping, and more.
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Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)
People with GAD experience intense feelings of worry or fear that occur most days for six months or longer. This anxiety is related to a variety of different areas of life, such as relationships, careers, health, and safety. GAD affects nearly 6% of adults at some point in their lives.
In addition to worry and fear that is difficult to control, symptoms of GAD may include:
Difficulty concentrating
Tense muscles, often in the neck and shoulders
While some people may be genetically prone to GAD, this condition may run in families partially because of life circumstances and the home environment. The specific causes are not fully understood.
Diagnosis involves an evaluation with a healthcare provider or mental health professional (such as a psychiatrist, psychologist, or social worker) who will ask questions and assesses the condition.
Treatment can include the following, which may be combined:
Psychotherapy: Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) teaches how to modify your thinking, behavior, and reaction to situations. Acceptance and commitment therapy teach strategies to address negative thoughts and reduce anxiety.
Medication: Antidepressants or antianxiety medications may be prescribed.
Panic Disorder
Panic disorder is a condition in which a person experiences many panic attacks over a long period of time. The panic attacks come on suddenly, without any known danger, and involve intense feelings of fear or feelings of losing control. This condition is more than twice as common among females than males.
Symptoms of a panic attack include:
Feeling weak
Increased heart rate
Shaking or chills
Sweating with our without feeling hot
Upset stomach
A person with panic disorder is intensely fearful of experiencing another panic attack, and they often fear or avoid places where they have had a panic attack.
Like GAD, it is not entirely clear what causes panic disorder. People who experience traumatic events or loss are at an increased risk. A mental health professional such as a psychiatrist can diagnose this condition with an evaluation that involves asking questions.
Panic disorder can be treated with talk therapy (psychotherapy) techniques such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), coping techniques, relaxation exercises, support groups, lifestyle changes, and medications (antidepressants, antianxiety drugs, beta-blockers).
Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD)
SAD involves fear or worry related to social interactions. Women are more likely to experience SAD than men, especially among teens and young women. Additionally, their symptoms tend to be more severe.
Social anxiety disorder symptoms include:
Avoiding social situations or interactions
Extreme shyness or fear of talking to new people
Feelings of nervousness, embarrassment, or being judged
Overthinking conversations
Ruminating about interactions with others
The specific causes of social anxiety disorder are unclear. It may run in families, and stress and environmental factors also may play a role.
Similar to other types of anxiety disorders, SAD can be diagnosed by talking with a mental health professional. Some providers offer virtual appointments, which tend to be easier for people experiencing symptoms of SAD. Treatment may involve talk therapy, medications, or both.
Separation Anxiety Disorder
Separation anxiety disorder involves intense fear or reaction related to being apart from those to whom the individual is attached. These fears and reactions are normal for babies and young children but can become a concern if they do not grow out of it around school age. This condition may also affect teens and adults.
Symptoms of separation anxiety disorder include:
Difficulty sleeping, leaving the house, or taking part in activities that involve being away from a primary caregiver
Extreme reaction when separated from a primary caregiver
Fear or worry related to danger for a primary caregiver or self
Feeling physically ill when separated from a primary caregiver
Intense desire to constantly be with a specific person
The causes of separation anxiety disorder are not fully known. Traumatic experiences, instability at home, and stressful situations can increase the risk of this condition. It can be diagnosed with an evaluation from a mental health professional.
This condition can be treated with talk therapy or play therapy for children and talk therapy or medications for adults.
Phobias
A phobia is a continuous, irrational, and intense fear of something that poses little or no actual danger. Most people who have a specific phobia have more than one. For example, a person may have a phobia of both spiders and heights.
Phobia symptoms include:
Avoiding something specific due to fear, such as needles or dogs
Difficulty breathing
Increased heart rate
Shaking
Sweating
Upset stomach
Phobias can be caused by a traumatic event involving the thing that is feared or someone repeatedly or intensely expressing the dangers of what is feared. However, sometimes the cause is unrelated to the specific phobia, or the cause is unknown.
Phobias can be evaluated and diagnosed by a mental health professional. Treatment options include talk therapy and exposure therapy.
New Classifications for OCD and PTSD
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) used to be considered anxiety disorders, but are now classified independently.
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
OCD involves repeated, unwanted thoughts or urges (obsessions) and feeling the need to do something repeatedly (compulsions). It affects up to 3 million American adults.
Symptoms of OCD include:
Feeling fear of losing control of their behavior
Feeling the need to clean excessively or an intense fear of germs
Fear of forgetting or losing things
Placing items in a specific order
Repeatedly checking that things have been completed
OCD may be caused by genetics or traumatic experiences, especially in childhood, but the causes are not fully understood. This condition can be diagnosed with an evaluation from a mental health professional such as a psychiatrist. It is treated with talk therapy, medications, or both.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
PTSD can result from experiencing a traumatic event. It involves a nervous system response after the event has ended and the person is no longer in danger.
PTSD affects about 6% of Americans at some point in their life. It affects about 8% of women compared to 4% of men due to trauma such as sexual assault being more commonly experienced by women.
PTSD symptoms include:
Intrusive thoughts, which may include flashbacks
Avoiding situations, places, and people that remind them of the traumatic event.
Negative thoughts, guilt, shame, fear, distorted beliefs about themself or others
Constant vigilance for potential danger
Jumpiness or being scared easily
PTSD is caused by a past experience of a traumatic event or events. Risk factors include abuse, accidents, and war. After an evaluation, this condition can be diagnosed by a mental health professional. It is treated with talk therapy such as cognitive behavioral therapy CBT, eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR), and medications.
Living With Anxiety Disorders
Anxiety disorders are challenging, and often severe enough to impact daily life. They are also treatable. Up to 85% of people who receive treatment for anxiety disorders find it to be effective. Additionally, there are many ways to cope with anxiety disorders long term.
Coping methods include:
Mindfulness and meditation
Connecting with a trusted friend or family member
Lifestyle behaviors such as prioritizing sleep, eating nutritious foods, and exercising regularly
Summary
Anxiety disorders involve intense feelings of fear or worry that recur for six months or longer. There are different types of anxiety disorders, such as social anxiety disorder, which is an intense fear of social interactions that may be severe enough to interfere with daily life.
Panic disorder involves sudden episodes of intense fear called panic attacks. Separation anxiety disorder is when an older child, teen, or adult experiences an extreme reaction to being away from a primary caregiver or another loved one.
Generalized anxiety disorder is when anxiety is related to a variety of different areas of life rather than a specific object or situation.
Obsessive-compulsive disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder were once considered anxiety disorders, but they are now considered separate conditions.
Anxiety disorders are treatable. It is important to seek help for these conditions to get relief and prevent further complications. If you or someone you know is experiencing symptoms of an anxiety disorder, reach out to a primary care provider or mental health professional for support.
A Note on Gender and Sex Terminology
Verywell Health acknowledges that sex and gender are related concepts, but they are not the same. To reflect our sources accurately, this article uses terms like “female,” “male,” “woman,” and “man” as the sources use them.
Read the original article on Verywell Health.
