Anxiety Disorders

Anxiety is a normal human emotion that can become excessive, persistent, and impact daily functioning, leading to anxiety disorders.
Anxiety disorders are a group of specific mental disorders characterized by significant and uncontrollable anxiety.

Feelings of panic, doom, and restlessness
Fear, which is an emotional response to an immediate threat
Anxiety can cause avoidance behavior, muscle tension, and physical manifestations such as:
- Tachycardia or palpitations
- Sensation of choking or being unable to breathe
- Sweating, trembling, and abdominal pain
Anxiety can be present chronically, manifesting as feeling on edge, easily fatigued, irritable, with difficulty concentrating and controlling worries

Symptoms need to have been present for six months
Symptoms are out of proportion to the perceived threat
Symptoms cannot be the direct result of another medical or psychiatric condition or substance/medication use
Symptoms should have an impact on daily functioning in different scenarios (socially or in work)

Defined by excessive anxiety or worry about multiple things on most days for more than six months
At least three of the following symptoms:
- Restlessness, fatigue, ability reduced concentration
- Irritability, muscle tension, and poor sleep
Combined with inability to manage worry and impairment in daily functioning
Estimated to affect around 9% of adults at some point in their lives

Characterized by fear or anxiety when exposed to a specific object or situation
Reaction is persistent, and people with true phobias will go out of their way to avoid exposure
Some of the most common phobias include fear of heights, spiders, snakes, and flying

Form of anxiety where people experience recurrent panic attacks
Triggers can occur in specific scenarios or without warning
Panic attacks must be recurrent and happening for over a period of one month to diagnose panic disorder
Impact beyond the attacks themselves, such as worrying about additional attacks or the implications leading to a change in behavior

Agoraphobia: anxiety when in situations or places perceived as unsafe, and feeling trapped
Social Phobia (Social Anxiety Disorder): fear or anxiety in social or performance situations, fearing humiliation, rejection, or embarrassment
Both disorders can lead to avoidance behavior and impact daily functioning

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD): result of trauma, characterized by anxiety symptoms, recurrent thoughts, distressing nightmares, and dissociative reactions
Separation Anxiety Disorder: excessive anxiety when separated from the home environment or a person with a strong attachment
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD): unwanted and disturbing intrusive thoughts, combined with compulsions to relieve distress
Selective Mutism: person has the ability to speak but becomes anxious to the point of being unable to speak in certain situations

Combination of genetics and environmental influences lead to anxiety disorders
Genetics: hereditary factors make up around 30% of the development
Environmental factors: childhood adversities, past trauma, socio-demographic factors, and more
Treatment: combination of psychotherapy (cognitive-behavioral therapy, exposure therapy) and medication (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, serotonin-noradrenaline reuptake inhibitors, and more)

Anxiety is a normal human emotion that can become excessive, persistent, and impact daily functioning, leading to anxiety disorders.

Symptoms need to have been present for six months
Symptoms are out of proportion to the perceived threat
Symptoms cannot be the direct result of another medical or psychiatric condition or substance/medication use
Symptoms should have an impact on daily functioning in different scenarios (socially or in work)

Defined by excessive anxiety or worry about multiple things on most days for more than six months
At least three of the following symptoms:
- Restlessness, fatigue, ability reduced concentration
- Irritability, muscle tension, and poor sleep
Combined with inability to manage worry and impairment in daily functioning
Estimated to affect around 9% of adults at some point in their lives

Characterized by fear or anxiety when exposed to a specific object or situation
Reaction is persistent, and people with true phobias will go out of their way to avoid exposure
Examples of common phobias:
- Fear of heights
- Fear of spiders
- Fear of snakes
- Fear of flying

Form of anxiety where people experience recurrent panic attacks
Triggers can occur in specific scenarios or without warning
Panic attacks must be recurrent and happening for over a period of one month to diagnose panic disorder
Impact beyond the attacks themselves, such as:
- Worrying about additional attacks
- Implications leading to a change in behavior

Agoraphobia: anxiety when in situations or places perceived as unsafe, and feeling trapped
Social Phobia (Social Anxiety Disorder): fear or anxiety in social or performance situations, fearing:
- Humiliation
- Rejection
- Embarrassment
Both disorders can lead to avoidance behavior and impact daily functioning

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD): result of trauma, characterized by:
- Anxiety symptoms
- Recurrent thoughts
- Distressing nightmares
- Dissociative reactions
Separation Anxiety Disorder: excessive anxiety when separated from the home environment or a person with a strong attachment
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD): unwanted and disturbing intrusive thoughts, combined with compulsions to relieve distress
Selective Mutism: person has the ability to speak but becomes anxious to the point of being unable to speak in certain situations

Combination of genetics and environmental influences lead to anxiety disorders
Genetics: hereditary factors make up around 30% of the development
Environmental factors:
- Childhood adversities
- Past trauma
- Socio-demographic factors
- More
Treatment: combination of:
- Psychotherapy (cognitive-behavioral therapy, exposure therapy)
- Medication (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, serotonin-noradrenaline reuptake inhibitors, and more)