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Anxiety Disorders - Distinguishing the Types of disorders

By: Chandler Vocht

Anxiety disorders vary as to symptoms and treatments. No matter the type, anyone suffering from one or more, knows how debilitating they can be. One such disorder is known as Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD). Those who are afflicted with GAD are unable to lead a normal life. They are constantly tense and worried, apparently without valid reasons. They constantly fret about things such as money or health and everything in between.

Individuals who experience GAD find it virtually impossible to let down there guard and relax. As a result, they are often tired, stressed and irritable. Not uncommonly, some people with GAD will also suffer from additional mental health problems, including depression, substance abuse or addictive behaviors.

Another type of anxiety disorder is a panic disorder. People who suffer from a panic disorder will have frequent panic attacks that cause them to have an overwhelming and unnatural fear that they are in some type of danger. During a panic attack these people may experience certain types of phobias that include a specific phobia to a certain condition, social phobia, or agoraphobia. All of these phobias are an unnatural, uncontrollable, and most times unstoppable fear of a certain situation, object, or action. People that have this type of anxiety disorder will go to any length to avoid the source of their phobia.

Things that can cause a social phobic attack can be as simple as meeting someone new. Most of us are afraid of public speaking, but the socially phobic person takes that fear to the extreme. Feeling like you they can't escape a certain situation or that they may be embarrassed defines agoraphobic people. There are extreme cases when they won't leave their homes, seeing the whole world as unsafe. In cases of specific phobias, a person may have an unnatural and exaggerated fear of snakes or even dogs. Many who suffer from these anxiety disorders even know that they have unfounded fears, but they still can't escape the attacks. The fear is just to overwhelming.

Yet another anxiety disorder is obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Symptoms include having irrational thoughts that cause the person great anxiety. They obsess about things such as germs and constantly wash their hands. Or they may check the stove over and over in fear of having left it on. These people also know that they are acting in irrational ways, but without medication or other medical attention, they will be unable to stop behaviors.

OCD sufferers sometimes establish certain rituals that turn into compulsive behavior. These rituals can take hours to complete causing distractions in their lives and those around them.

Any type of anxiety can cause and individual to feel great distress. However, proper treatment and management of the symptoms are available. If you are someone you love suffers from anxiety, don't be afraid to consult with a professional, such as a doctor, psychologist or therapist.

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