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Anxiety is a normal reaction to stress.
It helps one deal with a tense situation in the office,
study harder for an exam, keep focused on an important
speech. In general, it helps one cope. But when anxiety
becomes an excessive, irrational dread of everyday situations,
it has become a disabling disorder.
Effective treatments for anxiety disorders are available,
and research is yielding new, improved therapist that
can help most people with anxiety disorders lead productive,
fulfilling lives.
Read More
Anxiety
and Phobia Treatment Center
Freedom
From Fear
The
Nation's Voice on Mental Illness
National
Institute of Mental Health
TeenPaths.org
Generalized
Anxiety Disorder
Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD), is characterized
by chronic anxiety, exaggerated worry and tension, even
when there is little or nothing to provoke it. People
with GAD can’t seem to shake their concerns. Their
worries are accompanied by physical symptoms, especially
fatigue, headaches, muscle tension, muscle aches, difficulty
swallowing, trembling, twitching, irritability, sweating,
and hot flashes. Back to Top
Obsessive-Compulsive
Disorder (OCD)
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is characterized
by recurrent, unwanted thoughts (obsessions) and/or
repetitive behaviors such as hand washing, counting,
checking, or cleaning are often performed with the hope
of preventing obsessive thoughts or making them go away.
Performing these so-called “rituals,” however,
provides only temporary relief, and not performing them
markedly increases anxiety.
People with OCD may be plagued by persistent, unwelcome
thoughts or images, or by the urgent need to engage
in certain rituals. They may be obsessed with germs
or dirt, and wash their hands over and over. They may
be filled with doubt and feel the need to check things
repeatedly. Back to Top
Panic Disorder
Panic disorder is characterized by unexpected and repeated
episodes of intense fear accompanied by physical symptoms
that may include chest pain, heart palpitations, shortness
of breath, dizziness, or abdominal distress. People
with panic disorder have feelings of terror that strike
suddenly and repeatedly with no warning. During a panic
attack, most likely your heart will poiund and you may
feel sweaty, weak, faint, or dizzy. Your hands may tingle
or feel numb, and you might feel flushed or chilled.
You may have nausea, chest pain or smothering sensations,
a sense of unreality, or fear of impending doom or loss
of control. Back to Top
Post-Traumatic
Stress Disorder (PTSD)
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) can develop after
exposure to a terrifying event or ordeal in which grave
physical harm occurred or was threatened. Traumatic
events that may trigger PTSD include violent personal
assaults, natural or human-caused disasters, accidents,
or military combat. People with PTSD have persistent
frightening thoughts and memories of their ordeal and
feel emotionally numb, especially with people they were
once close to. They may experience sleep problems, feel
detched or numb, or be easily startled. Back
to Top
Social
Phobia (or Social Anxiety Disorder)
Social Phobia is characterized by overwhelming anxiety
and excessive self-consciousness in everyday social
situations. Social phobia can be limited to only one
type of situation such as fear of speaking in formal
or informal situations, or eating or drinking in front
of others, or in its most severe form, may be so broad
that a person experiences symptoms anytime they are
around other people. People with social phobia have
a persistent, intense, and chronic fear of being watched
and judged by others and being embarrassed or humiliated
by their own actions. Their fear may be so severe that
it interferes with work or school, and other ordinary
activities. Physical symptoms often accompany the intense
anxiety of social phobia and include blushing, profuse
sweating, trembling, nausea, and difficulty talking.
Back to Top
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