Article Medically Reviewed By:
Beth Salcedo, MD
Medical Director The Ross Center for Anxiety and Related Disorders Washington, DC
Overview
What Is It?
An anxiety disorder is an excessive or inappropriate response to stress that leaves you with feelings of apprehension, uncertainty and fear.
An anxiety disorder is an excessive or inappropriate response to stress that leaves you with feelings of apprehension, uncertainty and fear. It can paralyze you into inaction or withdrawal. An anxiety disorder isn't just a case of "nerves." According to the National Institute of Mental Health, an estimated 40 million Americans, or 18 percent of the population, experience this illness.
Anxiety is expressed physically through a series of responses such as:
- a rise in blood pressure
- a fast heart rate
- rapid breathing
- an increase in muscle tension
- a decrease in intestinal blood flow, sometimes resulting in nausea or diarrhea
Without treatment, an anxiety disorder can significantly disrupt your life because symptoms usually become progressively worse. Tormented by panic attacks, irrational thoughts and fears, compulsive behaviors or rituals, flashbacks, nightmares or countless frightening physical symptoms, people with anxiety disorders rely heavily on emergency departments and other medical services to address their symptoms.
Their work, family and social lives are disrupted, and some even become housebound. Many individuals who suffer from this disorder have other mental disorders such as depression or substance abuse.
Fortunately, treatment for anxiety disorders is, in general, very effective. Early diagnosis may aid early recovery, prevent the disorder from becoming worse and possibly prevent the disorder from developing into depression. Yet, because of a widespread lack of understanding and the stigma associated with anxiety disorders, only about one-third of those who experience them are diagnosed and receive treatment.
In recent years, a number of different anxiety disorders have been categorized:
- Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) affects about 6.8 million Americans and affects twice as many women as men. GAD is characterized by at least six months of a more-or-less constant state of tension or worry not related to any event. If you suffer from GAD, you may always expect a catastrophe to happen. Though you may know your feelings are unrealistic, you cannot control them. The worries that accompany GAD are nonspecific and are not as obsessive as the thoughts and worries experienced with obsessive-compulsive disorder. However, more than half the people who suffer from GAD also have another anxiety disorder or depression.
- Panic attacks develop abruptly and generally reach a peak within 10 minutes. They develop without warning and are not necessarily related to any specific event. The word anxiety is derived from the Latin angere, which means to choke or strangle, and many women who suffer from panic ...
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