Anxiety Disorders
Essay by review • October 16, 2010 • Essay • 355 Words (2 Pages) • 1,585 Views
Anxiety disorders are the most common psychological disorders in the United States. There are four different types of anxiety disorders: phobia, generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder. Anxiety is an unpleasant feeling of fear and apprehension.
Phobias are irrational fears of an object or a situation that is not likely to be dangerous. Phobias cause disruption in one's ability to carry out day-to-day functions. Most people have suffer from phobias are afraid of certain things. Agoraphobia is the fear being away from a safe place, mostly home. Specific phobia is the most common; this is a fear of a certain thing. Social phobias are less common, they deal with other people. People suffering from social phobias are extremely shy.
Panic disorder is characterized by sudden attacks of severe anxiety that can incapacitate a person for about ten minutes. Symptoms are sweating, heart palpitations, insomnia and shortness of breath People who have panic disorders feel that they are always in bad health and go to the doctor often. 20% of people suffering from panic disorders have attempted suicide.
Generalized anxiety disorder is a continuous anxiety lasting a month or more. People with this disorder feel anxious, worried and are preoccupied with feelings of doom. A person suffering from generalized anxiety disorder tends to worry about everything. They have a great deal of stress and have a difficult time relaxing.
Obsessive-Compulsive disorder is persistent, unwanted thoughts, which lead to repetitive actions. A good example of this would be someone who has a certain routine every time they leave the house. This could be checking to see if the ovens are off a certain number of times or continuously washing their hands. It is more common in upper class, educated people.
A person suffering from panic disorder could also have generalized anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder or have a phobia. Panic and generalized anxiety disorders seem to be the most linked. Studies have shown that the symptoms of people having panic disorders are more severe.
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