Are you suffering from anxiety? Or do you feel very stressed in your life? Ever asked the question “what is an anxiety disorders?” to yourself or your doctor? Many people experience a high period of anxiety in their lives. However, not everyone who experiences anxiety has an anxiety disorder.
On this page I’ll give you a specific overview of the most common anxiety disorders. If you suffer from very high levels of anxiety in your day-to-day life, then chances are that you have one of these.
You can read the descriptions and find out. Also, I’ll give you a tip for a supplement that can drastically help you reduce anxiety. You can read about at the end of this page.
What is an anxiety disorders?
‘what is an anxiety disorders?’ is a question that many people ask. Anxiety disorders is a group name for a series of disorders that can all have anxiety in common. The cause of this can be biochemical, genetic or environmental factors.
If you suffer from any of these disorders, you likely experience a high degree of anxiety and fear in your life.
Anxiety is a form of excessive worrying about future events. Fear is a reaction to present events.
Do you suffer from an anxiety disorder?
Since there are many different types of anxiety disorders, you can find out best if you suffer from one by reading the descriptions of each respective disorder. However, if you suffer from excessive anxiety, that cannot be traced back to a normal response, then chances are high that you suffer from one.
Again, if you suffer from anxiety once in a while, then don’t worry. This is completely normal. However, if you experience excessive anxiety on a regular basis, then you might have an anxiety disorder.
Note: I’m not a doctor. I have had a period in my life in which I was experience bouts of OCD. So I do know quite a bit about the subject. If you think you have an a serious disorder, it’s best to go and see a doctor!
Different types of anxiety disorders
Here is a list of the most common anxiety disorders. What is an anxiety disorders and do you suffer from it? Read each description carefully to find out.
General anxiety disorder
In short, this disorder is called GAD. It’s a common disorder which is characterized by a long-lasting anxiety that is not explainable by a certain object, event or situation.
People who suffer from GAD experience fear on a constant basis. They are overly concerned with simple daily matters and experience 3 or more of the following symptoms:
- fatigue
- restlessness
- irritability
- muscle tension
- concentration issues
- bad sleep
If you experience constant worry and 3 or more from the previous series of symptoms, then you probably have general anxiety disorder.
Specific phobias
It is estimated that around 5-12% of the world adult population suffers from a specific phobia.
A phobia is when a person experiences extreme fear and anticipates horrible consequences when they encounter the object of their fear. Most people who suffer from phobias know that their fear is irrational, but they still feel overwhelmed by it.
Common phobias are:
- Animals (snakes, spiders)
- Blood
- Heights
- Dark
- Clowns
Panic disorder
A panic disorder is when a person has a short attack of intense terror. It will be difficult to breathe, the person will experience shaking, confusion, dizziness and sometimes nausea.
Panic attacks can be short (less than 10 minutes), but some people experience hours of panic.
It is still unsure why people experience panic attacks, but causes can be:
- stress
- exercise
- fear
Social anxiety
People who suffer from social anxiety usually experience intense fear for negative opinions about themselves from others, social embarrassment and humiliation.
Sometimes a person can even fear social interaction. This is a phobia that can be very troublesome. The symptoms of social anxiety are often physical symptoms, such as:
- blushing
- sweating
- difficulty speaking
Many people who suffer from social anxiety choose to avoid social interactions. They can therefore easily fall into social isolation.
Post-traumatic stress
Post traumatic stress disorder is when a person has encountered a traumatic experience, such as combat, rape, natural disasters or child abuse.
The symptoms of this anxiety disorder are:
- flashbacks
- hypervigilance
- anxiety
- anger
- depression
If you suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder, you should go and see a doctor.
Situational anxiety
Many people experience this kind of anxiety at one point in their lives. It is when you experience high anxiety levels in a certain situation. This can be in crowded or tight spaces.
But sometimes people also suffer from it when they enter a complete new environment. Think about entering college, getting married or even having children.
Again, this form of anxiety is more common, so if you experience it, it doesn’t mean that you really have a problem. Situational anxiety can be a form of coping with a certain situation.
If the problem persists for a longer period of time, than you might have to go and see a doctor
Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD)
OCD can be characterized as a condition in which a person has obsessions and compulsions.
Often a person has intrusive thoughts that are causing stress. Often these are accompanied by anxiety.
When a person has intrusive thoughts, they often perform a specific action to get rid of the anxiety.
However, this is often not a permanent solution and within a short period of time, the intrusive thoughts will come back.
Simple example that everyone can identify with: you’re going on vacation and 20 minutes after you’ve left the house you wonder whether you’ve turned off the gas, closed all the windows, locked your door etc.
This is normal. However, if you’re constantly worrying about for your entire vacation, and even call people to check your house multiple times, then is starts to look like OCD.
And this example even deal with a rational fear. Most people with OCD worry about trivial things, such as having their apartment completely straight, only having things in pairs and other things that shouldn’t cause worry to the normal person.
Final words: what is an anxiety disorders
If you’re worrying if you have an anxiety disorder. You can read the previous list to see if you identify with one. You can go see a doctor that can help you.
P.S. Did you know that you can also take natural supplements against anxiety? I successfully used L theanine to overcome OCD attacks. You can read my article about how L theanine helps with anxiety here.