Types of anxiety disorders

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Anxiety disorder is classified into several types. There are six main types of anxiety disorders, which have their own proper symptoms. These types are generalized anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, panic disorder, phobia and obsessive-compulsive disorder.

In the case you constantly experience unexplained fears and worries which greatly interferes you everyday life and common activities or in the situation you have a persistent feeling that something bad can happen you have the so-called generalized anxiety disorder or GAD. People with generalized anxiety disorder are easy to be defined. They practically all the time feel anxious because of various even trifling situations. Usually they cannot explain the reason of their worries as they may not understand why the thing happens to them. Generalized anxiety disorder is often accompanied by various physical symptoms, such as fatigue, insomnia, restlessness and problems with stomach.

In the case you experience a constant fear of being negatively treated or even humiliated by the other people you have social anxiety disorder. It can be also called social phobia. Sometimes social anxiety disorder is mixed with the extreme shyness. If a person has a severe form of social phobia, he avoids being in public. The most common type of social anxiety disorder is called performance anxiety or stage fright.

Post-traumatic stress disorder occurs after various life-threatening or traumatic events. Post-traumatic stress disorder includes the following symptoms: nightmares, flashbacks, easy startling, hyper vigilance, and some others. People with post-traumatic stress disorder avoid the situations, which remind the previous bad event.

Panic disorder happens when a person feels unexpected constant panic attacks or fears. Panic disorder is sometimes followed by agoraphobia (fear of occurring in the place where it will be difficult to get help or escape in the case of a panic attack). If you experience agoraphobia, you avoid enclosed spaces, such as elevators, airplanes, etc. or public places like shops or movie theatres.

Phobia is a type of anxiety disorder when occurs an unrealistic fear of certain activities, objects, situations, which in reality are not dangerous at all. Phobias include flying fear, height fear, fear of spiders and snakes, etc. People having a phobia try to avoid the object of it, which only worsens the situation, and your phobia becomes greater.

Obsessive-compulsive disorder or OCD is caused by unwanted behavior or thoughts, which cannot be controlled. People with obsessive-compulsive disorder you have a constant worry that you can lose money or keys, that you forgot to turn off the iron or that you can hurt somebody. A person with obsessive-compulsive disorder can have uncontrollable compulsion. For example, he can constantly wash his hands.