>>> Anxiety Disorders - Introduction <<<

What are Anxiety Disorders?

Anxiety, worries and fear are universal human emotions which have an essential role for the existence of the human kind. They are natural, spontaneous reactions of our body to anything that our brain registers as potentially dangerous or unpleasant. These emotions help us to stay alert and at the same time they force the brain to think about appropriate action to deal with such situations. Depending on the circumstances, the function of fear, anxiety and worries could be either cautionary or adaptive. Fear is always associated with a particular object or situation while anxiety and worries are just reflections of inner body emotional distress.

Emotions arise and disappear regularly and they are integral and very important part of normal, everyday human life. However, when fear, worries and anxiety start occurring without a valid, rational reason and when they become excessive and begin interfering with someone’s family and social life, then we talk about anxiety disorders.

Anxiety disorders are the most common form of all mental disorders, illnesses and conditions. It is hard to tell exactly what portion of the World’s population suffers from anxiety disorders but according to the various statistical data and researches from different countries and organizations, this number is huge. Citizens of the highly developed Western countries are the most likely group to be struck by anxiety disorders. Stress, pressure and high expectations are usually the main culprits.

Researches in some countries have shown that up to 25% (1 in every 4 people) of the population will develop some kind of anxiety disorder at some point in their life. That is certainly a very scary and alarming prediction. Unfortunately, that is the price we have to pay for the “privilege” of being a part of this fast moving, ever changing and over competing modern, industrial World. Inability to cope with stress and pressure and, even more importantly, lack of information and training on this subject matter is quickly affecting and destroying mental health of millions of people across the globe.

Anxiety disorders usually start occurring in the early adulthood (early 30’s) and women are 2-3 times more likely than men to become victims of these unpleasant and nasty disorders.

The following disorders and phobias all come under the category of “Anxiety Disorders”:

Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)
Exaggerated anxiety, worries and tensions often without provocation…

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
Undertaking repetitive, unnecessary actions in order to eliminate unwanted, obsessive thoughts…

Panic Disorder
Repetitive, unexpected panic attacks…

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
Consistent “flashbacks” of the traumas or terrifying events that happened in the past…

Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD) or Social Phobia
Overwhelming anxiety in everyday social situations…

Specific Phobias
Exaggerated fear of certain objects, living things or situations…

Agoraphobia
Fear of having a panic attack. Often misunderstood as a fear of open spaces…