The 7 types of anxiety (characteristics, causes and symptoms)

Anxiety disorders are one of the most common reasons people seek psychotherapy. This type of psychological alteration presents typical symptoms of extreme activation of the nervous system, and these are usually emotional, physiological and cognitive (of thought).

Now, in order to overcome this form of discomfort, it is important to know its variants well. So here we will review the different types of anxiety disorders through a summary of their characteristics, to know them one by one and distinguish them from each other.

Anxiety disorders: a very common pathology

We have all felt anxiety from time to time. It is a normal emotion. It is possible that, just before an exam, because of a work problem or because you needed to make an important decision, you have experienced its symptoms.

This occurs because anxiety is a normal reaction of people in situations of stress and uncertainty. The problem arises when various anxious symptoms cause distress or some degree of impairment functional in the life of the individual who suffers it, since it affects the functioning in different areas of his life. For example: social and family relationships, work, school. Then anxiety disorder is diagnosed.

Anxiety disorders are one of the most common psychological pathologies. Now, with appropriate treatment, people who suffer from it can learn to manage their symptoms and improve their quality of life.

Since there are notable differences between the different types of anxiety disorders, in today's article we explain the different types of anxiety:

1. Generalized anxiety disorder

Many individuals feel anxious or worried from time to time, especially when dealing with situations that can be stressful: speaking in public, playing a soccer game that means a lot, or going to a job interview. This type of anxiety can make you alert, helping you to be more productive and get work done more efficiently.

People who suffer in generalized anxiety disorder (ADD)However, they feel anxious and worried most of the time, not just in potentially stressful situations. These worries are intense, irrational, persistent (at least half the days for at least 6 months) and interfere with the normal functioning in their daily life (activities such as work, school, friends and family), as they are difficult to control.

• You can know more about the symptoms. the causes and treatment of this pathology in the article: "Generalized Anxiety Disorder: symptoms, causes and treatment"

2. Panic disorder

The panic disorder it is a very debilitating anxiety disorder and different from ADD. While generalized anxiety disorder is known as trait anxiety, as it lasts longer, panic disorder It is known as state anxiety, since its symptoms are acute.

People with panic disorder experience feelings of death or the possibility of running out of air, which can cause both psychological and physical problems. In fact, the sensation can be so intense that it requires hospitalization.

In summary, the panic attack is characterized by:

• The presence of recurring and unexpected panic attacks
• Worry after you have had a panic attack that another will occur, for at least a month.
• Concern about the implications or consequences of a panic attack (such as thinking that the panic attack is a sign of an undiagnosed medical problem). For example, some people have repeated medical tests because of these concerns, and despite negative test results, they still have fears of discomfort.
• Significant changes in behavior that are related to panic attacks (such as avoiding activities such as physical exercise, as it increases the heart rate).

Panic attacks peak within 10 minutes and they usually last up to half an hour, making the person feel tired or exhausted. They can occur several times a day or only once every few years.

• You can learn more about panic attack in our article: "Panic attacks: causes, symptoms and treatment"

3. Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

Anxious thoughts can influence our behavior, which can sometimes be positive. For example, thinking that you may have left the oven on can make you go check it out. However, if these types of thoughts are recurrent it can lead an individual to carry out unhealthy behaviors.

The Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) it is characterized because the individual who suffers it has intrusive thoughts, ideas or images. These cause anxiety (obsessions), and cause the person to perform certain rituals or actions (compulsions) to reduce discomfort.

Some examples of obsessive thoughts are: fear of contamination or a feeling of doubt (for example, have I closed the front door?), Among others. Compulsions are, for example: washing hands, repeatedly checking that the door is closed, counting, repeatedly organizing things, and so on.

On the other hand, it must be taken into account that OCD is a hybrid disorder, which is sometimes not considered part of anxiety disorders but of impulse control disorders or on its own category, the obsessive-compulsive spectrum.

• In our article “Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD): what is it and how does it manifest?”You can delve into this psychopathology

4. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

This condition occurs when the person has experienced a traumatic situation that has caused great psychological stress, which can be disabling. When the person relives the event that caused the trauma, he may experience the following: symptoms: nightmares, feelings of anger, irritability or emotional fatigue, detachment towards others, etc.

Due to the great anxiety that the individual feels. He may try to avoid situations or activities that remind him of the event that triggered the trauma. Traumatic events can be, for example. a serious traffic accident, sexual abuse, torture during the war ...

• Learn more about the anxiety disorder that can appear after a great emotional shock in our text: "Post Traumatic Stress Disorder or PTSD"

5. Social phobia

The social phobia it is characterized by an irrational fear towards situations of social interaction. For example, individuals who suffer from this type of anxiety disorder feel disabling anxiety when they have to speak in public, because they are afraid of being judged, criticized, humiliated and they think that others are going to laugh at them in front of others. Social phobia is a serious disorder, and some individuals may even experience it when talking on the phone or eating in front of other people.

Even though these people know that they shouldn't feel too bad about situations triggers, they cannot control their fear and anxiety, so they often avoid these types of situations. Social phobia is often confused with shynessBut not all shy people suffer from social phobia. According to a study published in the Journal Pediatrics In 2011, only 12 percent of shy people met the criteria for Social Phobia.

We explain more about this study and about social phobia in this link.

6. Agoraphobia

The agoraphobia It is usually associated with the irrational fear of being in open spaces such as large streets or parks. Actually, the agoraphobic feels strong anguish produced by situations in which they feel unprotected and vulnerable in the face of anxiety attacks that are beyond your control. Therefore, fear is not produced by these spaces per se, but by the consequences of being exposed to that place, where you feel defenseless. This means that in the most serious cases, the patient can seclude himself at home as a form of avoidance.

If you are interested in knowing more about agoraphobia, dick here.

7. Specific phobia

A specific phobia is an anxiety disorder characterized by a strong irrational fear of a stimulus, for example, a situation, an object, a place, or an insect. The person suffering from a phobic disorder does everything possible to avoid that stimulus that causes them anxiety, and this avoidance behavior can interfere with the normal functioning of your life daily.

Specific phobias are many, some of them very strange. Some phobias are known and others are not so well known, such as coulrophobia or fear of clowns, the philophobia or fear of falling in love, the amaxophobia or fear of driving.

• The DSM IV manual distinguishes between five subtypes of specific phobias. Get to know them in this article: "Types of Phobias: Exploring Fear Disorders"

Bibliographic references:

• Bonnot O, Herrera PM, Tordjman S, Walterfang M (May 19, 2015). Secondary psychosis induced by metabolic disorders. Front Neurosci.
• Hofmann SG, Dibartolo PM (2010). Introduction: Toward an Understanding of Social Anxiety Disorder. Social Anxiety.
• Stephan WG, Stephan CW (1985). Intergroup Anxiety. Journal of Social Issues.
• Nestadt, G.; Samuels, J.; Riddle, M.A.; Liang, K.I. et.al. (2001). The relationship between obsessive – compulsive disorder and anxiety and affective disorders: results from the Johns Hopkins OCD Family Study. Psychological Medicine 31.