What forms can pathological anxiety take?

We could describe anxiety as that feeling of anguish and despair that covers us completely at some point. The heart begins to beat stronger and stronger and we are afraid even of life itself.

That fear that is capable of rendering us useless and leaving us paralyzed in the face of the situation causing it. The irony is that seeing ourselves unable to do nothing in the face of the situation, causes more fear and anxiety, making everything worse and worse.

We do not know what this terrible feeling is due to, but it overwhelms us and causes us a terrible discomfort; and even in some situations we feel physically sick. You have to pay close attention to these kinds of feelings., because they can be more dangerous than they seem.

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What is anxiety?

According to the DSM-5 anxiety is an anticipatory response to a future threat. Anxiety disorders share characteristics of excessive fear and anxiety, as well as associated behavioral disturbances.

The anxiety is associated with muscle tension and vigilance in relation to future danger, which causes exaggeratedly cautious and avoidant behaviors.

On the other hand, anxiety differs from fear because it is excessive and persists for a very long period.

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Anxiety disorders

There are at least eight types of anxiety disorders that differ from one another due to the type of situation that provokes the anxiety or avoidance behavior, and according to the associated cognition. That is, although these disorders may be similar, they are distinguished according to the type of situation that is feared and the type of thoughts that this situation provokes.

Among the most common anxiety disorders we have:

• separation anxiety disorder
• selective mutism
• social anxiety disorder
• panic disorder
• Agoraphobia
• specific phobias
• Generalized anxiety disorder
• Substance-Induced Anxiety Disorder
• Anxiety disorders caused by physical illness

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Characteristics of the main anxiety disorders

Keep in mind that each anxiety disorder has its main characteristics that will help us recognize it. Although in this article we are not going to talk much about the specifications of each anxiety disorder, I intend to make the main characteristics of each one clear.

1. separation anxiety disorder

People with this disorder are frightened and highly anxious about separation from the person with whom they feel attached. This anxiety affects the individual to such a degree that it interferes with her physical and mental development.

2. selective mutism

This disorder causes an inability to speak at events where there are expectations to speak. However, individuals with this disorder can speak normally under other circumstances. The lack of speech can bring great difficulties to people with this disorder in terms of academics, work and social.

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3. specific phobias

People show excessive fear of specific situations, or tend to avoid such situations. This fear or avoidance is induced as soon as the phobic situation or object is presented and is disproportionate to the degree of danger that the situation or object presents. There are different types of specific phobias, such as: animal phobia, natural environment phobia, blood or injection phobia, and situational phobia.

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4. social anxiety

People are afraid of situations in which it is necessary to interact with others. People with this disorder tend to avoid situations such as social gatherings. These people are afraid of being negatively evaluated by others because they feel ashamed, humiliated or rejected.

5. panic disorder

The person begins to feel a very high fear and anxiety accompanied by physical symptoms such as palpitations, dizziness and fainting. The person is often worried about having new attacks and changes her behavior due to the panic attack. Panic attacks can be expected when triggered by a specific object or situation, or unexpected when they occur for no apparent reason.

6. Agoraphobia

People with this disorder feel intense fear when they find themselves in any of the following situations: using public transport, being in open or closed spaces, or being in the middle of a crew.

7. Generalized anxiety

The person feels intense concern about common aspects of daily life, such as work, studies, the economy, children, health, etc. The concern can be so intense that it leads the individual to feel physical symptoms such as nervousness, fatigue, difficulty concentrating, sleep disturbances, among others.

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8. Substance-Induced Anxiety Disorder

In this disorder, anxiety symptoms are the product of intoxication or withdrawal of some substance such as drugs, alcohol or some type of medication.

9. Anxiety disorder due to physical illness

In this disorder, anxiety symptoms are physiologically caused by a general medical condition.

conclusion

Although anxiety is a fairly common problem in the lives of human beings, and we must take into account many factors to calculate the risk of it. In addition, it is worth mentioning that anxiety can be harmful both for the person who suffers from it and for those who are part of their environment.

An anxiety disorder differs from everyday anxiety in daily life due to the degree and persistence of fear and anxiety. We must be attentive to these factors in order to seek help at the right time..

Anxiety disorders can become dangerous, but with proper and timely treatment they can stop representing a problem for our development.