Anxiety Series: Part 2. Facts About Anxiety
Are there different types of anxiety? How common are they?
Do a google search on anxiety and you’ll find all kinds of great, informative articles, like this one, or this one from NIMH, about the different ways it can show up. Below are some of the most common, and often misunderstood, types of anxiety.
Common Types of Anxiety
1. Social Anxiety Disorder
Social Anxiety Disorder, formerly known as social phobia, is an intense fear of saying or doing the wrong thing, being disliked, being embarrassed, humiliated or criticized in everyday social settings. What makes it a disorder? The fear is INTENSE, and typically happens across most social settings.
2. Panic Disorder
Panic Disorder is the name for when panic attacks happen repeatedly and unexpectedly, to the point where people constantly worry about having one or start avoiding things because of them. A true panic attack is an intense period of extreme anxiety that usually involves some combination of: difficulty breathing, accelerated heart rate, sweating, trembling, feeling of doom, and feeling you are ‘out of control’. Panic attacks can be so intense they are sometimes mistaken for heart attacks.
3. Phobias
Phobias involve an intense, sometimes irrational fear of a specific situation (e.g. fear of heights, elevators) or object (e.g. fear of snakes, needles). The fear is typically out of proportion to what is culturally accepted, and every effort is made to avoid the object or situation. The fear or avoidance significantly disrupts a person’s life.
4. Generalized Anxiety Disorder
Generalized Anxiety Disorder is worrying excessively, or more than normal, about many things or nothing in particular, on most days for a long period of time (at least 6 months for an actual diagnosis). Symptoms typically include: irritability, feeling ‘on-edge’, difficulty concentrating, difficulty sleeping, your mind going ‘blank’, restlessness, muscle tension, and fatigue.
Anxiety-Related Disorders
1. Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) commonly thought of as an endearing or ‘quirky issue’, OCD is a serious and debilitating disorder. It involves recurrent, persistent often intrusive thoughts that are intensely stressful. Attempts are usually made to get rid of or ‘neutralize’ the thoughts by engaging in a ritual, like checking the knobs on a stovetop 5 times each before leaving the kitchen, or silently rehearsing the alphabet when hearing the doorbell ring. The thoughts or rituals take up a significant amount of time and cause a lot of distress.
2. Trauma-Related Anxiety
Trauma-related anxiety is any kind of anxious or stress-related response to a major stress or life-threatening event. It is generally an understandable reaction to an overwhelming, terrifying situation which causes anxiety of some kind afterwards.
Quick Facts on Anxiety
According to the NIMH, approximately 19.1% of adults have had an anxiety disorder in the past year, while 31.1% will have one at some point in their lifetime. Women are more likely than men to experience anxiety. During COVID-19 in June 2020, reported symptoms of anxiety increased approximately 3 times those reported during the same period in the previous year, June 2019.
The contents of this blog are for informational purposes only. This blog is not intended to be a substitute for professional advice, diagnosis, or treatment that can be provided by your own mental health practitioner. If you have any specific concerns about your mental health, you should consult your doctor and you should not delay seeking medical advice, or treatment for your mental health, because of information on this blog.
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Sabrina Tropper, LMHC
Sabrina Tropper, LMHC is a therapist and the founder of Counseling Works NYC. She works with individuals in New York who are experiencing relationship troubles, life transitions, or trauma.