Anxiety Disorders

Anxiety is a feeling of nervousness, worry, or unease that is a normal human experience. It includes disorders that share features of excessive fear and anxiety and related behavioral disturbances.

Anxiety is considered a disorder when it

• Occurs at inappropriate times
• Occurs frequently
• Is so intense and long-lasting that it interferes with a person’s normal activities

Types of Anxiety Disorder:

• Generalized anxiety disorder
• Panic attacks and panic disorder
• Specific phobic disorders
• Agoraphobia
• Social anxiety

Anxiety disorders are more common than any other category of mental health disorder and affect approximately 15% of individuals in the United States. Significant anxiety can persist for years and begin to feel normal to the person with the anxiety. For this and other reasons, anxiety disorders are often not diagnosed or treated.