Anxiety disorders are a type of mental illness. Someone who has an anxiety disorder has
severe anxiety that interferes with his or her life. Anxiety is an
uncomfortable feeling of fear, uneasiness, or concern that something bad is
about to happen.
Anxiety disorders include:
Generalized anxiety disorder. This involves
several months of ongoing physical symptoms that occur along with
Panic disorders. These involve repeated episodes of sudden
fear and feelings of danger or impending doom, along with physical
Obsessive-compulsive disorder. This involves frequent,
repeated thoughts leading to repeated or persistent behavior (such as excessive
Post-traumatic stress disorder. This involves
reliving a traumatic event (such as a war experience or rape) and feelings of
numbness and disinterest in daily activities.
These disorders can be treated with medicines and/or
Anne C. Poinier, MD - Internal Medicine & Lisa S. Weinstock, MD - Psychiatry
How this information was developed to help you make better health decisions.