Anxiety disorder
Anxiety disorders are a cluster of mental disorders characterized by significant and uncontrollable feelings of anxiety and fear such that a person's social, occupational, and personal functions are significantly impaired. Anxiety may cause physical and cognitive symptoms, such as restlessness, irritability, easy fatigue, difficulty concentrating, increased heart rate, chest pain, abdominal pain, and a variety of other symptoms that may vary based on the individual.
| Anxiety disorder | |
|---|---|
| The Scream (Norwegian: Skrik) a painting by Norwegian artist Edvard Munch | |
| Specialty | Psychiatry, clinical psychology |
| Symptoms | Worrying, fast heart rate, shakiness |
| Complications | Depression, trouble sleeping, poor quality of life, substance use disorder, alcohol use disorder, suicide |
| Usual onset | 15–35 years old |
| Duration | Over 6 months |
| Causes | Genetic, environmental, and psychological factors |
| Risk factors | Child abuse, family history, poverty |
| Diagnostic method | Psychological assessment |
| Differential diagnosis | Hyperthyroidism; heart disease; caffeine, alcohol, cannabis use; withdrawal from certain drugs |
| Treatment | Lifestyle changes, counselling, medications |
| Medication | Benzodiazepines, antidepressants, anxiolytics, beta blockers, pregabalin |
| Frequency | 12% per year |
In casual discourse, the words anxiety and fear are often used interchangeably. In clinical usage, they have distinct meanings; anxiety is clinically defined as an unpleasant emotional state for which the cause is either not readily identified or perceived to be uncontrollable or unavoidable, whereas fear is clinically defined as an emotional and physiological response to a recognized external threat. The umbrella term 'anxiety disorder' refers to a number of specific disorders that include fears (phobias) and/or anxiety symptoms.
There are several types of anxiety disorders, including generalized anxiety disorder, hypochondriasis, specific phobia, social anxiety disorder, separation anxiety disorder, agoraphobia, panic disorder, and selective mutism. Individual disorders can be diagnosed using the specific and unique symptoms, triggering events, and timing of a given person. A medical professional must evaluate a person before diagnosing them with an anxiety disorder to ensure that their anxiety cannot be attributed to another medical illness or mental disorder. It is possible for an individual to have more than one anxiety disorder during their life or to have more than one anxiety disorder at the same time.
Anxiety disorders are the most common type of mental disorder. They affect nearly 30% of adults at some point in their lives, an estimated 4% of the global population currently experiencing an anxiety disorder. However, anxiety disorders are treatable, and a number of effective treatments are available. Most people are able to lead normal, productive lives with some form of treatment.