The 7 types of anxiety (characteristics, causes and symptoms)

The causes and symptoms of anxiety can differ greatly from one case to another.

Anxiety disorders are one of the most common reasons why people seek psychotherapy. This type of psychological disturbance presents typical symptoms of extreme activation of the nervous system, and these are usually emotional, physiological and cognitive (thinking).

However, in order to be able to overcome this form of discomfort, it is important to have a good knowledge of its variants. That is why here we will we will give an overview of the different types of anxiety disorders through a summary of their characteristics. through a summary of their characteristics, to know them one by one and distinguish them from each other.

Anxiety disorders: a very common pathology

We have all felt anxiety from time to time. It is a normal emotion. It is possible that, just before an exam, because of a work problem or because you needed to make an important decision, you have experienced its symptoms.

This is because anxiety is a normal reaction of people to situations of stress and uncertainty. The problem arises when several anxious symptoms cause distress or some degree of functional impairment in the life of the individual who suffers from it, as it affects functioning in different areas of his or her life. For example: social and family relationships, work, school. Anxiety disorder is then diagnosed.

Anxiety disorders are one of the most common psychological pathologies. However, with appropriate treatment, sufferers can learn to manage their symptoms and improve their quality of life.

Since there are significant differences between the different types of anxiety disorders, in today's article we explain the different types of anxiety:

1. Generalized anxiety disorder

Many individuals feel anxious or worried from time to time, especially when they have to deal with situations that can be stressful: public speaking, playing in a meaningful soccer game, or going to a job interview. This type of anxiety can make you alert, helping you to be more productive and get the job done more efficiently.

People who suffer from generalized anxiety disorder (GAD)However, they feel anxiety and worry most of the time, not just in potentially stressful situations. These worries are intense, irrational, persistent (at least half of the days for at least 6 months) and interfere with normal functioning in their daily life (activities such as work, school, friends and family), as they are difficult to control.

• You can learn more about the symptoms, causes and treatment of this pathology in the article: "Generalized Anxiety Disorder: symptoms, causes and treatment".

Panic disorder

The panic disorder is a very debilitating anxiety disorder and is different from TAD. While generalized anxiety disorder is known as trait anxiety, because it is more long-lasting, panic disorder is known as state anxiety, because it is more long-lasting. is known as state anxiety, because its symptomatology is acute..

People with panic disorder experience feelings of death or the possibility of running out of air, which can cause both psychological and physical problems. In fact, the sensation may be so intense that it requires hospitalization.

In summary, the panic attack is characterized by:

• The presence of recurrent and unexpected panic attacks.
• Worry after having had a panic attack that another one will occur for at least a month.
• Worry about the implications or consequences of a panic attack (such as thinking that the panic attack is a sign of an undiagnosed medical problem). For example , some people have repeated medical tests because of these concerns and, despite negative test results, still have fears of discomfort .
• Significant changes in behavior that are related to panic attacks (such as avoiding activities like physical exercise because it increases the Heart rate).

Panic attacks peak within 10 minutes. and usually last up to half an hour, making the person feel tired or exhausted. They may occur several times a day or only once every few years.

• You can learn more about panic attacks in our article: "Panic attacks: causes, symptoms and treatment".

3. Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

Anxious thoughts can influence our behavior, which can sometimes be positive. For example, thinking that you may have left the oven on may cause you to go check it out. However, if these types of thoughts are recurrent they can lead an individual to engage in unhealthy behaviors..

The Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is characterized by the individual suffering from it having intrusive thoughts, ideas or images. These cause anxiety (obsessions), and cause the person to perform certain rituals or actions (compulsions) to reduce the discomfort.

Some examples of obsessive thoughts are: fear of contamination or feeling of doubt (for example, have I locked the door at home?), among others. Compulsions are, for example: washing hands, repeatedly checking that the door is closed, counting, repeatedly organizing things, and so on.

On the other hand, it should be noted that OCD is a hybrid disorder, which is sometimes not considered part of the anxiety disorders but of the impulse control disorders or in its own category, the obsessive-compulsive spectrum.

• In our article "Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD): what is it and how does it manifest itself?" you can learn more about this psychopathology.

4. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

This condition occurs when the person has lived through a traumatic situation that has caused great psychological stress, which can be incapacitating.which can be disabling. When the person relives the event that caused the trauma, he/she may experience the following symptoms: nightmares, feelings of anger, irritability or emotional fatigue, detachment from others, etcetera.

Due to the high anxiety felt by the individual, he/she may try to avoid situations or activities that remind him/her of the event that caused the trauma. Traumatic events can be, for example, a serious traffic accident, sexual abuse, torture during war...

• Learn more about the anxiety disorder that can appear after a major emotional shock in our text: "Post Traumatic Stress Disorder or PTSD".

5. Social phobia

The social phobia is characterized by an irrational fear of social interaction situations. For example, individuals who suffer from this type of anxiety disorder feel disabling anxiety when they have to speak in public.Because they are afraid of being judged, criticized, humiliated and think that others will laugh at them in front of others. Social phobia is a serious disorder, and some individuals may even suffer from it when talking on the phone or eating in front of other people.

Although these individuals know that they should not feel so bad in trigger situations, they cannot control their fear and anxiety, so they often avoid such situations. Social phobia is often confused with shyness, but not all shy people suffer from social phobia. According to a study published in the Journal Pediatrics in 2011, only 12 percent of people with shyness meet the criteria for social phobia.

We explain more about this study and about social phobia in this link.

6. Agoraphobia

The agoraphobia is often associated with an irrational fear of being in open spaces such as large streets or parks. In reality, the agoraphobic feels a strong anguish produced by situations in which he/she feels unprotected and vulnerable and vulnerable to anxiety crises beyond his or her control. Therefore, the fear is not produced by these spaces per se, but by the consequences of being exposed to that place, in which he/she feels defenseless. This means that in the most severe cases, the patient may confine himself at home as a form of avoidance.

If you are interested in knowing more about agoraphobia, click here.

7. Specific phobia

An specific phobia is an anxiety disorder characterized by a strong irrational fear of a stimulus, for example, a situation, an object, a place or an insect.. The person suffering from a phobic disorder goes to great lengths to avoid the anxiety-provoking stimulus, and this avoidance behavior can interfere with normal functioning in daily life.

Specific phobias are many, some of them very strange. Some phobias are well known and others not so well known, such as coulrophobia or fear of clowns, philophobia or fear of falling in love, amaxophobia or fear of driving.

• The DSM IV manual distinguishes between five subtypes of specific phobias. Get to know them in this article: "Types of phobias: exploring fear disorders".

Bibliographic references:

• Bonnot O, Herrera PM, Tordjman S, Walterfang M (May 19, 2015). Secondary psychosis induced by metabolic disorders. Front Neurosci.
• Hofmann SG, Dibartolo PM (2010). Introduction: Toward an Understanding of Social Anxiety Disorder. Social Anxiety.
• Stephan WG, Stephan CW (1985). Intergroup Anxiety. Journal of Social Issues.
• Nestadt, G.; Samuels, J.; Riddle, M.A.; Liang, K.I. et.al. (2001). The relationship between obsessive–compulsive disorder and anxiety and affective disorders: results from the Johns Hopkins OCD Family Study. Psychological Medicine 31.