What is an anxiety disorder?

An anxiety disorder encompasses several different forms of a type of common psychiatric disorder. It is characterized by excessive worrying, uneasiness and fear about future uncertainties that are based upon real or imagined events.

Many psychiatric and medical syndromes may mimic the symptoms of an anxiety disorder including hyperthyroidism (frequently misdiagnosed as generalized anxiety disorder). The term anxiety encompasses four aspects of experiences an individual may have: mental apprehension, physical tension, physical symptoms and dissociative anxiety.

Common anxiety disorders

Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is one of the most common types of anxiety disorder that affects older adults. Those suffering from this disorder experience non-specific persistent fear, worry and become overly concerned with everyday matters.

Someone with GAD may have problems making daily decisions and remembering commitments as a result of lack of concentration and preoccupation with worry. Their physical appearance may look strained, with increased sweating from the hands and feet.

While GAD is common, a significant category of anxiety disorders are phobic disorders.

These include all cases in which fear and anxiety are triggered by a specific situation — between 5% and 12% of the population worldwide suffer from phobic disorders. Those with this disorder anticipate terrifying consequences from encountering the object of their fear. This may include an animal, a location, a bodily fluid or particular type of situation.

Sufferers of this anxiety disorder know that their fear is not relative to an actual danger, but continue to be overwhelmed by fear.

Another type of anxiety disorder is social anxiety. This disorder remains underrecognized in primary care practice. Patients often present for treatment only after the onset of complications such as clinical depression or substance abuse.

Causes and diagnosis

There are a multitude of psychosocial causes of anxiety disorders and they may include a genetic predisposition. Recent data suggest that as many as 18% of Americans and 14% of Europeans may be affected by one or more types of anxiety disorders.

The Taylor Manifest Anxiety Scale and the Zung Self-Rating Anxiety Scale are standardized screening questionnaires that can be used to detect anxiety symptoms and recommend the need for a formal diagnostic assessment. Before a diagnosis of anxiety disorder is made, physicians have to rule out drug-induced anxiety and medical causes.

Treatment

Early diagnosis and treatment are important in the treatment of anxiety disorders. Treatment options available include lifestyle changes, psychotherapy and pharmaceutical therapy. Education, reassurance and cognitive-behavioral therapy are also recommended in treatment.

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