What Are Anxiety Disorders?

Nearly everyone in their lfietime has had symptoms of anxiety .

But when it is considered a positive thing or a negative influence in lfie?

There will be hundreds of opinions here, but the general consensus is that when anxiety starts to cause you to function LESS well, rather than to function BETTER, then it may be considered a problem.

To qualify as an anxiety disorder, the official definition, as used by family physicians and psychiatrists, relies on certain criteria being met.

And this criteria includes the fact that the anxiety is affecting a person's functioning, either at your work life or in your social life.

The different types of anxiety disorders include:

• Panic disorder, with and without agoraphobia
• Agoraphobia, with and without a history of panic disorder
• Generalized anxiety disorder
• Social phobia
• Specific phobia
• Obsessive compulsive disorder
• Acute stress disorder
• Post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
• Adjustment disorders
• Anxiety disorders caused by general medical conditions
• Anxiety disorders caused by substance (drug) use

And the diagnosis is usually made, as mentioned with a set of criteria, eg the DSM-IV criteria.

This is an international criteria used by doctors, where typically you have:

1. A certain number of symptoms of the following list… (list of symptoms given)

2. Symptoms for a certain period of time… (a period of time specified)

3. Where function is impaired… (for example functioning at work or in social life)

4. Where the condition is not caused by medical or drug causes… (if so, fits into the medical and drug caused group of disorders)

And the symptoms and criteria are a little different for each type of anxiety disorder.

But note the fact that the anxiety is affecting your life in a negative way.