There is more than just one type of anxiety disorder and many people do not realize that.
This article will briefly explain some of the most common types of anxiety disorders so that you will be better able to identify if you or a loved one is suffering from an anxiety disorder and if so, which one.
Take your time to look over all of these disorders if you are interested in learning more about them.
You may even find out something that you did not know.
The first type of anxiety disorder is generalized anxiety disorder.
This is actually relatively common and it is the most common for many older adults.
Generalized anxiety disorder is defined by the excessive worry about anything.
The person that is suffering from this type of anxiety will focus on everyday things and activities and worry about them all day long.
This worry and concern can not be controlled and may take over the person's life.
It may be very difficult to function without the worry and anxiety.
The next type of anxiety disorder that may present itself is panic attacks or panic disorders.
This is usually seen by an increase fear and intense worry that simply comes out of nowhere.
Many people may not be able to identify a trigger to these attacks but he or she may begin to sweat, become confused, tremble or even have trouble breathing.
Panic attacks can be very frightening for the individual that is suffering from them and they may not be able to control them because they do not know when they are going to happen.
Phobias are also placed under anxiety disorders.
Phobias are defined as an intense fear of something or an object.
Some people may even have a phobia of a bodily fluid.
The fear of these places or objects creates panic for the person when they are expected to be around their fear.
There are a lot of different phobias that people may suffer from and they need to be worked through just like any other type of anxiety disorder if the individual wants to get relief from them.
Social anxiety disorder is the fear of being in a public place or being around a large group of people.
The person that is suffering from this type of anxiety disorder may be afraid that he or she will be scrutinized or embarrassed in the public place or in front of other people.
These individuals may even hide away from others and have a hard time entering public places.
These thoughts need to be challenged and the person needs to work through their thoughts and determine where their inaccurate beliefs are coming from.
This may take a lot of time and effort on the part of the patient as they learn to identify where this fear comes from and they work to overcome it.
Obsessive compulsive disorder is another anxiety disorder that may be seen.
This is where an individual feels that he or she needs to complete a pattern in order to avoid a negative consequence.
They believe that the consequence is directly related to the pattern when, in reality, no connection exists.
This can be very difficult to work through because of the person's beliefs.
The obsession or compulsion may over take the person's life and it may be difficult to function because of it.
If you believe that you or someone you love is suffering from an anxiety disorder you need to get help.
Talk to your doctor about the symptoms so that an accurate diagnosis can be made.
This is the first step towards treatment.
Educate yourself about the disorder and learn all that you can in order to work towards decreasing your symptoms and getting back to your normal life.
Remember that you will need to do some work in order to feel better.
You will not be able to get over your anxiety if you are not willing to take the steps to improve your life.
Many people want to take a pill and make it all go away.
This is often not the case.
There are non medication approaches to fighting anxiety and start feeling better.
This really is the best thing you can do to feel better.