Overview of Anxiety Disorders

OVERVIEW OF ANXIETY DISORDERS

Anxiety disorders are diagnosed when anxiety no longer functions as a signal of danger or a motivation for needed change but becomes chronic and permeates major portions of the person’s life, resulting in maladaptive behav-iors and emotional disability. Anxiety disorders have many manifestations, but anxiety is the key feature of each (American Psychiatric Association [APA], 2000). Types of anxiety disorders include the following:

·    Agoraphobia with or without panic disorder

·    Panic disorder

·    Specific phobia

·    Social phobia

·    OCD

·    Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD)

·    Acute stress disorder

·    Posttraumatic stress disorder.