Do you find yourself feeling stressed out when you're studying for an important exam
Or when you're practicing repeatedly in front of a mirror before a presentation?
It's perfectly normal to feel stressed out or anxious every now and then
Unfortunately for some of us our anxiety
can get so out of hand that we feel this way constantly
That chronic feeling of anxiousness and fear is the marking of an anxiety disorder
Before we begin we'd like to make a short disclaimer
Please don't use this video to self-diagnose!
If you can relate to most of the signs,
we do advise you to go to a qualified medical health professional for proper diagnosis
With that being said,
Psych2Go presents to you the Seven Types of Anxiety Disorders
One) Generalized anxiety disorder also known as GAD
It's the most common among anxiety disorders to be diagnosed
People with GAD suffer from intense and persistent worry
a GAD sufferer can worry or feel anxious about a number of events
Ranging from school or work to their family life at home
This anxiety is associated with at least three of these symptoms:
Restlessness, Fatigue, Difficulty Concentrating,
Irritability, Muscle Tension,
Insomnia, or Difficulty Falling Asleep
People with GAD,
often can't explain their anxiety using specific fears like those with more specific anxiety disorders can
And this is because their anxiety stems from various stimuli
Those who suffer from GAD can find relief in a number of treatment options
Ranging from mindfulness meditation and brisk exercise
to cognitive-behavioural therapies and medications.
Two) Separation Anxiety Disorder
This type of anxiety is more common in children than adults.
For many, the mere thought of separation causes a high amount of stress
People with separation anxiety worry that something
unexpected could separate them from their attachment figure
Or that their attachment figure will abandon them
This anxiety presents as nightmares of being alone
and a persistent refusal to leave their attachment figure
Kids with separation anxiety may be clingy and insist on sleeping with their parents at night
Children often grow out of separation anxiety disorder,
but if it persists for six months or longer, they should be provided help
Adult sufferers may also find benefit from the available therapies
Three) Social Anxiety Disorder, Social Phobia and Selective mutism
Social anxiety disorder also known as "S.A.D."
refers to the fear of public situations and exposure to unfamiliar people
S.A.D. sufferers tend to avoid situations in which they're in the spotlight
because they're worried that they'll be embarrassed or judged by others
The thought or the anticipation alone of an upcoming social situation
can cause major anxiety-related symptoms like panic attacks or severe stomach pain
People with S.A.D. may show signs of stress in these forms:
Little to no eye contact,
Freezing in place, Running off, or Avoiding tasks like eating in public
Children and adults alike can suffer from S.A.D.
But some children with social anxiety may also have a more intense and ability to function in social situations
Selective mutism is a type of social anxiety
in which a child is unable to speak in social situations
Despite being able to speak normally otherwise
Often times, this problem arises at school or in the presence of strangers
If a child with selective mutism is able to communicate at all.
They might only be able to nod or whisper
Four) Panic disorder
It becomes a disorder when an individual experiences panic attacks multiple times in their lifetime
Panic attacks are intense bursts of fear followed
by a range of physical symptoms, these include at least four of the following:
Cold sweats, Muscle stiffness or Trembling,
Hyperventilation, which is fast, shallow breathing
Lightheadedness, Numbness or the Fear of death and/or Insanity
The fear afterward of another panic attack.
Sometimes actually provokes more panic attacks
More often than not, panic attacks are had in combination with other anxiety disorders
Therapy along with medications can help in handling panic disorder
Five) Agoraphobia
Does your local train station seem intimidating?
You feel faint in a crowded place?
Agoraphobia is the fear of public places
Anxiety arises because they deem them as too open or dangerous
It's triggered by fears like becoming a victim of crime
or of contracting a disease or illness
Its sufferers coop themselves up in their homes where they're comfortable and familiar with their environment
Agoraphobe often become over-dependent on
other people to compensate for their inability to cope in public
Agoraphobia can develop at any age and can be extremely debilitating
Exposure therapy works effectively against Agoraphobia in conjunction with medication
Six) Specific Phobia
These are persistent and extreme fears about a specific
object or situation and cause a ton of stress to the sufferer
Phobias can be environmental
like Acrophobia, the fear of heights and they can be animal-based
Or even situational like Taphophobia, the fear of being buried alive
Such phobias often arise due to traumatic experiences
that cause people to make negative associations with these objects or situations
Someone who was clawed in the face by a cat in their childhood
might have an avid fear of cats in their adulthood
In cases where exposure therapy may not be safe or applicable
Cognitive behavioural therapy can be effective
in changing a person's negative association to their feared object or situation
Seven) Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder OCD and Post-Traumatic StressDisorder PTSD
Yes, OCD and PTSD were categorized by many psychiatrists
as disorders to be grouped with the aforementioned anxiety disorders
Recently there have been new findings about these disorders
that team them both unique enough to be in categories of their own
However, this is not to suggest that OCD and PTSD are any less important to deal with
The common thread that group disorders like GAD, S.A.D., panic disorder and phobias together
Is that sufferers of these anxiety disorders experience future-oriented fear?
OCD differs, and that though there is anxiety felt in the sufferers obsession
They are able to find temporary relief in their ritualistic compulsions
Unfortunately for OCD sufferers, this means a life of cyclical ritualism
that can affect daily living
Those are suffer from PTSD
May suffer anxiety-like symptoms similar to GAD or even panic disorder
But PTSD is unique and that its past oriented
The sufferer suffers flashbacks that bring them back
to the event of their traumatization
If you're diagnosed with anxiety disorder, it's okay
Millions of people around the world understand what it's like
to suffer from an anxiety disorder, so you're not alone
Understand that every single one of these anxiety types is often treatable and manageable
Also, if you know someone who may benefit from online counseling
we've partnered up with Better Help, an affordable online counselling platform that you can utilize
They're constantly striving to improve their services and terms and conditions. The link will be in the description box
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As always, Thanks for watching!