Anxiety is a normal human emotion - everyone feels worried or nervous sometimes. But for some people anxiety can become more frequent, more intense and harder to control.
When this happens, it can turn into an anxiety disorder. There are a few different types of anxiety disorder - each with their own triggers or symptoms - and managing them can require different tactics.
Below, we’ll explore 7 of the main types of anxiety, how to identify each one and how to treat each of them.
Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)
Generalized anxiety disorder (often called ‘GAD’) is a feeling of constant worry - often about many different things. People with GAD may obsessively worry about work, health, money, family, safety or the future without always having a clear reason. This worry is hard to switch off.
People with GAD often experience:
Trouble relaxing due to constant worries
Tiredness, muscle aches and headaches
Trouble concentrating on tasks due to worries
Trouble getting to sleep
GAD is not just ‘overthinking’ or being dramatic. It’s an intense feeling of anxiety that can be exhausting and debilitating. Seeking out help is often necessary to prevent GAD getting worse - forms of therapy like cognitive behavioral therapy are often effective at reducing worries.
Panic Disorder
This is a form of anxiety disorder that results in sudden attacks of intense fear known as ‘panic attacks’. These can happen without warning and can be terrifying to experience. Many people having a panic attack get an intense feeling of doom or may think they are about to die (fortunately, they are not fatal).
During a panic attack you might feel:
A racing heart and/or chest pain
Shortness of breath or a choking feeling
Sweating, shaking or feeling very hot/cold
Dizziness and a feeling of becoming detached from reality
People who experience panic attacks often start avoiding certain situations and locations in fear of having a repeat episode. Fortunately, this is a treatable condition if you seek out the right help - therapists can help you identify triggers and teach you tricks to prevent a panic attack from happening.
Social Anxiety
Social anxiety is sometimes mistaken for ‘shyness’, but it’s more severe than that. It’s a strong fear of social situations in which people worry about getting judged or embarrassed. It can take many forms including a fear of meeting new people, speaking on the phone, public speaking, eating in front of people or even ordering a coffee.
Common signs of anxiety include:
Worrying for days before a social event
Fear of saying something ‘stupid’
Avoiding parties or group activities, or putting off an important phone call
Freezing in social situations or having to escape
People with social anxiety can feel trapped by fear, and it can negatively affect work, school or relationships. Improving confidence in social situations is fortunately very possible but can take time - gentle exposure and positive reinforcement are needed, while therapy can also help.
Health Anxiety
Formerly known as ‘hypochondriasis’, health anxiety is a persistent fear of getting ill or thinking you are ill when you are not. It can lead to constant worries and preventative actions that can be debilitating.
Symptoms of health anxiety can include:
Constantly checking one’s body for lumps, pains or changes
Visiting doctors frequently (or in, opposite cases, avoiding them out of fear of diagnosis)
Not believing test results or reassurances
Avoiding things that you think might make you ill (which evolve into OCD).
Health anxiety is different to making up symptoms (‘muchhausen syndrome’), because the person genuinely thinks they are ill or going to get ill. It can often require specialized support and reassurance to reduce anxious thoughts.
Phobias
A phobia is a strong irrational fear of something. Common phobias include spiders, heights, flying, enclosed spaces, injections and blood. Phobias are very common and often stem from traumatic experiences or learned behaviours (seeing reactions of a parent with a similar phobia).
Symptoms of a phobia include:
A feeling of panic and extreme dread
Freezing and not wanting to confront a trigger (such as not being able to go near a spider or cross a high bridge)
Taking great measures to avoid a trigger
Phobias can seriously limit a person’s life, but they can be treated if an individual is willing. Gradual, gentle exposure with support can help the brain learn that a feared thing is safe.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
PTSD develops after experiencing or witnessing a traumatic event (such as an accident, assault, disaster or serious abuse). Not everyone who goes through trauma will develop PTSD, but it is very common among those who have experienced traumas, resulting in people constantly reliving an event in their heads.
Common signs of PTSD include:
Flashbacks or nightmares that are vivid and feel very real
Avoiding triggers that may remind someone of an event
Feeling constant alert or easily startled
A strong sense of guilt, shame or sadness
PTSD is never a sign of weakness, but a normal response to something horrific and overwhelming. You can fortunately overcome PTSD - specialized therapies are recommended such as grounding techniques and EMDR.
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
OCD is more than just anxiety, but a series of obsessions and compulsions that develop as a way of coping with anxiety. Unfortunately, these obsessions and compulsions end up causing more harm than good.
Symptoms of OCD include:
Constant intrusive thoughts (such as worrying if you’ve locked the back door or worrying about germs)
Actions and rituals to deal with these intrusive thoughts (such as checking multiple times that a door is locked or washing hands constantly to get rid of germs)
Counting or repeating phrases to create patterns out of compulsive behaviors
People with OCD are well aware that their thoughts and rituals don’t make sense, but find it hard to reject them. These worries and rituals can end up taking up a lot of time and energy, which could become debilitating or even lead to health issues (such as getting sores from constantly cleaning hands). As with other forms of anxiety, OCD can be overcome - therapy is often necessary to reinforce positive thoughts and help quit compulsive behaviors.
Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)
Generalized anxiety disorder (often called ‘GAD’) is a feeling of constant worry - often about many different things. People with GAD may obsessively worry about work, health, money, family, safety or the future without always having a clear reason. This worry is hard to switch off.
People with GAD often experience:
Trouble relaxing due to constant worries
Tiredness, muscle aches and headaches
Trouble concentrating on tasks due to worries
Trouble getting to sleep
GAD is not just ‘overthinking’ or being dramatic. It’s an intense feeling of anxiety that can be exhausting and debilitating. Seeking out help is often necessary to prevent GAD getting worse - forms of therapy like cognitive behavioral therapy are often effective at reducing worries.
Panic Disorder
This is a form of anxiety disorder that results in sudden attacks of intense fear known as ‘panic attacks’. These can happen without warning and can be terrifying to experience. Many people having a panic attack get an intense feeling of doom or may think they are about to die (fortunately, they are not fatal).
During a panic attack you might feel:
A racing heart and/or chest pain
Shortness of breath or a choking feeling
Sweating, shaking or feeling very hot/cold
Dizziness and a feeling of becoming detached from reality
People who experience panic attacks often start avoiding certain situations and locations in fear of having a repeat episode. Fortunately, this is a treatable condition if you seek out the right help - therapists can help you identify triggers and teach you tricks to prevent a panic attack from happening.
Social Anxiety
Social anxiety is sometimes mistaken for ‘shyness’, but it’s more severe than that. It’s a strong fear of social situations in which people worry about getting judged or embarrassed. It can take many forms including a fear of meeting new people, speaking on the phone, public speaking, eating in front of people or even ordering a coffee.
Common signs of anxiety include:
Worrying for days before a social event
Fear of saying something ‘stupid’
Avoiding parties or group activities, or putting off an important phone call
Freezing in social situations or having to escape
People with social anxiety can feel trapped by fear, and it can negatively affect work, school or relationships. Improving confidence in social situations is fortunately very possible but can take time - gentle exposure and positive reinforcement are needed, while therapy can also help.
Health Anxiety
Formerly known as ‘hypochondriasis’, health anxiety is a persistent fear of getting ill or thinking you are ill when you are not. It can lead to constant worries and preventative actions that can be debilitating.
Symptoms of health anxiety can include:
Constantly checking one’s body for lumps, pains or changes
Visiting doctors frequently (or in, opposite cases, avoiding them out of fear of diagnosis)
Not believing test results or reassurances
Avoiding things that you think might make you ill (which evolve into OCD).
Health anxiety is different to making up symptoms (‘muchhausen syndrome’), because the person genuinely thinks they are ill or going to get ill. It can often require specialized support and reassurance to reduce anxious thoughts.
Phobias
A phobia is a strong irrational fear of something. Common phobias include spiders, heights, flying, enclosed spaces, injections and blood. Phobias are very common and often stem from traumatic experiences or learned behaviours (seeing reactions of a parent with a similar phobia).
Symptoms of a phobia include:
A feeling of panic and extreme dread
Freezing and not wanting to confront a trigger (such as not being able to go near a spider or cross a high bridge)
Taking great measures to avoid a trigger
Phobias can seriously limit a person’s life, but they can be treated if an individual is willing. Gradual, gentle exposure with support can help the brain learn that a feared thing is safe.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
PTSD develops after experiencing or witnessing a traumatic event (such as an accident, assault, disaster or serious abuse). Not everyone who goes through trauma will develop PTSD, but it is very common among those who have experienced traumas, resulting in people constantly reliving an event in their heads.
Common signs of PTSD include:
Flashbacks or nightmares that are vivid and feel very real
Avoiding triggers that may remind someone of an event
Feeling constant alert or easily startled
A strong sense of guilt, shame or sadness
PTSD is never a sign of weakness, but a normal response to something horrific and overwhelming. You can fortunately overcome PTSD - specialized therapies are recommended such as grounding techniques and EMDR.
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
OCD is more than just anxiety, but a series of obsessions and compulsions that develop as a way of coping with anxiety. Unfortunately, these obsessions and compulsions end up causing more harm than good.
Symptoms of OCD include:
Constant intrusive thoughts (such as worrying if you’ve locked the back door or worrying about germs)
Actions and rituals to deal with these intrusive thoughts (such as checking multiple times that a door is locked or washing hands constantly to get rid of germs)
Counting or repeating phrases to create patterns out of compulsive behaviors
People with OCD are well aware that their thoughts and rituals don’t make sense, but find it hard to reject them. These worries and rituals can end up taking up a lot of time and energy, which could become debilitating or even lead to health issues (such as getting sores from constantly cleaning hands). As with other forms of anxiety, OCD can be overcome - therapy is often necessary to reinforce positive thoughts and help quit compulsive behaviors.
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