Anxiety Disorders

Agoraphobia is an anxiety disorder in which an individual has an intense fear of situations in which escape might be difficult or embarrassing (i.e., public places) and frequently results in panic attacks. Common fears of individuals with agoraphobia include: being outside of one’s home, crowds, riding public transportation, being on a bridge. Treatment includes medication and psychotherapeutic intervention in which the individual is taught anxiety management techniques and is gradually exposed to the feared situation.

Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) is an anxiety disorder that is characterized by persistent, unrealistic pattern of worrying that an individual is unable to control. Common symptoms include: restlessness, feeling “on-edge,” fatigue, difficulty concentrating, irritability, muscle tension, and sleep difficulties. GAD is highly treatable and typically involves specialized education, relaxation training, psychotherapy, and medication. GAD commonly co-occurs with other psychiatric disorders and substance abuse disorders and may be one of the undiagnosed contributing factors to multiple relapses. A comprehensive psychological evaluation is critical in order to assess for underlying anxiety disorders.

For more information about GAD, you may visit the National Institute of Mental Health website on GAD at http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/generalized-anxiety-disorder-gad/index.shtml.

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is an anxiety disorder characterized by recurrent, bothersome thoughts (obsessions) resulting in intense anxiety and repetitive, ritualized behaviors (compulsions) that are intended to make the obsessive thoughts go away. Examples of these ritualized behaviors include: counting, hand-washing, checking, and cleaning. Treatment includes personalized psychotherapeutic intervention addressing thoughts, behaviors, and resulting anxiety as well as medication.

Panic Disorder is an anxiety disorder in which an individual is bothered by frequent panic attacks and is preoccupied by a fear of having more panic attacks or the physical consequences of a panic attack (i.e. heart attack, death, losing control). Panic attacks can have a number of physical symptoms, including: racing heart, sweating, shortness of breath, choking sensations, chest pains, nausea, feeling dizzy, or feeling detached from one’s body. Treatment includes medication and individualized psychotherapy in which the individual is educated about the disorder and is taught techniques to manage their symptoms.

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder is a condition that can develop after one experiences, witnesses, or feels threatened by some type of traumatic event (i.e. is the victim or witness to a violent crime). Following such an experience, several symptoms can arise, including: recurring thoughts or dreams of the event, reliving the event, and extreme stress or terror when one is reminded of the event. Additionally, many individuals that develop this condition also begin to abuse drugs in order to cope with these symptoms.

Specific Phobia is a disorder in which the individual has a very intense, persistent fear that is triggered by a specific object or situation, such as spiders, lightening, blood, elevators, or choking.  Exposure to the focus of the phobia almost always triggers extreme anxiety, and the individual tries to avoid the phobic situation or endures exposure to the phobic situation with intense distress.  Individuals with Specific Phobia realize that their fear is excessive, but their phobic symptoms persist over months to years nonetheless.  Specific phobias are primarily treated with psychotherapy, and in particular a specific type of therapy called exposure therapy which is very effective in treating phobias.  A medication called D-cycloserine may be used in conjunction with psychotherapy to help enhance the effects of psychotherapy.

Social Phobia is a condition in which an individual experiences intense and consistently reoccurring fear of various social situations in which embarrassment may occur. For individuals with this condition, these situations almost always result in an immediate anxiety response (i.e. racing heart, sweating palms, nausea). As many with this condition realize that their fear is unreasonable or excessive, they often feel forced to endure these feared situations and do so with much dread.