Anxiety – Definition & Types

Transcript

Anxiety has to do with worry and when we talk about anxiety disorders, we’re talking about worry that is taken to more of an extreme. Anxiety disorders cover a spectrum of conditions that range from the most generalized in the form of generalized anxiety disorder, which involves worrying for an extended period of time about multiple problems in your life to things as specific as phobias, which I’m sure you’ve heard of. Things like being afraid of spiders or heights or even clouds. Your worries might have more to do with public situations like of being in a public environment that feels unsafe and that you’re unable to escape for some reason, which is the case in agoraphobia. Or it might relate to a fear of being embarrassed in public, such as the case in social anxiety and in one of its most debilitating forms – panic disorder – you can be left feeling so worried and afraid that you feel short of breath and an impending sense of doom coming over you. So if you’re experiencing any sense of worry or fear that is impairing your ability to function or to meet your social obligations in life, please go see a mental health professional who can help you understand what is happening and how to feel better.