Anxiety Disorders Overview

I.                    Generalized Anxiety Disorder: the most common type of anxiety disorder. Patient has too much (abnormally increased) anxiety about at least two things in his life for at least six months.

II.                 Panic Disorder: patients get periods of intense fear and impending doom.

III.               Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD): can have either obsessions or compulsions (or both).

IV.              Social Phobia (social anxiety disorder): fear of embarrassment or scrutiny by others (people that are unfamiliar)

V.                 Specific Phobia: an abnormal fear of something specific (object, situation).

VI.              Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD): happens after exposure to a traumatic event and is marked by nightmares, flashbacks, increased arousal, emotional numbing. Lasts at least 1 month.

VII.            Acute Stress Disorder:  similar to PTSD but is an acute reaction after exposure to a traumatic event (occurs within 1 month of the traumatic event and lasts between 2 days and 4 weeks)