What is Anxiety? Symptoms, Causes & Types of Anxiety

What Is Anxiety?

Anxiety is a normal reaction to stressful situations. But in some cases, it becomes excessive and can cause sufferers to dread everyday situations.

This type of steady, all-over anxiety is called Generalized Anxiety Disorder. Other anxiety-related disorders include panic attacks—severe episodes of anxiety which happen in response to specific triggers—and obsessive-compulsive disorder, which is marked by persistent intrusive thoughts or compulsions to carry out specific behaviors (such as hand-washing).

Anxiety so frequently co-occurs with depression that the two are thought to be twin faces of one disorder. Like depression, it strikes twice as many females as males.

Generally, anxiety arises first, often during childhood. Evidence suggests that both biology and environment can contribute to the disorder. Some people may have a genetic predisposition to anxiety; however, this does not make development of the condition inevitable. Early traumatic experiences can also reset the body’s normal fear-processing system so that it is hyper-reactive to stress.

The exaggerated worries and expectations of negative outcomes in unknown situations that typify anxiety are often accompanied by physical symptoms. These include muscle tension, headaches, stomach cramps, and frequent urination. Behavioral therapies, with or without medication to control symptoms, have proved highly effective against anxiety, especially in children.

It is because anxiety is the activation of your fight or flight system that anxiety, at its core, is a good thing. Without anxiety, you would walk into dark alleys alone at night, get into fights with people 10 times your size, and drive 150 miles per hour in a residential area. Anxiety is designed to keep you safe.

The problem is when you are experiencing anxiety when you should not be, or when that anxiety is more severe than it should be in the situation

Symptoms of Anxiety

Typically, those who suffer from prolonged anxiety experience range symptoms, including:

Physical Symptoms of Anxiety

·         Pounding heart/rapid heartbeat

·         Excessive sweating

·         Choking sensations

·         Stomach cramps

·         Dizziness and vertigo

·         Frequent urination or diarrhea

·         Shortness of breath

·         Hyperventilation

·         Hot flashes or chills

·         Light headiness

·         Tremors and twitches

·         Muscle tension

·         Headaches

·         Fatigue

·         Insomnia

·         Nausea

Emotional Symptoms of Anxiety

·         Persistent state of apprehension or fear.

·         Feelings of dread without valid cause.

·         Concentration problems.

·         Inner tension and nervousness.

·         Catastrophic thinking.

·         Irritability or edginess.

·         Restlessness and sleeping problems.

·         Hyper-vigilance towards signs of danger.

·         Absentmindedness and mind blanks.

·         Intense/sudden feelings of panic or doom.

·         Fear of losing control or going crazy.

·         Feelings of detachment and unreality.

Anxiety disorders

·         Acute Stress Disorder

·         Agoraphobia without history of Panic Disorder

·         Anxiety Disorder due to a General Medical Condition

·         Anxiety Disorder not Otherwise Specified

·         Generalized Anxiety Disorder

·         Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

·         Panic Disorder with Agoraphobia

·         Panic Disorder without Agoraphobia

·         Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

·         Social Phobia

·         Specific Phobia

·         Substance Induced Anxiety Disorder

Keep this in mind as you learn about the symptoms of anxiety. Each anxiety disorder can lead to different symptoms and have different diagnostic criteria, and in some cases it's possible for anxiety to cause unusual symptoms that tend to be more specific to one type of disease.

Causes of Anxiety

In people with anxiety disorders, the brain circuitry that controls the threat response goes awry. At the heart of the circuit is the amygdala, a structure that flags incoming signals as worrisome and communicates with other parts of the brain to put the body on alert.

Early life events, especially traumatic ones, can impact the circuitry so that it is oversensitive and sends out alarms too frequently. We have to perceive threats in order to survive, but those with anxiety see threats where there aren't any, perhaps because emotional memories color their perceptions.

The causes of anxiety are not entirely clear. For the vast majority of people that have anxiety, there is no obvious cause. Genetics may play a role, but it does not explain anxiety in full. Some people may have had past experiences that caused them to develop anxiety. Others may have simply been under significant stress, which breaks down your ability to stress cope (stress coping may be linked to anxiety). Others simply develop it naturally with no clear reason.

Anxiety can also be self-sustaining. For example, if you’re someone with social anxiety, you may have an experience where you go out in public, your nervousness causes you to embarrass yourself, and then you reinforce that anxiety in the future. Similarly, you may be someone that worries too much, but then something bad happens and suddenly you feel justified in your worry.

There is some value in identifying what causes your anxiety, but it shouldn’t necessarily be your primary focus. No matter what causes anxiety, you’ll still need to take steps to treat it.

The Types of Anxiety

Anxiety is not a simple condition. It manifests itself in hundreds of different ways. Not long ago I created my 7 minute anxiety quiz specifically for those that believe they're suffering from anxiety. The quiz is designed to look at your symptoms and tell you if you're suffering from anxiety and what type it will be.

1: Generalized Anxiety Disorder

Generalized anxiety disorder, or GAD, is the most common and widespread type of anxiety. GAD affect tens of millions of people throughout the world.

GAD is best described as an ongoing state of mental and/or physical tension and nervousness, either without a specific cause or without the ability to take a break from the anxiety.

In other words, if you feel yourself constantly on edge, worried, anxious, or stressed (either physically or mentally) and it's disrupting your life, you may have generalized anxiety disorder. Remember, some anxiety is a natural part of life, and some degree of anxiety is normal to feel occasionally. But when that anxiety appears to occur for no reason or for reasons that shouldn't be causing that degree of anxiousness, you may have generalized anxiety disorder.

The following are the most common problems associated with GAD:

·         Constant restlessness, irritation, edginess, or a feeling of being without control.

·         Fatigue, lethargy, or generally low energy levels (feeling drained).

·         Tense muscles, especially on the back, neck, and shoulders.

·         Trouble concentrating or focusing on tasks or activities.

·         Obsessing over negative and anxiety causing thoughts – "Disaster Thinking."

The key is persistent mental or physical anxiety. If it doesn't appear to go away, it may be GAD.

Did you know you can suffer from more than one anxiety disorder? Generalized anxiety disorder appears to be very common in those with other anxiety disorders, especially panic disorder and obsessive compulsive disorder.

2: Social Phobia

Many people suffer from what's known as "social phobia," or an irrational fear of social situations. Some degree of social phobia is normal. Small degrees of shyness in public places, or discomfort while public speaking, are natural in most people, and do not imply an anxiety problem.

But when that fear disrupts your life, you may be suffering from social phobia. Social phobia is when the shyness is intense and the idea of socializing or speaking with the public, strangers, authority figures, or possibly even your friends causes you noticeable anxiety and fear.

People with social phobia view public situations as being potentially painful and distressing, living with a constant fear of being judged, observed, remarked upon, or avoided. Those with social phobia also often have an irrational fear of doing something stupid or embarrassing.

What makes this more than just shyness is when those fears cause you to avoid healthy socializing situations altogether. Those with social phobia often live with two or more of the following issues:

·         Feeling hopeless or fearful within unfamiliar people or in unfamiliar situations.

·         Obsession over being watched, observed, or judged by strangers.

·         Experiencing overwhelming anxiety in any social situation with difficulty coping.

·         Severe fear of public speaking – beyond what one would consider "normal"

·         Anxiousness about the idea of social situations, even when not in one.

·         Intense issues meeting new people or voicing up when you need to speak.

Many people with social phobia display avoidance behaviors. They avoid any and all social situations as best they can so as to avoid further fear.

3: Panic Disorder

Panic disorder is a debilitating anxiety disorder that is very different from GAD. Panic disorder is not about "panicking." It's not about getting very worried because you might lose your job or a lion is about to attack you in the jungle. That type of panic is normal.

Panic disorder is when you experience severe feelings of doom that cause both mental and physical symptoms that can be so intense that some people become hospitalized, worried that something is dangerously wrong with their health.

Panic disorder is characterized by two things:

·         Panic attacks.

·         Fear of getting panic attacks.

Panic attacks are intense physical and mental sensations that can triggered by stress, anxiety, or by nothing at all. They often involve mental distress, but are most well-known by their physical symptoms, including:

·         Rapid heartbeat (heart palpitations or irregular/fast paced heart rhythms).

·         Excessive sweating or hot/cold flashes.

·         Tingling sensations, numbness, or weakness in the body.

·         Depersonalization (feeling like you're outside yourself).

·         Trouble breathing or feeling as though you've had a deep breath.

·         Lightheadedness or dizziness.

·         Chest pain or stomach pain.

·         Digestive problems and/or discomfort.

Panic attacks may have some or all of the above physical symptoms, and may also involve unusual symptoms as well, like headaches, ear pressure, and more. All of these symptoms feel very real, which is why those that experience panic attacks often seek medical attention for their health.

Panic attacks are also known for their mental "symptoms" which peak about 10 minutes into a panic attack. These include:

·         Feeling of doom, or the feeling as though you're about to die.

·         Severe anxiety, especially health anxiety.

·         Feeling of helplessness, or feeling like you're no longer yourself.

Contrary to popular belief, it's possible for the physical symptoms of panic attacks to come both before or after anxiety, meaning that you can experience physical symptoms first before experiencing the fear of death. That is why many people feel as though something is very wrong with their health.

Panic attacks can be triggered by an over-sensitivity to body sensations, by stress, or by nothing at all. Panic disorder can be very hard to control without help. Seeking assistance right away for your panic attacks is an important tool for stopping them, so that you can learn the techniques necessary to cure this panic.

You can also have panic disorder without experiencing many panic attacks. If you live in constant fear of a panic attack, you may also qualify for a panic disorder diagnosis. In those cases, your anxiety may resemble generalized anxiety disorder, but the fear in this case is known.

4: Agoraphobia

Agoraphobia is the fear of going out in public, either the fear of open spaces or the fear of being in unfamiliar places. Many people with agoraphobia either never leave their home, or do anything they can to avoid travelling anywhere other than their home and office. Some people can go to the grocery store or other familiar places, but otherwise experience intense, nearly debilitating fear anywhere else.

Many people (although not all) that have agoraphobia also have panic disorder. That's because for many, agoraphobia is often caused by panic attacks. People experience panic attacks in public places, so they start to avoid more and more places in order to avoid panic attacks until they are afraid to go outside.

Some people experience agoraphobia after traumatic events as well.

Agoraphobia is more common for adults. Many also fear losing control (both psychologically and physically), causing them to avoid social situations. Not everyone living with agoraphobia spends all their time in their home. In fact, some of the more common symptoms include:

·         Obsessive fear of socializing with groups of people, regardless of whether or not you know them.

·         Severe stress or anxiety whenever you're in an environment other than your home, or an environment where you're not in control.

·         Feelings of tension and stress even during regular activities, such as going to the store, talking with strangers, or even just stepping outdoors.

·         Preoccupation with how to protect yourself or find safety in the event that some type of trouble occurs, even with little reason to believe trouble will occur.

·         Finding that your own fears are keeping you prisoner, preventing you from going out and living life because of that fear.

Many people experience moments where they feel vulnerable outdoors and prefer to stay safe in their homes. But when the fear seems to persist for a long period of time, or is holding you back from living an enjoyable life, you may have agoraphobia.

5: Specific Phobias

Phobias are intense feelings of fear because of objects, scenarios, animals, etc. Phobias generally bring about disaster thinking (believing that the worst will happen) or avoidance behaviors (doing whatever it takes to avoid the phobia).

An example of a common phobia is arachnophobia, or fear of spiders. Very few spiders are likely to bite and even fewer are dangerous, and yet many people experience a feeling of severe dread at even the idea of a spider. Other examples of common phobias include snakes, airplanes, thunderstorms, and blood.

Phobias do count as an anxiety disorder, although some people can go their entire life with a phobia and not require treatment. For example, if you have a fear of chickens, but live nowhere near a farm, then while you do have a very real phobia it may not be disruptive.

But if at any point your life starts to change as a result of your phobia, then you have a real issue. Phobias commonly cause:

·         Excessive, constant fear of a specific situation or event.

·         Instant feeling of terror when confronted with the subject of your phobia.

·         Inability to control your fears, even though you know they're irrational.

·         Going to great lengths to avoid the situation or object that causes you fear.

·         Experiencing restrictions to your normal routine as a result of the fear.

For some people that have severe phobias, the mere idea of the object they fear (even if it is not present) causes stress or anxiety, or otherwise affects their life.

Many people have small phobias they can manage, but if the phobia ever starts to genuinely effect your ability to live a quality life, you may need to find a treatment solution.

6:Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is an anxiety disorder that may develop after exposure to a terrifying event or ordeal in which severe physical harm occurred or was threatened.

Traumatic events that may trigger PTSD include violent personal assaults, natural or unnatural disasters, accidents, or military combat.

Many people with PTSD tend to re-experience the ordeal that set the disease in motion, especially when they are exposed to events or objects reminiscent of the trauma.

People who have suffered childhood abuse or other previous traumatic experiences are more likely to develop the disorder. And people who experience emotional distancing may be more prone to PTSD.

7:Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is a potentially disabling anxiety disorder. People afflicted with OCD become trapped in a pattern of repetitive, senseless thoughts and behaviors that are very difficult to overcome.

Left untreated, a severe case of OCD can destroy a person's capacity to function at work or school—or to lead a comfortable existence at home.

Although OCD symptoms typically begin during the teen years or early adulthood, research shows that some children may even develop the illness during preschool.