Types of Anxiety Disorders

There are several diseases that are listed under the bigger umbrella term of anxiety disorders. There are currently eight DSM-IV recognized disorders that are within this scope namely:

  • Agoraphobia
  • Panic Disorder
  • Phobias of a specific cause
  • Social phobia or social anxiety disorder
  • Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
  • Generalized Anxiety Disorder
  • Acute stress disorder
  • Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
In order to help us to understand these diseases, listed below are the general descriptions for the disease along with a case sample from real people who have experienced these types of anxiety disorders.
  • Agoraphobia - Most people define agoraphobia from its literal translation of ‘fear of open spaces’. However, it is not really the open space that brings anxiety to agoraphobia sufferers but situations where they could be alone and immediate help could be inaccessible. Most people with agoraphobia tend to need constant company and are fearful of leaving the house, closed or locked doors and some may even fear driving. The avoidance behaviors linked with agoraphobia could have distinct repercussions in work, school, family and relationships.

    By Brittany09

    My two year experience with anxiety has been fairly manageable until around three months ago. Out of nowhere, I had a panic attack and I suddenly feel like I cannot go outside the house. Everything looked too bright and too scary out of the comforts of my house. I cannot drive outside and I just sit around the house doing nothing, fearing the world outside. It was really distressing and I thought that I was going crazy.
  • Panic Disorder - This is a disorder that is identified through the recurrent episodes of panic attacks along with a preoccupation to the thought or worry of experiencing another panic attack. The symptoms include an exaggerated stress or anxiety response along with these common symptoms: palpitations, difficulty of breathing, sweating, shaking, chest pain, derealization / depersonalization, fear of dying, nausea, paresthesias, chills/ hot flushes. Completing four or more of these symptoms is typical of a diagnosis of panic disorder.

    By narutoj

    I am a 39 year old man who has experienced my first panic attack two weeks ago. A few hours after a run, I experienced chest pains, difficulty breathing, a tingling near my chest, weakness and I felt like I was going to die from it. My family rushed me to the hospital because they thought I was having a stroke or a heart attack.
  • Phobias of a specific cause - A classification of anxiety disorder characterized by overwhelming fear of a certain object, place or situation. The person identifies a specific trigger that causes severe symptoms of panic whenever this trigger is encountered. Hence, a person may undergo certain avoidance behaviors to avoid the feared stimulus. People with phobic disorders understand that their fear is irrational and exaggerated, incongruent to the potential harm of their feared object. However, they are still overwhelmed by their fear and are powerless against it.

    By silly

    I have lived near the sea and I have a fairly normal fear of sharks and anything frightening in the deep blue. The odd thing is that when I moved away from the ocean, I started to develop a phobia for sharks. Every night, I always get bad dreams about them. Even getting close to salt water or watching other people swim or surf is already a tough ordeal for me. Even if I am just thinking about them, I already sweat and feel panic inside.
  • Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) - This group of disorders is characterized by obsession (an irrational thought that frequently recur in the mind unintentionally) and compulsions (a series of motions, behavior or rituals that come about because of the obsession or thought). OCD sufferers understand that what they do is not normal but they are powerless to stop this from occurring. Often, an underlying anxiety is responsible for the mindless continuation of the obsessions and compulsions.

    by dave

    I always think about the number 13. The odd thing is that I see it everywhere, in clocks, calendars, license plates and even book pages. No matter what I do, I can’t stop thinking about it. I even went to the point of booking a room because it has the number 13 on it or buying a CD because it says 13 in the title.
  • Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) - This is another type of anxiety disorder that is distinguished from the others through a characteristic of long lasting anxiety that lasts for 6 months or more. Persistent and non specific worry lasting for 6 months of more is pathologic and is not serving a positive purpose for the body.

    by BreakingDownMD

    I am 35 years old and I have been diagnosed with GAD for years now. My husband is always beside me but with my condition, I don’t know for how long he needs to suffer. At 35, I am still in school and I feel like there is no more point to life. I hate myself and no one really understands what I am going through.
  • Acute Stress Disorder - This is another anxiety disorder that is distinguished by a fast development of anxiety manifestations, usually around less than a month from exposure to a triggering event. Acute Stress Disorder cases usually last for a short time too, around a few days to a month.

    By 12510888

    Shortly after my tour to Afghan, I began to feel depression symptoms. My wife had gone into labor and this added to the escalation of stress that I felt. It was numbing and I talked to my chaplain and he told me to sit tight and chill but I just can’t.
  • Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) - From the word itself, PTSD develops after exposure to a traumatic life event. Unlike acute stress disorders, it does not develop abruptly. Often, it takes around a few months to years for PTSD symptoms to surface. These symptoms often include nightmares, flashbacks, hyper-vigilance and a sense of re experiencing the traumatic event again.

    by bblight

    I am a former veteran and lately, I have been experiencing flashbacks from an event of 42 years ago. It was odd because it was a traumatic event that I thought I had put behind me already. I feel like it is taking over my mind and it keeps repeating over and over almost like forever. The same feelings come rushing in again, the fear, the panic, everything.
Shortened Version: The types of anxiety disorders are: Agoraphobia, Panic Disorder, Phobias of a specific cause, Social phobia or social anxiety disorder, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Acute stress disorder and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder.
Tags: Anxiety disorder types, anxiety disorder classification