Anxiety Disorders

Anxiety Disorders affect about 40 million American adults age 18 years and older (about 18%) in a given year,¹ causing them to be filled with fearfulness and uncertainty. Unlike the relatively mild, brief anxiety caused by a stressful event (such as speaking in public or a first date), anxiety disorders last at least 6 months and can get worse if they are not treated. Anxiety disorders commonly occur along with other mental or physical illnesses, including alcohol or substance abuse, which may mask anxiety symptoms or make them worse. In some cases, these other illnesses need to be treated before a person will respond to treatment for the anxiety disorder.

Effective therapies for anxiety disorders are available such as Alpha-Stim^® use or medication.  These treatments can usually help most people with anxiety disorders lead productive, fulfilling lives. If you think you have an anxiety disorder, you should seek information and treatment right away.

Each anxiety disorder has different symptoms, but all the symptoms cluster around excessive, irrational fear and dread.  Follow the links below to learn about specific anxiety disorders in detail.
 

• Panic Attacks or Panic Disorder
• Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder  or OCD
• Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder or PTSD
• Social Anxiety Disorder
• Specific Phobias
• Generalized Anxiety Disorder or GAD

Reference
1. Kessler RC, Chiu WT, Demler O, Walters EE. Prevalence, severity, and comorbidity of twelve-month DSM-IV disorders in the National Comorbidity Survey Replication (NCS-R). Archives of General Psychiatry, 2005 Jun;62(6):617-27.