What It Means to Have an Anxiety Disorder
Anxiety disorder raises the roof for any stressful thought both in intensity and duration. While people without an anxiety disorder can experience manageable stress for short periods of time, often in relation to a specific situation, those feelings last much longer and may become all-consuming for someone with an anxiety disorder.
There are several ways in which anxiety disorder can manifest. Some of the most common ways include:
- Generalized anxiety disorder (G.A.D.): This describes excessive, persistent worrying that makes it hard to live your life as usual, according to the National Institute on Mental Health (NIMH) [2]. Among other issues, GAD can lead to restlessness, an inability to sleep, headaches, tense muscles, and irritability, the NIMH says. For a lot of people, this presents as all-consuming worries about minor matters, Zinbarg says, like being so concerned about making it to a morning appointment on time that they can’t sleep.
- Panic disorder: This involves having repeated panic attacks (bouts of uncontrollable terror) without an obvious trigger. Along with that overwhelming feeling of dread, panic attacks are characterized by physical symptoms such as sweating, trembling, and feeling like you’re choking, the NIMH explains. Worrying about having another panic attack is another key diagnostic criterion.
- Social anxiety: This translates into an incredible fear of situations involving other people or where you have to perform in front of anyone. A lot of this worry centers around a fear of being judged or embarrassed, typically leading people to avoid situations that might have this result, the NIMH says. This is also called social phobia (meaning it’s intense dread centered around a specific circumstance).
There are certain specific criterias to meet before your doctor diagnoses you with any type of anxiety disorder. For instance, your symptoms can’t be better explained by the use of alcohol or drugs, according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) [3]. And, as crappy as it is, you’ll need to have sustained experiences of anxiety over time, since anyone can go through really stressful periods but not necessarily meet the criteria for an anxiety disorder. For instance, before GAD is diagnosed, you must have experienced at least six months of symptoms according to NIMH. Also, for panic disorder you must have experienced repeated panic attacks.