|
Anxiety
Disorders
Everybody knows what it's like to feel anxious – the
butterflies in your stomach before a first date, the tension you feel
when your boss is angry, the way your heart pounds if you're in danger.
Anxiety rouses you to action. It gears you up to face a threatening
situation. It makes you study harder for that exam, and keeps you on
your toes when you're making a speech. In general, it helps you cope.
But if you have an anxiety disorder, this
normally helpful emotion can do just the opposite – it can keep you
from coping and can disrupt your daily life. Anxiety disorders aren't
just a case of "nerves." They are illnesses, often related to
the biological makeup and life experiences of the individual, and they
frequently run in families. There are several types of anxiety
disorders, each with its own distinct features.
An anxiety disorder may make you feel anxious most of
the time, without any apparent reason. Or the anxious feelings may be so
uncomfortable that to avoid them you may stop some everyday activities.
Or you may have occasional bouts of anxiety so intense they terrify and
immobilize you.
Anxiety disorders are the most common of all the
mental disorders. At the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), the
Federal agency that conducts and supports research related to mental
disorders, mental health, and the brain, scientists are learning more
and more about the nature of anxiety disorders, their causes, and how to
alleviate them. NIMH also conducts educational outreach activities about
anxiety disorders and other mental illnesses.
Many people misunderstand these disorders and think
individuals should be able to overcome the symptoms by sheer willpower.
Wishing the symptoms away does not work – but there are treatments
that can help. That's why NIMH has produced this pamphlet – to help
you understand these conditions, describe their treatments, and explain
the role of research in conquering anxiety and other mental disorders.
This brochure gives brief explanations of generalized
anxiety disorder, panic disorder (which is sometimes accompanied by
agoraphobia), specific phobias, social phobias, obsessive-compulsive
disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder. More detailed information
on some of these anxiety disorders is available through NIMH or other
sources.
|
