Anxiety disorders are the most common mental illnesses in America today:  an estimated 13 percent of adults ages 18-54 in a given year, or more than 19 million people, are affected by these debilitating disorders.

• Panic Disorders-  Repeated episodes of intense fear that strike often and without warning.  Physical symptoms include chest pain, heart palpitations, shortness of breath, dizziness, abdominal distress, feelings of unreality, and fear of dying.


• Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder-  Recurrent, unwanted thoughts (obsessions) and/or repetitive behaviors (compulsions) that seem impossible to stop or control.  Examples of compulsions include hand washing, counting, checking, or cleaning.


• Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder-  Persistent symptoms that occur after experiencing a traumatic event such as rape or other criminal assault, war, child abuse, natural disasters or crashes.  Nightmares, flashbacks of the event, numbing of emotions, depression, being easily startled, and feeing angry, irritable or distracted are common.


• Phobias-  Two major types of phobias are social phobia and specific phobia.  People with social phobias  have an overwhelming and disabling fear of scrutiny, embarrassment, or humiliation in social situations, which leads them to avoid many potentially pleasurable and meaningful activities.  People with specific phobias  experience extreme, disabling and irrational fears about something that poses little or no actual danger.  The intense fear leads to avoidance of objects or situations and can cause people to limit their lives unnecessarily.


• Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)- Constant, exaggerated worrisome thoughts and tension about everyday routine life events and activities, lasting at least six months.  Almost always, people with GAD anticipate the worst, even though there is little reason to expect it.  GAD is often accompanied by physical symptoms, such as fatigue, trembling, muscle tension, headache, or nausea.

Effective treatments have been developed through research conducted by universities, the NIMH, and other research institutions.  These treatments often combine medication with specific types of psychotherapy.

More medications are available than ever before to effectively treat anxiety disorders.  These include groups of drugs called antidepressants and benzodiazepines.  If one medication is not effective, others can be tried.  In addition, new medications are currently in development.

Two clinically-proven, effective forms of psychotherapy used to treat anxiety disorders are behavioral therapy and cognitive-behavioral therapy.  Behavioral therapy focuses on changing specific actions and uses several techniques to stop unwanted behaviors.  Adding to behavioral therapy techniques,  cognitive-behavioral therapy teaches clients to understand and change their thinking patterns so they can react differently to anxiety-arousing situations.