Types Of Anxiety Disorders

While anxiety is a common feeling for everybody, anxiety disorders vary from one person to the next. It is very important to correctly understand the differences between the various anxiety disorders as only then can the causes of the disorder as well as it treatment be properly ascertained.

Remember that the causes and the treatment of a particular disorder are novel to each and every patient. Nonetheless, the causes and the treatment procedures can be lumped up into different categories which are also known as anxiety disorder types.

There are numerous types of anxiety disorders such as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), Panic Disorder, Phobia Disorders, Body Dysmorphic Disorder, to name a few major ones. While the symptoms one might undergo for each of these disorders may share certain similarities, such as panic attacks which cause an increase in the heart beat and blood pressure, the causes of these various disorders are usually very divergent in nature. Hence, successfully treating an anxiety disorder becomes directly related to first determining the type of anxiety disorder a patient suffers.

Take the example of PTSD and OCD. While PTSD leads to greater anxiety due to a past traumatic event serving as a trigger, OCD’s causes are a combination of biological and psychological factors. Hence, understanding the causes of anxiety can help medical professionals determine the type of anxiety disorder faced by a particular individual.

This determination in turn allows for these professionals to ascertain the best possible medical treatment for a particular case. While, the treatment for all anxiety disorders takes on a combination of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and medications, the CBT methods and the form of medications vary with the type of anxiety disorder a patient suffers from. For instance, patients suffering from Phobia Disorders may have to undergo Exposure Therapy. On the contrary, Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) patients may be advised to take on stress management and other such interpersonal therapies.

Hence, if you feel you are suffering from an anxiety disorder, don’t make the mistake of trying to reduce your anxiety levels on your own. Make sure you consult a medical professional so that the root causes of your anxiety can be established and as a result in turn you could attain the proper medical treatment your type of anxiety disorder calls for. Also keep in mind, that irregardless of the type of anxiety disorder you suffer from, you should seek medical attention immediately. Don’t get into the habit of thinking that only some types of anxiety disorders are serious enough to seek out medical help. Always remember that heightened anxiety, which prevents you from leading a normal life, in any form or type, needs to be checked and controlled.