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What is an Anxiety Disorder?

From , former About.com Guide

Updated: November 10, 2008

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Definition: An anxiety disorder is a general classification of specific illnesses identified in the DSM-IV-TR. The components of an anxiety disorder generally include physical responses (such as palpitations and stomach upset), distorted thoughts that become a source of excessive worry and behavioral changes affecting the usual way one lives life and interacts with others. The major types of anxiety disorders include:

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