What is an Anxiety Disorder?

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:

• Panic Disorder
• Generalized Anxiety Disorder
  
• Social Phobia
  
• Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
  
• Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
  
• Specific Phobia