Program & Services

Anxiety Disorders

Anxiety disorders are common. Over 40 million adults in America have anxiety disorders. They can get in the way of work and relationships. They can be treated.

Types of anxiety disorders

Social anxiety disorder (SAD)

SAD is the most common. People with SAD have a fear of social or work situations.

People who have SAD are nervous when out in public. They think people are looking at them, they're not saying the right things or they don't look right. These people begin to avoid going out. As a result, they don't have as many friends as they could.

SAD also affects them at work. Many jobs involve speaking in front of other people. So, SAD can have a very broad effect on your life.

This is not shyness. Some people are just shy. SAD is a disorder.

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

PTSD is a reaction to a terrifying event. The event could be something that happened to you. Or something you saw. The event keeps returning in bad memories.

PTSD causes intense fear and a feeling of helplessness. People with PTSD can become numb. They may feel guilt for surviving or can have problems sleeping.

PTSD is fairly common. At some point, most people have seen a very serious, traumatic event.

Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD)

These people worry over every day events and decisions. They feel the world is not safe and that bad things happen to good people. They feel anxious or become restless, tired, irritable, and tense.

Panic disorder

People with panic disorder have feelings of extreme fear and dread that strike for no reason. Their heart races. They have rapid breathing, sweating and shakiness. Some go to the hospital because they think they are having a heart attack. Panic attacks can happen in every day situations.

People with this condition often avoid places where they've had a panic attack. They may become housebound.

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)

People who suffer from OCD repeat patterns of senseless thoughts and behaviors. It is difficult to stop. If left untreated, OCD can destroy a person's capacity to function at work, school or even at home.

Why me?

First, you are not alone. Forty million Americans have an anxiety disorder. Scientists aren't sure why some people get anxiety disorders. Different people in the same situation react in very different ways. These disorders run in families. If a parent has a disorder, chances are that the children may have one. Infants who tend to be shy or timid in social situations have higher rates of anxiety disorders when they get older.

Getting help

The teenage years are an important period for finding and treating anxiety disorders. If aggressively treated as adolescents many of these disorders may not become chronic.

But help at any age can be effective. If you think you have an anxiety disorder, talk to your health care provider. There are many different types of treatments available.