Anxiety
When anxiety becomes chronic or intense it can significantly interfere with how a person thinks, feels, and is able to function day to day. While anxiety manifests differently for everyone, it commonly includes persistent worry, racing or intrusive thoughts, muscle tension, shortness of breath, sleep disturbance, difficulty concentrating, irritability, or a pervasive sense of unease. Many people find that efforts to manage or avoid anxiety provide only temporary relief and may gradually narrow their lives and reinforce distress.
Some of the most common anxiety-related disorders include:
Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)
GAD involves pervasive and difficult-to-control worry across multiple areas of life. It is often accompanied by restlessness, fatigue, impaired concentration, irritability, muscle tension, and sleep disturbance.
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
OCD is characterized by intrusive, unwanted thoughts, images, or urges (obsessions) and repetitive behaviors or mental acts (compulsions) performed to reduce distress or prevent feared outcomes. OCD can be time-consuming and highly disruptive, interfering with work, relationships, and decision-making.
Social Anxiety Disorder
Social Anxiety Disorder involves marked fear of negative evaluation, embarrassment, or rejection in social or performance situations. This fear often leads to avoidance or significant distress, and can limit social, academic, or occupational functioning.
Specific Phobias
Phobias entail a persistent and disproportionate fear of particular objects or situations. Avoidance or enduring feared situations with intense distress can interfere with daily routines, responsibilities, or necessary activities such as travel or medical care.
Panic Disorder
Panic disorder is characterized by recurrent, unexpected panic attacks involving intense physical and psychological symptoms, along with ongoing concern about future attacks or their consequences. This pattern frequently leads to behavioral changes and avoidance that can significantly restrict daily life.