Anxiety disorder - Definition and Overview

Anxiety disorder is a blanket term covering several different forms of fear, phobia and nervous condition, that come on suddenly and prevent pursuing normal daily routines including:

• general anxiety disorder
• social anxiety, sometimes known as 'social phobia' or 'social anxiety disorder' (SAD)
• specific phobias
• agoraphobia
• claustrophobia
• panic disorder
• separation anxiety disorder
• post-traumatic stress disorder

Treatment

Anxiety disorders are often debilitating chronic conditions, which can be present from an early age or begin suddenly after a triggering event. They are prone to flare up at times of high stress.

Pharmaceutical companies have created a number of drugs to combat these disorders. Many of these disorders can also be treated with the aid of a good counselor and behavioural therapies such as cognitive therapy.