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Anxiety Disorders: Everything You Need to Know | The Doctor Weighs In
By: Wallace B. Mendelson, M.D.
Anxiety is common but multifaceted in appearance. It’s of particular concern when combined with depression. The good news there are many effective treatments.
Anxiety disorders are common. They are experienced by about 10 percent of Americans at any given time. In fact, one in five adults has experienced one in the past year.
Anxiety is an internal experience that is accompanied by physical manifestations. It is sometimes described as a feeling of fear and dread. Other times, the words used to explain the feelings of anxiety are,
Physical symptoms in moderate to severe anxiety disorders can be quite uncomfortable, including,
And, anxiety does not travel alone. When it is felt strongly, it is often accompanied by other psychological states, such as
Anxiety can be viewed as a response to a sense of threat. If the focus is very specifically related to some real danger in the world, it is considered to be fear. If the perceived threat is less specific, more uncertain, and future-oriented, it is thought of as anxiety.
Sometimes a distinction is made between “trait anxiety” and “state anxiety.” Trait anxiety is a long-term process that occurs in a…
