Definitions of anxiety disorders are based on reported symptom patterns

Anxiety can be a normal response to threatening situations, but anxiety disorders are a range of different types of abnormal  and unrealistic fears, phobias and nervous conditions.
 
These conditions can prevent us from functioning normally on a day to day basis and also interfere with our family, business and social activities.

Many people who suffer from these conditions also suffer from depression.

There are an estimated 19 million adult sufferers in the US. This amounts to about 6.3% of the population.
An estimated 12% of women in Australia and 7% of men report suffering from these conditions.

The good news is that there are many very successful methods of treating sufferers.
As mentioned previously in these pages, recognising that you have one of these conditions , and identifying your triggers is the beginning of your healing process.

Feelings affect our physiology, our thoughts and our behaviour.
At the same time, our thoughts, our physiology and our behaviours can affect how we feel.(see Brain Chemistry)

Think carefully about what causes your fears and symptoms.
What are your triggers?

How badly do you want to escape the clutches of your condition?

Find enough reasons to want to get better
 
Once you have enough compelling reasons to get better, the emotional pain of staying the way you are, will outweigh the small disciplines and effort that it will take for you to get well again, and you will be able to get better.
 
The various anxiety conditions are categorised as follows:
Panic
Agoraphobia
Social phobia
Specific phobia
Obsessive Compulsive (OCD)
Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)
Acute Stress Disorder
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder(PTSD)
Substance-induced
Anxiety disorder due to a general medical condition

OCD affects males and females equally.
GAD, panic, and specific phobias all affect women more frequently than men.
Children and adolescents can also suffer from these conditions.

Follow the links above for a more in-depth view of each condition.