Anxiety Disorders

Anxiety Disorders
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1. Define various anxiety disorders
2. Evaluate and diagnose various anxiety disorders
3. Identify common causes of various anxiety disorders
4. Distinguish between different anxiety disorders
5. Utilize effective treatment approaches and techniques
Table of Contents:
1. Definitions
2. Diagnosis
3. Causes
4. Types
5. Treatment
6. Resources
7. References
2
1. Definitions
“Anxiety disorder” is a general term including several different forms of
abnormal, pathological anxieties, fears, and phobias. For clinical purposes,
"fear", "anxiety" and "phobia" have distinct meanings. Anxiety is distinctive
from fear because fear occurs in the presence of an external threat. Anxiety
is a psychological and physiological state characterized by cognitive,
somatic, emotional, and behavioral components. These components combine
to create an unpleasant feeling that is typically associated with uneasiness,
fear, or worry. Additionally, fear is related to the specific behaviors of
escape and avoidance, whereas anxiety is the result of threats that are
perceived to be uncontrollable or unavoidable. Anxiety is a normal reaction
to stress. It may help a person to deal with a difficult situation, for example
at work or at school, by prompting one to cope with it (American Psychiatric
Association. 2000. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders,
Fourth Edition, Text Revision. Washington DC: American Psychiatric
Association).