Anxiety Awareness — Types of Anxiety (Part 1)

Anxiety Consists Of Multiple Conditions

When we hear the word anxiety, we tend to think of stress, or perhaps extreme stress. People will often say, “My anxiety is through the roof” or “This is giving me anxiety.” While the word and these phrases have become quite commonplace to hear in everyday conversation, there is no one condition called anxiety. Rather, anxiety is more of a category used to describe different conditions that have some similar characteristics. Let’s dive into our blog on anxiety awareness below.

According to the United States Department of Health and Human Services, there are five major types of anxiety disorders. These consist of generalized anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder, panic disorder, PTSD, and OCD. For part 1 of our blog series on anxiety awareness, we’ll cover the first 3 in this list. We’ll go into a bit more detail on each anxiety condition below. 

Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)

Generalized anxiety disorder is perhaps one of the most common forms of anxiety in the United States. This form of anxiety is described as having a near-constant, excessive feeling of anxiety or worry about an extremely wide variety of different subjects. These worries can cover anything from work to economic, family, health, or other influences. A common trait with those who have GAD is that they may always expect the worst outcome in a given situation. 

When serious anxiety sets in from GAD, individuals may suffer from headaches and even stomach pains. Generalized anxiety disorder can also be characterized by how difficult it is to control your worries. If you’ve ever felt like you’re falling into a never-ending spiral of worrying, this is a typical symptom of GAD.

Social Anxiety Disorder

This anxiety condition affects roughly 15 million adult Americans. It occurs equally in men and women and begins at age 13 on average. Social anxiety disorder represents a consistent worry over how one may appear in front of others. This feeling is accompanied by a sense of dread over being rejected. 

Social anxiety disorder, sometimes referred to as SAD, can produce symptoms such as stumbling over words, stammering, and blushing. Rapid heart rate, irregular breathing patterns, and even nausea are common when the person with SAD feels they are being viewed as stupid or awkward. This is a particularly difficult form of anxiety because, if left untreated, it can cause many issues such as loss of job opportunities and inability to make new friends easily. 

Panic Disorder

Panic disorder is on the lower end of the spectrum when it comes to how many Americans are affected each year — roughly just over 2 percent. Individuals who experience sudden and spontaneous panic attacks may be classified as having a panic disorder. People who have this condition are often concerned they will experience these panic attacks, sometimes unintentionally provoking such attacks. It is highly treatable, although many who suffer from panic disorder are not aware that they may have a real medical condition. Thus, it is often ignored until symptoms become rather serious. 

Danu Is Here To Support Your Holistic Healing Journey

At Danu, we’re not only here to support your natural wellness and holistic healing processes through quality CBD. We’re here to provide an educational community for individuals who are looking to start living their lives in a healthy way through natural means. We’ll be working on part 2 of this anxiety awareness series soon, so be sure to keep up with our blogs!