Psychological Disorders  Anxiety Disorders: –Generalized Anxiety Disorder –Panic Disorder –Phobic Disorder –Post-traumatic Stress Disorder –Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

Generalized Anxiety Disorder:  GAD is characterized by persistent anxiety, unrelated to a specific event.  People suffering from GAD cannot help worrying about anything and everything, even in calm situations.  They have difficulty relaxing, falling asleep, and/or concentrating, and tend to be impatient and irritable.

 Physical symptoms accompanying GAD include: – sweating; an upset stomach; diarrhea; frequent urination; cold, clammy hands; a lump in the throat; a dry mouth; shortness of breath; headaches; and dizziness.

–Managing the normal demands of a job, relationships, and everyday life can become more and more difficult for people with this disorder. –GAD appears in four percent of the general population.

Panic Disorder  Panic attacks are sudden, unexplainable waves of panic that seem to come out of the blue.  The body responds with the "fight-or- flight" response, anticipating clear and immediate danger.  Often, these attacks subside as mysteriously as they occur.

 A person who has experienced one or more panic attacks often develops a fear of having one again.  Some professionals call this a "fear of fear."  The individual may even try to stay away from anything that reminds him or her of the last attack to avoid having another one.

 People can have panic attacks with or without agoraphobia.  These attacks include symptoms such as heart palpitations, shortness of breath, chest pain, feelings of choking or smothering, nausea, dizziness, sweating, and trembling.  An afflicted person might also be overwhelmed by a fear of dying, going crazy, or losing control.

Phobias:  Phobias are attempts to compartmentalize fear into a few situations that can be avoided.  By attaching all the panicky feelings onto a few situations, the person can avoid those situations and go on with life.  Unfortunately, phobias can take on a life of their own and take over more and more of a person's life.

 A fear of dogs can, for example, be fairly easy to manage, just don't go near dogs.  But a fear of flying may limit social and business opportunities.  Some of the more common phobias include claustrophobia (fear of closed spaces), agoraphobia (fear of public places, sometimes related to panic attacks), and acrophobia (fear of heights).

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder:  Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can develop in the wake of a traumatic event that is outside the usual human experience.  A person either experiences direct or threatened injury, or witnesses the serious injury or death of another.  In some cases, learning of the unexpected death or injury of a loved one can also bring on symptoms of PTSD.

 For a diagnosis of PTSD to be made, there must be both an identifiable terrifying event and a response of intense fear, helplessness and horror, as well as one or more characteristic symptoms.  These include re-experiencing of the event through: – nightmares – daytime flashbacks –physical sensations that recall the feelings present during the event.

PTSD Symptoms continued  Shutting down feelings and memory.  Feeling detached from others.  Dissociating from the distressing memories and feelings.  Hyperalertness to danger. The individual often has difficulty shutting down the fight- or-flight response that was activated during the event. This causes sleeplessness, irritability, difficulty concentrating, restlessness, and sometimes the development of an exaggerated startle.  Hypervigilance and avoidance of any situation associated with the event. –These symptoms significantly disrupt an afflicted person’s daily life.

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder  Although classified as an anxiety disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) differs from these disorders in significant ways.  It is the one anxiety diagnosis that seems to have a clear biological cause. Unlike the other kinds of anxiety disorders, therapy alone isn't much help. Medication is also necessary.  OCD is a disorder in which the mind is flooded with involuntary thoughts, or in which an individual feels compelled to repeat certain acts over and over again (for example, hand washing).

 This disorder can interfere significantly with everyday living, and usually leads to concern and/or resentment among friends, family, and co-workers.  A person who suffers from OCD doesn't want the thoughts and doesn't want to do the behaviors. Unfortunately, he or she really can't help it.  About half the people with OCD report that it began in childhood; most others start in adolescence or early adulthood. OCD affects approximately two percent of the general population.