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Anxiety

Anxiety is a very common reaction to stress. A result of autonomic nervous system activity, it can be activated by a response to external circumstances which appear to put us under pressure, or by patterns of thinking. An example of a type of thinking that can trigger anxiety is worrying. Other words that describe the same feelings are 'nervous', 'tense', 'insecure', 'uneasy' or 'uptight'. There are, of course, other words that convey the same meaning.

Anxiety can feel very different in differing circumstances, and for differing individuals, but it can usefully be separated into varied types. An example of a list of types is given below:

Generalised Anxiety Disorder

The term 'generalised anxiety disorder' (GAD) is used to differentiate it from phobia, which is a form of anxiety attached, or linked to a specific stimulus. For this reason it was known in the past as ‘free floating anxiety’. GAD is a feeling of fear with no apparent cause. It often is of continuous duration, from a few hours to days or weeks, and can be mild to moderate in acuity.

Whilst it has been said above that there is no apparent cause, cognitive therapists would say that this type of anxiety is a response to patterns of thought, an example of such a pattern being worrying.

Occasionally, GAD can be linked to panic disorder which is usually much more acute, leading to a long term milder type of anxiety with occasional episodes of acute fear.

Phobia

Phobia is a fearful response to a particular object or situation. The sensation of fear is usually very intense, akin to terror. Examples of phobia are spider phobia, snake phobia, fear of wasps or bees, and other flying or crawling insects, mice, and sometimes domestic animals such as cats and dogs. (This is not a complete list). Situations that give rise to phobic anxiety are agoraphobia (said to be fear of open spaces) claustrophobia (said to be fear of small spaces) flight phobia, fear of public speaking and fear of thunder and/or lightening. (This is not a complete list).

A feature of phobia is that it never rests. The response will always occur in the presence of the object or situation irrespective of other features in the environment. A secondary problem develops as the person seeks to avoid further encounters with the phobic cause, and this avoidance behaviour may become socially disabling over time.

Little is known about the formation of a phobic response, but non-medical treatment of it is becoming more effective, particularly through the agency of neuro linguistic programming.

Panic Disorder / Panic Attacks

Panic disorder (panic attacks) is characterised by brief and intense episodes of fear, often akin to terror. Unlike phobia, no known stimulus needs to be present to trigger a panic, and so panics can be even more unpredictable.

It would be easy to assume that panic sufferers don't have a problem between episodes. However, great anxiety is suffered at the prospect of a panic attack occuring again, as people experience fear of fear (a common feature of most types of anxiety). This also leaves to behavioural problems, as sufferers seek to avoid encountering those situations that they imagine will trigger an attack. This avoidance behaviour can be socially disabling as the apprehension increases.

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

Post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), as its name suggests, is an anxious reaction to a past trauma. It sometimes seems that if a person reacts with extreme fear to an event, they continue to react to the memory of that event with the same intensity of emotion. There are many features to PTSD, but its most distinctive characteristics are those of flashback, a vivid visual recall, accompanied by equally vivid feelings, and nightmares recalling the event.

Please note that PTSD is not associated with past events that are 'buried' in the unconscious. In other words, the individual would be aware of the event that triggered the problem.