There are six types of anxiety disorders. Many people have one kind or another and may not even realise it. Some people have heard of anxiety disorders but are unaware of the different kinds and different symptoms that can come with them. Below I will explain the six anxiety disorders and hopefully it will help you to learn if you are showing signs and symptoms of any of these serious conditions.

1. Panic Disorder: If you have panic disorder you will experience what are called panic attacks. Panic attacks can last for several minute to a few hours. It is unlikely that they will last a few hours but it can happen in severe cases.

Panic attack symptoms include the following:

-rapid heart beat and pulse rate

-sweating

-shaking

-dizziness

-nausea, chills, or hot flashes

-feelings of choking or suffocation

-fear of dying

-chest pain and shortness of breath

1. Generalized Anxiety Disorder: People with generalized anxiety disorder tend to worry about everyday situations more so than an average person would. Their thoughts will interfere with every day activities, and will generally last more than a couple of months.

GAD symptoms include the following:

-Always assuming the worse with no reason

-exaggerated anxious thoughts

-obsessive or "what if" thoughts

-headaches

-trembling

-nervousness

-trouble sleeping

1. Social Anxiety Disorder: People with social anxiety disorder tend to be overly anxious in regular social situations. They will fear meeting new people, or even eating in public. They notice their thoughts and anxiety as irrational but this only makes the anxiety worse. They will then get the feeling that people are watching them and noticing how they feel This will in turn cause them to have an anxiety attack before entering the social situation.

SAD symptoms include the following:

-Overwhelming fear of embarrassment or being judged

-excessive self consciousness

-facial blushing

-difficulty speaking

-feeling of not being able to control your fears

-excessive sweating

1. Simple Phobias: Phobias are an overwhelming fear of a certain situation or an object that poses no actual threat. A fear is classified as a phobia when it begins to interfere with the persons every day life. When the person is placed in the feared situation or around the feared object they will usually experience a severe panic attack. Examples of simple phobias are being afraid to fly, even though you have never been on a plane, being afraid of dogs to the point where you will not go near one.

1. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder: Post traumatic stress disorder is the debilitating physical and mental symptoms that disrupt your daily life following a traumatic event. Not everyone who suffers a traumatic event will have PTSD. It is only classified as this is the symptoms last more than a month and interrupts your daily life. Some examples of traumatic events would be sexual assault, child abuse, serious accidents, witnessing someone close to you experience a traumatic event.

PTSD symptoms include the following:

-easily startled

-ordinary events remind you of the traumatic event

-flashbacks of the traumatic event

-difficulty sleeping

-troubles being affectionate

-dreaming about the traumatic event

1. Obsessive Compulsive Disorder: Obsessive compulsive disorder deals with obsessions and compulsions. Obsessions are the persistent unwanted thoughts or images you get that you feel you can not control. Compulsions are the things you do in order to get rid of the thoughts. Some examples of OCD can be the thoughts of harming others or of violent acts, or a phobia of germs. A lot of people with OCD will clean excessively to get rid of germs. OCD is diagnosed if you spend at

least an hour a day trying to control these obsessions.

OCD symptoms include the following:

-persistent unwanted thoughts or images

-persistent doubts (checking locks, stove)

-extreme need for orderliness

-feel unable to control unwanted thoughts

I thought I would write about these disorders because they are all too common and some people live with them without knowing what is "wrong" with them. Most anxiety disorders are treatable with certain medications you can get prescribed by your doctor. If you think you may be suffering from an anxiety disorder contact you family doctor or local physician.