One anxiety disorder is not the same as the other. A distinction can therefore be made between different types of anxiety disorders. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-5 (DSM) describes eleven different types of anxiety disorders. For now we leave the DSM for what it is and the anxiety disorders are grouped into three types, namely social phobias, fears about the inner world and anxiety after a traumatic event.

Phobias

The term phobia is derived from the Greek word phobos. Fobos literally means fear or anxiety. Phobia means a fear of a certain thing. It is clear that this is a broad concept and there are many phobias. For example, there is agoraphobia or agoraphobia, ablutophobia; fear of bathing or washing, brontophobia; fear of thunder and lightning, claustrophobia; fear of small or enclosed spaces; social phobia; one is afraid of going off in front of other people and emetophobia and the fear of vomiting.

Thoughts, feelings and behavior

Symptoms associated with a phobia can be divided into three segments, namely thoughts, feelings and behaviour. For example, an anxious thought with social phobia could be: Oh dear, I’m going to blush soon and everyone will laugh at me. An example of a fearful thought about public speaking is: Oh dear, soon I will be at a loss for words and I will be rejected and considered stupid. Physical sensations associated with a phobia include flushing, shaking, enlarged pupils, dry throat, sweating, muscle twitching and palpitations. The behavioral tendency will usually be to flee or fight.

Panic Attack

Characteristic of agoraphobia or agoraphobia is that the panic attack is central. During a panic attack, physical sensations occur, such as palpitations, sweating, trembling, enlarged pupils, nausea, dizziness, the feeling of suffocating and at the same time one is terribly afraid of losing control of oneself, going crazy or dying.It often happens that a person with a panic attack goes to the emergency room because he or she is afraid of having a serious physical condition or of dying.As previously mentioned, when a person with a phobia is confronted with his or her fear, the behavioral repertoire will often be predictable; fight or flight. Imagine; you are terrified of eating in public. You will probably avoid restaurants. You can’t literally fight with the food or the restaurant, but if you decide not to avoid the restaurant, chances are you’re fighting in your mind or body; Oh dear, now I have to leave, I just eat very little, I drink a little more, so it’s not noticeable that I’m not eating. At the same time, the physical sensations increase in intensity and the panic attack has a good chance of erupting. Although there may not be much to see on the inside of the person, there is a big battle going on inside.

Fear of the inner world

Fear of the inner world does not involve fear of an object or situation outside the person. The person is actually afraid of sensations that occur in his or her own inner world. Types of anxiety disorders associated with fear of the inner world include panic disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder and generalized anxiety disorder.Panic disorder is a disorder associated with fear of the inner world. Panic is a sudden, severe fright, accompanied by physical symptoms and often anxious thoughts. The physical symptoms have already been discussed in previous paragraphs; for example, palpitations, dizziness, blurred vision, dry mouth, trembling, sweating, weak legs, the urge to urinate. Thoughts people often have about this are; help, I’m going crazy or I’m going to die. There is often a sense of loss of control. The panic attack often comes unexpectedly. And this form of fear also involves the common response of fight or flight.Obsessive Compulsive Disorder also involves fear of the inner world. In this disorder , the fears are provoked by one’s own thoughts and feelings, without there being a clear cause. Compulsive symptoms can consist of obsessive thoughts and compulsive actions. If there are obsessive thoughts, people are so preoccupied with them that normal functioning is actually no longer possible. Consider, for example, a person who is afraid of eating dog poop, or someone who is afraid of harming someone else. Compulsive actions involve certain actions that must always be performed, such as washing hands or brushing in the case of a fear of contamination.Finally, there is generalized anxiety disorder, which is characterized by diffuse, non-real fear in combination with worry or anxiety for no apparent reason. The person feels threatened, uncomfortable, restless and constantly has anxious premonitions about impending disaster. This disorder is also sometimes called a worry disorder because the person in question is always worried about something.

Anxiety after a traumatic event

The most common form of anxiety after a traumatic event is post-traumatic stress disorder. Consider, for example, traumatized people who have experienced a war, a robbery or a rape. Post-traumatic stress disorder is characterized by, among other things, symptoms of constant tension and re-experiencing the unpleasant event, for example in the form of dreams and nightmares. As a result of the fear, there is also a high chance of avoidance behavior here.

Therapy

Treatment of anxiety disorders often consists of a combination of medication and cognitive therapy or cognitive behavioral therapy. Research shows that both forms of therapy achieve good results. If you suspect that you or a loved one has an anxiety disorder, I recommend that you find a good therapist. Anxiety disorders can generally be treated well with the necessary effort.