There are two main types of anxiety disorders that I would like to highlight here due to their relevance to future topics. The first is generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). This anxiety disorder occurs when anxiety and worry surrounding everyday activities are extremely heightened and occur almost every day for an extended period of time (American Psychiatric Association [APA], 2022). According to the DSM-5-TR which categorizes all mental health disorders, a person with generalized anxiety disorder cannot control their anxiety and has symptoms including difficulty with concentration, irritability, difficulty with sleep, and muscle tension (APA, 2022). Furthermore, when a person has GAD, their ability to perform everyday activities and function within their job or social life is impaired (APA, 2022). The other anxiety disorder that I think is important to note here is social anxiety disorder (SAD). This disorder is characterized by heightened anxiety and fear surrounding normal social situations that may cause avoidance of all social situations or interactions (APA, 2022). A person with SAD is typically afraid that they will be judged or embarrassed by others in any social situation which causes even more intense anxiety and avoidance, and these symptoms and feelings are long-lasting and hinder their normal social and work functioning (APA, 2022).
A question you may be asking now is, what causes anxiety disorders? Many different factors can contribute to the development of an anxiety disorder, and they all fit under either biological, social, or psychological causes. Some biological causes for anxiety disorders include genetics and heredity, an imbalance in the levels of certain neurotransmitters in the brain, medication, or even a person’s nutrition (Shri, 2010). There are many psychological factors and traits that can lead to the development of an anxiety disorder, but some of the main factors include difficulty coping with stress and when a person feels distressed because their actions and beliefs don’t match, also known as cognitive dissonance (Shri, 2010). Finally, social factors or experiences can also cause anxiety disorders. These may include stress at work, death of a family member, not having social support, or abuse (Shri, 2010).
It is also important to learn a little bit about the popular treatments for anxiety disorders. The main types of treatment for anxiety disorders are treatment with medication and talk therapy. Treatment of mental health disorders with medications is very common practice today, and for anxiety disorders, people are usually treated with some form of selective reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) or serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor (SNRI) (Szuhany & Simon, 2022). Both types of medication are considered antidepressants and increase serotonin production in the brain. When it comes to talk therapy, cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is usually the first pick for psychologists because of its effectiveness in treating anxiety (Szuhany & Simon, 2022). CBT is an evidence-based practice that has been researched extensively in the psychology field, and its popularity comes from the research-backed effectiveness of the intervention and the therapy’s ability to treat a diverse range of psychological disorders and problems (Beck, 2020). CBT in its simplest form focuses on teaching patients how to reduce anxiety through different skills that help them restructure their negative thoughts (Szuhany & Simon, 2022). There are many other treatments for anxiety disorders, but medication treatment and CBT are by far the most popular.