- Anxiety Disorders are defined as disorders that share features of excessive fear and anxiety, and related behavioral disturbances.
- Anxiety is the anticipation of a future threat and is associated with muscle tension, vigilance in preparation for future danger, and cautious or avoidant behaviors (DSM-5).
- Fear is the emotional response to real or perceived imminent threat and is associated with surges of autonomic arousal necessary for “flight or flight,” thoughts of immediate danger, and escape behaviors (DSM-5).
- Anxiety can be defined as “apprehension or excessive fear about real or imagined circumstances,” and its primary characteristic is worry.
- Elevated levels of anxiety may negatively impact children’s social, personal, and academic functioning, and may be diagnosed as an anxiety disorder.
