Anxiety Disorder

We all feel anxiety at one time or another. Perhaps we feel anxious before taking a test or before making an important decision. However, an anxiety disorder is more than usual worry or fear. For an individual who is diagnosed by a medical professional as having anxiety, the worry does not go away and often gets worse over time. For students with anxiety, the feeling interferes with daily living and for a college student, it can often interfere with performance in school. The student may have the intellectual ability but the anxiety limits his or her ability to demonstrate knowledge or skills. There are several types of anxiety, but all can have devastating and debilitating results if left untreated.

The National Institute of Mental Health outlines anxiety symptoms that are common when an individual is diagnosed with anxiety.

1. Fatigue. Individuals with an anxiety disorder often feel tired. This tiredness affects their ability to meet the expectations of the class. Often, they might start an assignment, but never finish it.
2. Insomnia. Anxiety disorders may interrupt an individual's ability to fall asleep or have good quality sleep. This lack of sleep causes them to be less alert in class or may cause them to miss class.
3. Low Concentration. Students with anxiety will struggle with maintaining concentration and focus. This causes them to miss much of the material presented in class.
4. Physical problems. Anxiety will cause tension, headaches, and at times irritability. Overall there is a feeling of illness affecting their ability to learn or demonstrate their knowledge.
5. Social skills. Anxiety sometimes interferes with a person's ability to interact with others. They struggle with group activities, presenting in front of a classroom, and or communicating with his or her professor. Some students have a high degree of social anxiety.
6. Attendance. Due to the insomnia, the ill feeling, or avoidance of social interactions, students with anxiety may miss more classes than the norm. Sometimes, students may want to go to class, but their anxiety will literally freeze them and prevent them from attending.

A medical professional can diagnose three distinct forms of anxiety: generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder and social anxiety disorder. First, individuals diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder experience excessive and severe anxiety for several months along with anxiety related symptoms. Second, panic disorder is diagnosed when individuals experience sudden periods of intense fear with physical manifestations that may include pounding heart, sweating, shaking, and shortness of breath. Finally, social anxiety disorder is diagnosed when an individual has extreme fear of social or performance situations. Whether a student has general anxiety, a panic disorder or social anxiety, there are strategies that faculty might implement to support them.

Anxiety disorder is protected under the ADA because it affects one or more daily living activities. Therefore, Disability Services Offices will approve accommodations for students who have a documented anxiety disorder. The following are some of the most common accommodations approved for students with an anxiety disorder. Please note, that the accommodations are tailored to each individual student based on the impact of their disability on the learning environment.