Anxiety Disorders

About Anxiety Disorders

Anxiety disorders are the most common mental health disorders, affecting approximately 301 million people worldwide. The category includes generalized anxiety disorder GAD, panic disorder, social anxiety disorder, specific phobias, agoraphobia, and separation anxiety. GAD affects a few percent of adults and involves excessive worry about various topics occurring more days than not for at least 6 months, with symptoms including restlessness, fatigue, difficulty concentrating, irritability, muscle tension, and sleep disturbance. Panic disorder involves recurrent panic attacks, sudden episodes of intense fear with physical symptoms heart pounding, sweating, trembling, shortness of breath, chest pain, fear of dying that peak within minutes. Social anxiety disorder is also common and involves marked fear of social situations involving scrutiny. First line treatment is CBT, particularly exposure therapy for phobias and social anxiety. Medications include SSRIs escitalopram, sertraline, paroxetine and SNRIs venlafaxine, duloxetine. Beta blockers propranolol help with performance anxiety. Benzodiazepines alprazolam, lorazepam, clonazepam provide rapid relief but carry risks of tolerance, dependence, and withdrawal, limiting long term use. Buspirone is a non sedating anxiolytic option for GAD. Because chest pain and breathlessness can also have physical causes, new or severe chest pain needs urgent medical assessment, and crisis support is available through local emergency numbers or crisis lines.