The term anxiety refers to many states in which the sufferer experiences a sense of impending threat or doom that is not well defined or realistically based.
Anxiety can be adaptive or pathologic, transient or chronic, and has a variety of psychological and physical manifestations. Anxiety disorders are a heterogeneous group of disorders in which the feeling of anxiety is the major element. They are the most prevalent group of psychiatric disorders; according to the Epidemiological Catchment Area study, 7.3% of all Americans meet the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 3rd edition (DSM-III; the DSM version used at the time) criteria at a given point in time (so-called point prevalence). Anxiety disorders listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th edition (DSM-IV) are shown in Table 3-1.
Anxiety disorders, the most prevalent psychiatric illnesses in the general community, are present in 15 to 20% of medical clinic patients. Anxiety, defined as a subjective sense of unease, dread, or foreboding, can indicate a primary psychiatric condition or can be a component of, or reaction to, a primary medical disease. The primary Anxiety disorders are classified according to their duration and course and the existence and nature of precipitants.
When evaluating the anxious patient, the clinician must first determine whether the anxiety antedates or postdates a medical illness or is due to a medication side effect. Approximately one-third of patients presenting with anxiety have a medical etiology for their psychiatric symptoms, but an anxiety disorder can also present with somatic symptoms in the absence of a diagnosable medical condition.
Anxiety Disorders, Dissociative Disorders, and Adjustment Disorders for professionals
Anxiety and fear are ubiquitous emotions. The terms anxiety and fear have specific scientific meanings, but common usage has made them interchangeable. For example, a phobia is a kind of anxiety that is also defined in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th edition (DSM-IV) as a "persistent or irrational fear." Fear is defined as an emotional and physiological response to a recognized external threat (eg, a runaway car or an impending crash in an airplane). Anxiety is an unpleasant emotional state, the sources of which are less readily identified. It is frequently accompanied by physiological symptoms that may lead to fatigue or even exhaustion. Because fear of recognized threats causes similar unpleasant mental and physical changes, patients use the terms fear and anxiety interchangeably. Thus, there is little need to strive to differentiate anxiety from fear. However, distinguishing among different anxiety disorders is important, since accurate diagnosis is more likely to result in effective treatment and a better prognosis.
The intensity of anxiety has many gradations ranging from minor qualms to noticeable trembling and even complete panic, the most extreme form of anxiety.
The course of anxiety also varies, with peak severity being reached within a few seconds or more gradually over minutes, hours, or days. Duration also varies from a few seconds to hours or even days or months, although episodes of panic usually abate within 10 minutes and seldom last more than 30 minutes.
Full article: Anxiety disorders
Dr. John Maccelley is the co-owner of <a href="http://www.health.am">Armenian Medical Network</a> , a Top Health News consumer Web site offering health and medical information, news and self-improvement and disease management tools.
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