There are several different kinds of anxiety disorders but all share this in common: fear and dread are present in excessive amounts and are unrelated to actual circumstances. This theme of unbearable and irrational fear haunts the lives of some 19 million adult Americans as well as several children.



The causes of the various forms of anxiety disorders are complex and varied consisting of a combination of factors that include genetics, personality, brain chemistry and particular, possibly traumatic, life events.

Research is ongoing into this serious mental and medical illness that affects so many worldwide and many treatments are currently available. Despite this the Anxiety Disorders Association of America (ADAA) states that less than one third of those afflicted seek treatment. This means that millions suffer unbearable levels of anxiety unnecessarily.

Anxiety disorders are an umbrella term for at least nine known categories of mental illness. These include obsessive-compulsive disorder where individuals are obsessed with persistent, recurrent thoughts or obsessions, panic disorder associated with severe anxiety attacks and social anxiety disorders that lead individuals to withdraw from a society they believe judges and ridicules them.

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder which affects many who have been exposed to traumatic events like war or natural disasters is also included in the category of anxiety disorders.

Anxiety disorders are currently treated using psychosocial treatments like cognitive behavioral therapy, exposure therapy, anxiety management and relaxation therapies. Some of the best results are gained when therapy is combined with certain drugs like serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), tricyclic antidepressants, benzodiazepines, beta-blockers and monoamine oxidase inhibitors.