What happens when you have a panic attack? What does generalized anxiety look like? Learn more about the symptoms of anxiety disorders, and about the different types of these disorders.
Here’s how to tell panic disorder, generalized anxiety disorder and phobias from ordinary fears and anxiety.
Panic attacks involve sudden feelings of terror that strike without warning. People experiencing a panic attack may think they’re having a heart attack, dying, or going crazy.
Generalized anxiety disorder, or GAD, is characterized by excessive, exaggerated anxiety and worry about everyday life events with no obvious reasons for worry.
Commonly called “stage fright,” performance anxiety is the fear of doing something in front of a group of people. Learn strategies for feeling more comfortable ''on stage.”
Social anxiety disorder, also called social phobia, is an anxiety disorder in which a person has an excessive and unreasonable fear of social situations.
More than 19 million Americans have a phobia -- an intense, irrational fear when they face a certain situation, activity, or object.
People with dependent personality disorder (DPD) become emotionally dependent on other people and spend great effort trying to please others. They tend to display needy, passive, and clinging behavior, and have a fear of separation.
People who suffer from obsessive-compulsive disorder, substance abuse, or an eating disorder are also at risk for self-injury.
Hair pulling is a type of impulse-control disorder, and is often linked with depression or anxiety.