Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)

• This is characterized by an insidious onset in the third decade and a stable, usually chronic course which may or may not be punctuated by repeated panic attacks (episodes of acute anxiety). The symptoms of anxiety should last for at least a period of 6 months for a diagnosis of generalized anxiety disorder to be made. It is the commonest psychiatric disorder in the population

Panic Disorder

• This is characterised by discrete episodes of acute anxiety. The onset is usually in early third decade with often a chronic course. The panic attacks occur recurrently every few days. There may or may not be an underlying generalised anxiety disorder. The episode is usually sudden in onset, lasts for a few minutes and is characterised by very severe anxiety. Classically the symptoms begin unexpectedly or ‘out-of-the-blue’. Panic disorder is usually seen about 2-3 times more often in females. Panic disorder can present either alone or with agoraphobia.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder ( PTSD )

• This arises as a delayed and/or protracted response to a stressful event or situation (either short- or long-lasting) of an exceptionally threatening or catastrophic nature, which is likely to cause pervasive distress in almost anyone. Predisposing factors such as personality or previous history of neurotic illness may lower the threshold for the development of the syndrome or aggravate its course, but they are neither necessary nor sufficient to explain its occurrence.

Phobic Disorders

Phobia is defined as an irrational fear of a specific object, situation or activity, often leading to persistent avoidance of the feared object, situation or activity. The common types of phobias are:
1. Agoraphobia
2. Social phobia
3. Specific ( Simple) phobia.

• Agoraphobia :Agoraphobia is an example of irrational fear of situations. It is characterised by an irrational fear of being in places away from the familiar setting of home.
• Social Phobia: It is characterized by an irrational fear of performing activities in the presence of other people or interacting with others.
• Specific (Simple) Phobia: In contrast to agoraphobia and social phobia where the stimuli are generalized, in specific phobia the stimulus is usually well circum scribed. This is an example of irrational fear of objects or situations. Specific phobia is characterized by an irrational fear of a specified object or situation. Anticipatory anxiety leads to persistent avoidant behavior, while confrontation with the avoided object or situation leads to panic attacks. Gradually, the phobia usually spreads to other objects and situations.