Anxiety disorders, also referred to as panic disorders, define a broad grouping of disorders in the mind.
These disorders are marked by irrational fears of certain objects or situations and are marked by a physical or mental response.
The response is usually intense.
Many times people who suffer from anxiety disorders also suffer with other disorders like depression and mood disorders.
They can also, but not always, be addicted to alcohol or drugs.
Anxiety disorders serve no real purpose.
They don't, for instance, help you survive.
They don't even constitute a defense mechanism.
They are simply an overreaction to a situation or object that can have a huge impact on the sufferer.
Basic anxiety disorder is when a person worries about many things.
Sometimes people with severe anxiety disorders may even worry about not having anything to worry about.
They become paranoid and begin to invent things to be anxious about.
Anything can trigger an anxiety attack, a certain phrase, an object or even a picture can cause an anxiety attack, especially if you have an anxiety disorder.
Most people who are anxious also have muscle tension, inability to sleep at night or have a hard time falling asleep.
They may be unable to keep focused, can be irritable, tired and fatigued on top of being anxious all the time.
Panic disorders are like generalized anxiety disorders.
However a panic episode is brief but extremely intense and general anxiety is not.
Panic attacks usually last under an hour while anxiety can last many hours and even days.
A person suffering from panic attacks will have real physical reactions such as numbness in the legs or arms, a racing heart and having a hard time breathing.
Many times people who are having a panic attack believe they are having a heart attack.
Some sufferers even believe they are going to die.
One kind of anxiety disorder that can also go hand in hand with panic disorders is agoraphobia.
In the case of this kind of condition, a person has fears of travelling in planes, trains, buses and even cars.
They also have fears of being in public places.
Agoraphobia can be very severe and even debilitating.
When the severity is high some people will refuse to leave their home.
They sometimes fear that they will have a panic or anxiety attack in public and will decide to remain at home.
Anxiety disorders can be mild and only affect an individual very slightly.
Sometimes, however, the level of severity can become quite high, and as a consequence affect every aspect of the person's life.