Anxiety Disorder Symptoms

Anxiety disorder symptoms can vary from extreme fear and phobia to muscle tension and sweating. However, these symptoms can change, increase and become more extreme the longer an anxiety disorder goes undiagnosed. Some studies showed that in the last year alone one in every three patients who suffered with anxiety disorder symptoms went untreated, and some were even prescribed unnecessary medications due to a wrongful diagnosis. The following are the four most common anxiety disorders and the symptoms they may present.

Panic Disorder.
A person suffering with severe Panic disorder can be affected by feelings of intense fear any time, any place, without warning. The physical anxiety disorder symptoms associated with Panic disorders include heart palpitations, chest pain, trouble breathing, nausea, dizziness, abdominal discomfort, and disconnection with reality and even a strong belief of impending death or doom.

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.
OCD is one of the most common forms of anxiety disorders, and unfortunately is the disorder with the highest reports of misdiagnosis. A person suffering with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder will suffer with reoccurring thoughts, actions or behaviors which they feel are uncontrollable and next to impossible to stop. The physical anxiety disorder symptoms associated with OCD can range depending on severity but will commonly include shaking, repetitive speech, intense need to wash hands and face, and an abnormally decreased or increased appetite.

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
The anxiety disorder symptoms related to Post Traumatic Stress disorder can be incredibly difficult for both the sufferer and their families. This disorder is caused by experiencing a traumatic or life threatening event such as war, child abuse, natural disasters or even rape. The physical symptoms are usually not as recognizable as those of a psychological nature. For example most sufferers will experience extreme night terrors, irritability, emotional unresponsiveness and insomnia.

Phobia
For the most part there are two common types of phobias. One is social phobias where the sufferer will avoid social experiences due to fear of humiliation, embarrassment or scrutiny. The other is specific phobias such as arachnophobia (the fear of spiders) or agoraphobia (the fear of open spaces). The anxiety disorder symptoms associated with phobias usually include shortness of breath, avoidance, self isolation and sweating.