If you are tormented by anxiety, you are not alone. In today’s stressful world, almost everyone has feelings of anxiety at some point in their life. Anxiety is a normal and often healthy emotion. However, when feelings of intense fear and worry are overwhelming and prevent us from doing everyday things, an anxiety disorder may be the cause. Anxiety disorders often involve repeated episodes of sudden feelings of intense fear or terror that reach a peak within a few minutes. These feelings of anxiety and recurring intrusive worried thoughts interfere with your day to day living, are difficult to control, are out of proportion to the actual danger and can last for a long time. People may start avoiding certain places or situations to prevent these intense feelings.

There are several types of anxiety disorders including the following:

1. Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD)
People with GAD worry excessively about everyday life issues such as health, money, work, family etc. Their chronic and constant worrying can consume hours every day which makes it difficult for them to complete their daily routine tasks.

2. Panic Disorder
People with panic disorder experience panic attacks which are sudden, repeated periods of intense fear when there is no real danger. A panic attack is often mistaken for a heart attack as it causes powerful physical symptoms including severe chest pain, heart palpitations, dizziness, shortness of breath and fear of losing control.

3. Phobias
Phobias are unrealistic and irrational fears of situations or things. People with specific phobias go to any length to avoid the feared objects or situations e.g. heights, snakes, public speaking etc.

4. Social Anxiety Disorder
Social anxiety is the extreme fear of being judged negatively or being humiliated in social situations. People with social anxiety have chronic worries about not being able to cope up with social situations. They generally avoid participating in conversations, or being a part of any discussions.