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When you think about anxiety, you may not realize that there are different types of anxiety. The most common types of anxiety include social anxiety, panic disorder, post traumatic stress disorder, phobias, and generalized anxiety.

Social Anxiety is anxiety or feelings of anxiety that occur either in a social situation, or in anticipation of a social situation. If social anxiety is not effectively dealt with, it can become a problem, not allowing the person who suffers from this anxiety to put themselves in feared social situations.

Panic Disorder exists when a person suffers from panic attacks or from feelings of intense fear for no obvious reason. The symptoms of a panic attack may be very severe, and the person may even think that they are having a heart attack. It is important to note that one cannot die from a panic attack, even though they may feel that they are indeed dying. With panic disorder, one might fear having a panic attack to the point of causing one.

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder occurs when one has experienced something traumatic. This often does not happen immediately after the event. It could happen days, weeks, months, or even years after the trauma has been experienced. The person may have flashbacks of the trauma, and this can prevent one from living a normal life.

Phobias entail many different things. One might fear spiders, snakes, water, heights, driving, or any number of things. The fear that one feels, however, is not normal in that it is often greatly exaggerated. This does not mean that the person is exaggerating the fear that they feel. In fact, the fear that they feel is very real — to them. Phobias tend to make people avoid things in life that they may otherwise enjoy. For example, one might fear spiders to the extent that they would never take a walk on a wooded path, where spiders might exist.

Finally, we have Generalized Anxiety Disorder, or GAD. Some people feel that this is what is diagnosed when there is no other cause for anxiety found, however that is not the case. GAD occurs when one is constantly worried about every aspect of their life. It can be very disabling. People who suffer from GAD worry about themselves, their family, their friends, and the entire world. If you’ve been having feelings of anxiety or anxiety attacks, it is important to seek treatment and to determine what type of anxiety you have, so that the cause can be found and treatment can be administered.