Two Different Types of Anxiety Disorders

Generalized Anxiety Disorder versus Panic Disorder

There are several different types of anxiety disorders that are recognized by healthcare professionals. They all have common factors, but are distinct from one another. All anxiety disorders are marked by fear, uneasiness, obsessive thoughts, and sometimes physical symptoms such as nausea or lightheadedness. Two types of anxiety disorders that are easily confused with one another are generalized anxiety disorder and panic disorder. Although they have much in common, they are officially recognized as two distinct and separate diagnoses.

Generalized Anxiety Disorder

Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is among the most common mood disorders. The recognized symptoms of this disorder include: • Excessive, unrealistic worry or anxiety • An unrealistic view of problems that evokes excessive fear and apprehension • General restlessness or a feeling of being on edge • Irritability • Muscle tension • Headaches • Sweating • Difficulty concentrating due to increased worry • Difficulty sleeping People with GAD often exhibit physical symptoms that reflect their state of worry and fear. These include: • Muscle tension • Sweating • Trembling • Headaches • Stomach discomfort • Nausea Although physical symptoms such as these do tend to present themselves in people with GAD, this is distinct from a true panic attack, which characterizes panic disorder. GAD and panic disorder may occur together, but they are two separate disorders.

Panic Disorder

Panic disorder is an anxiety disorder characterized primarily by recurrent panic attacks. A panic attack goes beyond the shakiness, sweatiness, and other discomforts that are physically associated with anxiety in generalized anxiety disorder, although people with GAD may also have panic attacks. While anxiety in GAD is generally associated with life circumstances, such as irrational worry about school, work, or relationships, the main source of anxiety in panic disorder is fear of having another panic attack. A panic attack is a sudden, acute attack of extreme anxiousness, i.e. panic. This presents with a wide range of physical symptoms. A panic attack can last up to ten minutes, and is marked by: • Difficulty breathing • Chest pain or pounding heartbeat • An intense feeling of dread • A sensation of being smothered or choked • Dizziness or feelings of faintness • Trembling and shaking • Sweating • Nausea • Tingling and numbness, especially in the fingers and toes • Chills or hot flashes • A fear of losing control, or of being about to die The panic attacks are often prolonged or exacerbated by the fear that the person having the attack is actually having a cardiac event. The racing heartbeat, feelings of dizziness and inability to breathe, and numbness in the extremities, are accompanied by an intense sense of dread. This dread is almost like an eerie, otherworldly feeling that death is approaching and can be difficult to accurately describe. Individuals with panic disorder are highly anxious about the possibility of having another panic attack. Panic disorder and generalized anxiety disorder are similar and share some symptoms in common. They are also likely to occur together; however, they are two distinct and separate types of anxiety disorders, and are recognized clinically as two separate diagnoses.