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What different types of anxiety are there?

Not all anxiety is the same: in fact, none of it is. Everyone experiences anxiety differently. However, there is an incredible universality about anxiety. The feelings it generates are the same, as are the treatments.

Depending on your personal anxiety, you may find yourself identifying with one type of anxiety more than others. Below, I have outlined the major categories.

Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD) is a term to used to describe anxiety that covers a range of topics. There are no specific phobias or fears (or simply too many to count) but often a feeling that bad things are going to happen and a worry about the future.

Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD), also referred to as social phobia, is a recurring and significant fear of social situations. Often people are worried that something embarrassing or humiliating will happen, and it is common to worry before an event and after it, even if nothing bad happened. There is a chapter dedicated to SAD further in this book.

Panic disorder is when you regularly experience panic attacks. Some people with anxiety experience these all the time (a dozen a day in some cases!) while others may find they get no panic attacks despite experiencing high levels of anxiety.

Phobias are a feeling that is overwhelming and debilitating, triggered by a particular situation, place or item. Common phobias include claustrophobia, agoraphobia, arachnophobia and acrophobia: more on what these are later.

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a form of anxiety linked to a specific traumatic event.

Conclusion

There are different types of anxiety. Some, like PTSD, have their unique causes and treatments. However, for most types of anxiety, the solutions are the same. For all anxiety, there is a strong universality of experience: regardless of the type you experience, your feelings will probably be similar to everyone else's.

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Published 13 February 2017. Written by Chris Worfolk.