What are Anxiety Disorders?

Anxiety is a normal reaction to stress. It helps one deal with a tense situation in the office, study harder for an exam, keep focused on an important speech. In general, it helps one cope. But when anxiety becomes an excessive, irrational dread of everyday situations, it has become a disabling disorder. more>>

Five major types of anxiety disorders are:

• Generalized Anxiety Disorder
• Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
• Panic Disorder
• Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
• Social Phobia (or Social Anxiety Disorder)

Treatment

Effective treatments for anxiety disorders are available, and research is yielding new, improved therapies that can help most people with anxiety disorders lead productive, fulfilling lives. more>>

Getting Help: Locate Services

Locate mental health services in your area, affordable healthcare, NIMH clinical trials, and listings of professionals and organizations. more>>

Related Information

• Information on coping with traumatic events
• Information about medications
• Anxiety Disorders Information and Organizations from NLM's MedlinePlus (en Español)
• Some mental illnesses also carry an increased risk for suicide.

News

• Intermittent Explosive Disorder Affects up to 16 Million Americans
• Mice Lacking Social Memory Molecule Take Bullying in Stride
• Trust-Building Hormone Short-Circuits Fear In Humans
• Gene Knockout Scores a Fearless Mouse

Anxiety Disorders Research

• Anxiety Disorders Research at the National Institute of Mental Health
• Clinical Trials: Current Studies on Anxiety Disorders
• Search MEDLINE's PubMed for recent research articles on anxiety disorders.