The Five Anxiety
Disorders
Panic Disorder
Approximately 1 in 75 people worldwide will have at least one
panic attack at some time in their life. In Australia, 1.3% of
the population go on to develop Panic Disorder. Panic Disorder
is diagnosed after at least two spontaneous panic attacks
in a one month period, followed by a persistent fear of having
further attacks. The ability to dissociate (enter a trance
state) is common among those diagnosed with Panic Disorder.
Dissociative states include derealisation (feeling as if you or
your environment is unreal) and depersonalisation (feeling
detached from your body - often described by those affected as
an out-of-body' experience).
Social Anxiety Disorder (Social Phobia)
 Australian
Bureau of Statistics (ABS)
figures show 2.7% of Australians have Social Phobia. Various
other studies report up to 15%. This disorder is characterised
by a persistent and intense fear of being embarrassed or of
being judged negatively by others. Most people are diagnosed by
age 20, with 40% developing symptoms prior to age 10. Where all
social situations are feared, the disorder is sometimes
described as Generalised Social Phobia. The Non-generalised form
relates to people who fear a relatively few social and/or
performance situations. Common situations are eating or writing
in front of others, meeting new people, being the centre of
attention, working under close supervision, contributing at
meetings.
In addition to a person fearing their performance will be judged
negatively, they also fear the embarrassment of having to escape
should they have a panic attack. Please visit the
Social Anxiety
page for more information.
Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD)
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Generalised Anxiety Disorder is common and can begin at any age
across the life cycle. It’s characterised by excessive worry
over real life situations that persists every day for at least
six months. Symptoms include feeling on edge, muscle tension,
impaired concentration and irritability. Sleep patterns can be
disturbed and fatigue is a common feature. Thinking tends to be
negative and unrealistic. People with Generalised Anxiety
Disorder have very high expectations for themselves and often
under-estimate their ability to manage everyday situations. It
affects 3.1% of Australians.
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) Return
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OCD affects up to 3% of the Australian population. Symptoms
begin in childhood or early adolescence. The disorder is
characterised by compulsions around washing, hoarding, counting,
checking, arranging objects in a particular order or repeating
an activity such as tapping. Obsessions can include a fear of
contamination or illness or imagery of a sexual or religious
nature. Compulsions, while practiced in order to relieve
anxiety, actually compound and reinforce anxiety, resulting in a
need to repeat the activity. OCD is a genetic condition
resulting from chemical, functional and structural abnormalities
in the brain. It is thought personality type, hormonal changes
and stress play a role in triggering the disorder.
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
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It is estimated 3.3% of the Australian population have PTSD. The
disorder can occur following a life threatening event such as
assault, rape, domestic violence, terrorism, war or natural
disasters. Repeated exposure to trauma increases the likelihood
of PTSD. Not everyone exposed to a single trauma will develop
the disorder. About 30% of
Vietnam veterans are diagnosed with PTSD. Symptoms include panic
attacks, flashbacks, hyper alertness, agitation, fearfulness,
poor
concentration, nightmares, irritability, mood swings. Social
isolation, drug and/or alcohol dependency and depression can
occur without appropriate treatment.
Those experiencing PTSD can benefit from specialist treatment.
The Australian Psychological Society can refer you to an
appropriately trained professional - Phone 1800 333497.
Information and resources can be found on the Australian Centre
for Posttraumatic Health website at www.acpmh.unimelb.edu.au
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