Coping with Anxiety and Phobias

• Description
• Table of Contents
• An excerpt from this report

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Everyone worries or gets scared sometimes. But if you feel extremely worried or afraid much of the time, or if you repeatedly feel panicky, you may have an anxiety disorder. Anxiety disorders -- which include panic attacks, post-traumatic stress disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and phobias -- are among the most common mental illnesses, affecting about 23 million American adults. Thankfully, never before have there been so many therapies to help control anxiety. This report will provide up-to-date information on these treatments, including medications, exposure therapy, cognitive-behavioral therapy, hypnosis, and exercise. It also includes information on the many types of anxiety disorders, their symptoms, causes, and getting a proper diagnosis, as well as advice on making treatment work for you.

Prepared by the editors of the Harvard Health Publications in conjunction with Michael Mufson, M.D., Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. (updated: 2006)

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Table of Contents:

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Here's an Excerpt from this Anxiety Disorders Special Health Report

We live in anxious times. Around the clock, we hear news of war, murder, natural disasters, and ominous threats such as terrorism and bird flu. If you’re lucky enough not to be directly affected by major catastrophes, more personal issues can still provoke anxiety, such as your physical health, your job and financial security, and your relationships with family and friends. Even relatively small-scale things such as getting stuck in traffic, fixing a computer problem, or preparing for a work presentation can be significant sources of stress.

While it’s natural to sometimes worry, feel scared, and experience anxiety from these and other sources, it’s not normal for fear and anxiety to dominate your life. For example, anxiety can make you so uneasy around people that you isolate yourself, skirting social gatherings and passing up potential friendships. It can fill you with such obsessive thoughts or inexplicable dread of ordinary activities that you cannot work. It can even cause chest pain so severe that you think you’re having a heart attack.

Getting help has always been easier said than done. As with many mental health issues, there has long been a stigma surrounding anxiety. People are ashamed to admit to phobias (fears of specific objects or circumstances) and persistent worries, which seem like signs of weakness. The shame, combined with the tendency of people with anxiety to avoid others, is perhaps the biggest obstacle to relief and recovery. Without treatment, many individuals become more fearful and isolated.

Consider seeking advice. You’re not alone. Anxiety disorders include problems such as panic attacks, phobias, post-traumatic stress disorder, and obsessive-compulsive disorder. They are the most prevalent type of psychiatric condition in the United States, affecting about 23 million American adults. For every individual with an anxiety disorder, many more are affected by it, including spouses, children, other relatives, friends, and employers.

This report provides up-to-date information about the causes and treatment of anxiety disorders, including behavior therapies, relaxation techniques, and medications. And we hope that it gives you something more: an incentive to seek help and feel better.

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