Anxiety

The body and mind's response to stressful, hazardous, or strange events is anxiety. It's the unease, anxiety, or fear you have before a big event. A certain amount of worry keeps us awake and vigilant, but for those with anxiety disorders, it seems out of the ordinary and can even be fatal. Excessive fear (i.e., emotional reaction to perceived or real threat) and/or anxiety (i.e., thinking about a future threat) are common characteristics of anxiety disorders, and they can have detrimental behavioural and emotional effects.

1. OCD and other similar disorders: The hallmarks of obsessive-compulsive disorders and related disorders are intrusive, obsessive thoughts (such as persistent anxiety over maintaining cleanliness or one's body size) that result in associated, compulsive actions (such as frequent hand-washing. or too much activity). These actions are used to reduce the anxiety brought on by the intrusive thoughts.

2. Disorders linked to trauma and stress: Anxiety disorders linked to trauma and stressors include those brought on by the loss of a loved one, vehicle accidents, violent events like war, or sexual assault (e.g., divorce, beginning college, moving).