Are You Too Anxious?

By Jeffrey Kluger

Everybody feels a bit of anxiety from time to time, but a clinical anxiety disorder is a different matter. If you suspect you may be suffering from one, you should consult a professional for a diagnosis. The psychological diagnostic manual lists 12 anxiety conditions. Here are the signs of five of the most common ones:

PANIC DISORDER

WHAT IT IS: Recurrent, unexpected attacks of acute anxiety, peaking within 10 minutes. Such panic may occur in a familiar situation, such as a crowded elevator

WHAT IT ISN'T: Occasional episodes of extreme anxiety in response to a real threat

WHAT TO LOOK FOR: Palpitations; chest pains; sweating, chills or hot flushes; trembling; shortness of breath or choking; nausea; light-headedness or feeling of unreality; fear of losing control or dying

BOTTOM LINE: Four or more of these symptoms in at least two discrete episodes could spell trouble

SPECIFIC PHOBIA

WHAT IT IS: Consuming fear of a specific object or situation, often accompanied by extreme anxiety symptoms

WHAT IT ISN'T: Powerful aversion to certain places or things

WHAT TO LOOK FOR: --Do you come up with elaborate ways to avoid the object or situation?

--Do you dread the next possible encounter?

--Are you aware that the fear is excessive but you are unable to control it?

--Does merely thinking about the thing you fear make you anxious?

BOTTOM LINE: Don't worry if you just plain hate, say, snakes or crowds or heights. The key is how powerful your feelings are--and how you handle them

OBSESSIVE-COMPULSIVE DISORDER

WHAT IT IS: A preoccupation with specific thoughts, images or impulses, accompanied by elaborate and sometimes bizarre rituals

WHAT IT ISN'T: Fastidious--even idiosyncratic--behavior that does not significantly interfere with your quality of life

WHAT TO LOOK FOR: Are the obsessive thoughts persistent and intrusive?

--Do you expend a lot of energy suppressing the thoughts, usually unsuccessfully?

--Are you generally aware that the thoughts are irrational?

--Is the anxiety temporarily eased by a repetitive ritual such as hand washing or a thought ritual such as praying?

--Are the rituals time consuming?

BOTTOM LINE: Some researchers question whether OCD is a genuine anxiety disorder. Whatever it is, it does respond to treatment--provided you seek help

POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER

WHAT IT IS: Repeated, anxious reliving of a horrifying event over an extended period of time

WHAT IT ISN'T: Anxiety following a trauma that fades steadily over the course of a month or so

WHAT TO LOOK FOR: After witnessing, experiencing or hearing about an event that caused or threatened to cause serious injury, do you:

--Have recurrent recollections or dreams about the experience?

--Feel emotionally or physically as if the event were still occurring?

--Experience intense anxiety when something reminds you of the event?

--Try to avoid thoughts, feelings, activities or places associated with the event?

--Have difficulty recalling details of the event?

--Experience anxiety symptoms such as irritability, jumpiness, difficulty sleeping, feelings of detachment from others, diminished interest in things, feelings that your future is in some way limited?

BOTTOM LINE: Sometimes, PTSD will not appear until six months after the event. Seek help whenever symptoms occur

GENERALIZED ANXIETY DISORDER

WHAT IT IS: Excessive anxiety or worry, occurring more days than not for six months

WHAT IT ISN'T: Occasional serious worry that doesn't markedly diminish quality of life

WHAT TO LOOK FOR: Restlessness; difficulty concentrating or sleeping; irritability; fatigue; muscle tension

BOTTOM LINE: If you have three or more symptoms for the required six months, the diagnosis may fit

--By Jeffrey Kluger