The most common forms of anxiety disorders are general
anxiety disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, social phobia and other
phobias, panic disorder and separation anxiety disorder. These disorders are all attributable to past
traumatic events or genetics, as most anxiety disorders are. Very rare is it that anxiety problems appear
for no apparent reason whatsoever, though some cases report it.
On the other hand, the following forms of anxiety are
not as often diagnosed as a disorder, because they are common worries that
every one faces at some time or another.
This is not to say that a disorder cannot develop from such anxieties,
because a phobia can be of practically anything object or situation.
Existential Anxiety: This type of anxiety is related to spirituality and mortality, which
is something everyone eventually faces.
Psychotherapy father Sigmund Freud referred to this type of worry as the
“trauma of nonbeing.” When a person
comes to the realization that they are not immortal and will die someday this
can fill them with great anxiety—particularly if they have ignored such
realistic thoughts for a long period of time.
Religion, Freud believed, becomes a coping mechanism to put away this
unwholesome fear of death. The person
then redefines death as merely a stage in existence, with an immortal soul
being the next stage—so life will continue in some way, the anxiety ceases to
be so intense. Obviously, it would be
easy for a person to develop obsessive compulsive disorder along with this
existential form of anxiety. This form
of anxiety can be somewhat harmless and inspire creativity; but it can also be
dangerous if a person begins to have strong suicidal urges due to feelings of
hopelessness.
Boredom Anxiety: This form of anxiety is much like it sounds—because of boredom in
life, or a lack of meaning (similar to existential anxiety) a person may become
bored of their present living situation.
They learn to create and develop anxieties for no apparent reason other
than to have something to do. The answer
to treating this form of anxiety is obviously a form of tough love, which would
be to separate the sufferer from the stressful distractions and try and find
happier or more productive life.
Test And Math Anxiety: There is also believed to be a fear of tests and a fear of math that
can develop in students. This is natural
since so much pressure is put upon students to succeed in academic
achievements. They may start to feel,
especially at very young ages, that academic failure is associated with self
worth, or that low grades will merit public embarrassment. This bouts with anxiety can also lead to
physical problems such as nausea, headaches and dizzy spells. Such an anxiety attack over tests can
actually hinder the performance of a student, who may otherwise be able to pass
the exam. Some debate exists whether
test anxiety is an entity onto itself or just another form of agoraphobia.
All forms of anxiety can lead to serious anxiety
disorders and eventually emotional and physical problems. It's best to confront the source of anxiety,
even by professional evaluation if necessary, rather than just ignore the
symptoms.
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