Okay, anxiety disorder number one that we’ll be looking at here is a fairly common one, and its name is social anxiety disorder. Chances are you know somebody with this one because it affects as many as 10 percent of all people in the world. Men and women and children with this type of anxiety, though, often go undiagnosed because they conceal it well. The main problems that social anxiety causes is an intense fear of all things social: talking to strangers, parties, crowded locations, meeting new people, etc. All these situations will make someone with social anxiety disorder extremely nervous and highly anxious.
The second anxiety disorder to debate right now is also one that is reasonably common these days, and this is the one called health anxiety. First, I should point out that this one is also known by another name – that name being hypochondria. Both names means the same thing and it’s OK to refer to this anxiety disorder with either term. Health anxiety is an anxiety disorder where somebody with the condition suffers with strong anxiety over issues with their own health. They will fear getting a horrible disease, or they will think every symptom they get means they are dying.
The third anxiety disorder that’s up for discussion today is one that if often misunderstood. This one is called agoraphobia. This is often considered to be a fear of open spaces, but that’s not accurate at all, and here’s why. Agoraphobia is actually the fear of losing control, physically or mentally, in a place or situation where it would be difficult or embarrassing to deal with. This is why people who have panic attacks sometimes become agoraphobic – because they fear that they will have an attack in public. This is why agoraphobics often become housebound and never leave the safety of their own home.
Okay, thank goodness we’ve arrived at the very last anxiety disorder that we’re going to be considering today. The 1 I saved for last is obsessive compulsive disorder, and the reason I saved it for last is because most people seem to already know a great deal about this one. I can assume that this is due to the huge amount of coverage that OCD gets in the press. But if you have OCD yourself it’s a whole other situation, and if you do have it I suggest you talk to your doctor about it because they really can help you out.