Is Anxiety a Disorder? Anxiety disorders are becoming more widely recognized in society.
Awareness of anxiety is growing as more people speak up and drive positive change in mental health and inclusion. In recent years it has been recognized as a disability if it can be done.
When excessive fear and worry dominate your daily life, you have an anxiety disorder, a mental health condition. There are many variations of anxiety disorders.
Patients may experience intense panic, excessive agitation, or complete inability to concentrate. Because of its negative effects, many people try to find the answer to the big question, “Is anxiety a disorder?”
What is Anxiety Disorder?
It’s normal to be nervous at times. Anxiety doesn’t go away. Anxiety disorders can get worse over time.
Restlessness, fatigue, irritability, difficulty concentrating, and sleep disturbances are all signs of anxiety disorders. Anxiety disorders affect about one-third of Americans.
types of anxiety disorders
To determine whether anxiety is a disorder, it is important to understand its impact on a person’s daily life. Not all anxiety disorders are debilitating. The most common types of anxiety disorders and their symptoms are:
1) Phobias
A phobia is an extreme fear of a particular creature, object, or situation. People who suffer from phobias make great efforts to avoid the object or situation they fear, or face it when they feel fear. Must last for months.
2) generalized anxiety disorder
People with generalized anxiety disorder may worry about a variety of things, including financial situation, performance at work or school, current affairs, natural disasters, and relationships with others.
These fears are difficult to manage and surface so often that people find it difficult to focus on their work. You can run a house and raise a child. It seems unlikely that SSA would classify anxiety in these situations as a handicap.
3) post-traumatic stress disorder
A person may develop post-traumatic stress disorder after a stressful experience such as war, assault, accident, or disaster. Symptoms include difficulty falling asleep, disturbing dreams and flashbacks of the event, and avoidance of anything associated with it.
4) Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
People with obsessive-compulsive disorder experience persistent, intrusive, and unwelcome thoughts and anxieties. They may engage in rituals and repetitive behaviors. For example, we may wash too much out of fear of germs.
5) panic disorder
A severe, overwhelming, and often uncontrollable feeling of anxiety is known as a panic attack.
Breathing problems, chest pain, lightheadedness, and sweating are examples of physical symptoms. Panic disorder may be present in some people who experience frequent panic attacks.
Is Anxiety a Disorder?
You are not alone in asking the question, “Is anxiety a disorder?” The Social Security Administration (SSA) is the federal organization responsible for administering and distributing benefits to people with disabilities.
Ultimately, we will determine whether your illness is a handicap based on the severity of your illness. The good news is that those definitions take into account psychological or psychiatric disorders.
Anxiety disorders such as OCD, panic disorders, phobias, and PTSD are considered disorders. As a result, such people can receive Social Security disability benefits. People have to prove that their condition is so severe that they are unable to work.
Anxiety doesn’t have to be your life. Keep finding answers about where your anxiety is stumbling.
You have the right to take responsibility for your life and not let anxiety control you. Similarly, the stigma attached to mental illness fades as more people understand why people suffer.
Finding ways to relax is beneficial. Talking about it helps. You can deal with it by staying in touch with loved ones and friends. If symptoms persist, consult a healthcare professional.
Living with an anxiety disorder isn’t always easy, but there is hope. You may not have a clear answer to “Is anxiety a disorder?”, but treatments such as talk therapy sessions and medication can help you get your life back on track.
Janvi Kapur is a Counselor with a Master of Applied Psychology degree specializing in Clinical Psychology.
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