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Anxiety Disorders

Anxiety is part of normal human experience. We all know what it's like to get tense when threatened by something - to have butterflies in the gut before speaking to a crowd, to get weak-kneed in front of the opposite sex, to freak out around spiders or snakes, etc... (substitute your own scenario). These anxieties are common and understandable. Indeed, they may be an inevitable part of our biology, hard-wired into our brain through the process of evolution, a vestige of the times when seeing a tiger in the wild told the ancient man to run, and run fast. For some people, though, these moments of anxiety aren't isolated and rare like they are for most people. Instead, anxiety is a constant and dominating force that severely disrupts the quality and enjoyment of their lives and goes far beyond mere occasional "nervousness."

An estimated 30 million Americans (including many Famous people) suffer from an illness of the nervous system that is medically recognized as an "anxiety disorder." This illness manifests itself in many distinct but related forms that all share extreme debilitating anxiety at their core. Further information on these types of anxiety disorders can be read below.

Panic Disorder - seemingly spontaneous anxiety attacks at a disruptive frequency.
Agoraphobia - extreme anticipatory fear that restricts one from leaving a "safe-zone."
Generalized Anxiety Disorder - jittery nerves all the time.
Specific Phobia - debilitating fear of a specific object or situation.
Social Anxiety - fear of being around other humans.
OCD - ritualized behaviors or obsessions driven by anxious thought.
Children and Anxiety - phobias, fears, and anxieties specific to children.
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder - anxiety tied to a past traumatic experience.