What anxiety disorders have in common
“They all involve irrational, seemingly uncontrollable and frightening thoughts, which often results in avoidance behavior. And in all cases, the person with the disorder is fully aware that their behavior is irrational,” says Ross. “This differentiates this group of illnesses from psychotic illnesses. What’s more, in most cases the disorder impairs the person’s normal functioning.”
Ross says she isn’t convinced that anxiety cases are on the rise. “But we have become better at diagnosing them, and people are more forthcoming about reporting them,” she says.
Although the different anxiety disorders are considered to be a family of related conditions, we know much more about some of them than about others. GAD is the newest of the group in terms of our understanding. Before it was identified, people would be dismissed in a condescending way as the “worried well.”
“A recent study by the World Health Organization suggests that the odds of developing an anxiety disorder have doubled in the last 40 years.”
Last reviewed: By John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on 9 Feb 2006
