Different Anxiety Disorders at College

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The most common anxiety disorders are panic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder, phobias, and generalized anxiety disorder (see Table 4.1). The National Institute of Mental Health defines each as follows:

• Panic disorder: Repeated episodes of intense fear that strike often and without warning. Physical symptoms include chest pain, heart palpitations, shortness of breath, dizziness, abdominal distress, feelings of unreality, and fear of dying. Panic disorder affects about 2.4 million adult Americans and is twice as common in women as in men.
• Obsessive-compulsive disorder: Repeated, unwanted thoughts or compulsive behaviors that seem impossible to stop or control. It affects about 3.3 million adult Americans. It strikes men and women in approximately equal numbers and usually first appears in childhood, adolescence, or early adulthood.
• Posttraumatic stress disorder: Persistent symptoms that occur after experiencing or witnessing a traumatic event such as rape or other criminal assault, war, child abuse, natural or human-caused disasters, or crashes. Nightmares, flashbacks, numbing of emotions, depression, feeling angry, irritable, or distracted, and being easily startled are common. (Family members of victims can also develop this disorder.) It affects about 5.2 million adult Americans, and women are more likely than men to develop this anxiety disorder. It can occur at any age, and there is some evidence that susceptibility may run in families.
• Phobias: Two major types of phobias are social phobia and specific phobia. People with social phobia have an overwhelming and disabling fear of scrutiny, embarrassment, or humiliation in social situations, which leads to avoidance of many potentially pleasurable and meaningful activities. Social phobia affects about 5.3 million adult Americans, and women and men are equally likely to develop this kind of phobia. The disorder usually begins in childhood or early adolescence, and there is some evidence that genetic factors are involved.

  People with specific phobia experience extreme, disabling, and irrational fear of something that poses little or no actual danger (such as heights, open spaces, crossing bridges, flying). The fear leads to avoidance of objects or situations that can cause people to limit their lives unnecessarily. Specific phobias affect an estimated 6.3 million adult Americans and are twice as common in women as in men. Specific phobias usually first appear during childhood or adolescence and tend to persist into adulthood.

• Generalized anxiety disorder: Constant, exaggerated worrisome thoughts and tension about everyday routine life events and activities. This disorder leaves those affected almost always anticipating the worst even though there is little reason to expect it. These feelings are accompanied by physical symptoms, such as trembling, muscle tension, headache, or nausea. It affects about 4 million adult Americans and about twice as many women as men. The disorder comes on gradually and can begin across the life cycle, though the risk is highest between childhood and middle age. It is diagnosed when someone spends at least six months worrying excessively about a number of everyday problems.

Each anxiety disorder has its own distinct features, but they are all bound together by the common theme of excessive, irrational fear and dread. As you observe your child for signs of good mental health, it's important to remember that it is common for an anxiety disorder to accompany another anxiety disorder, substance abuse, eating disorders, or depression.
Table 4.1.One-Year Prevalence of Anxiety Disorders in Adults