Depression

What is Anxiety? Types of Anxiety Disorder

Anxiety is a more and more frequently reported psychological state. According to Walker and Rosenham it is a matter of cognitive, somatic, behavioral and emotional aspects. These elements combine and release fear, worry, and apprehension, motivated or not motivated expectation of danger. There are also physical effects such as nausea, chest and head aches and heart palpitations. This state may be close to fatal for some people, as they display an increased blood pressure, pale skin, sweating, trembling, and a high heart rate. Anxiety may present a maladaptive behavior with a vehement avoidance to the source of anxiety.  

However, anxiety is one of the common emotions together with sadness, happiness or fear – therefore a necessary function in survival.

There are three types of anxiety: existential anxiety, test anxiety, stranger anxiety.

The existential anxiety is more a philosophic matter; it is what Freud would name “the trauma of nonbeing”. Many people encounter fear at the thought that there will be a day when he or she will stop living. The fear of an imminent, spontaneous death is a feature of existential anxiety which may lead to suicide – a controlled act of death – as the only way to succumb the unknown, the unexpected.

The test anxiety is in most of the cases displayed by students with a fear of failing an exam. They associate that failure with the sentiment of guilt, embarrassment, shame of teacher, friends and parents. This kind of students often uses to drum on the desk, feel nausea, headaches and sweat.  

The stranger anxiety it manifests when interacting with unknown people. It is very common young persons as a common stage of development, but if present at adults it may a sign of phobia.