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There's a lot of talk these days about anxiety disorders. But what are they?

When people feel ordinary anxiety, they are usually thinking about something bad that has happened–or could happen. Those thoughts seem to offer reason enough for the anxiety. But sometimes nervousness lasts a long time, becomes overwhelming or starts to affect daily activities and relationships. At that point, it's time to think about whether an anxiety disorder is part of the cause.

Panic disorder, social anxiety and obsessive–compulsive disorder are commonplace in our society. They have different symptoms and treatments, but all three are frequently unrecognized and unremedied–panic disorder most commonly of all.

Panic Disorder
The core feature of panic disorder is panic attacks. Perhaps one in 10 people have these attacks. Laboratory studies suggest that while the other nine people can get nervous, they may be physically unable to have actual panic attacks. The attacks come in different forms, with symptoms that include sudden–onset episodes of panic, anxiety or rage.

The episodes also include other sudden symptoms, such as shortness of breath; racing or pounding heart; chest pain or pressure; sweating; feeling hot, cold, shaky, lightheaded, nauseous; experiencing fears of dying, losing control or having a heart attack; experiencing tingling sensations in hands

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