Anxiety is a common symptom in psychiatric disorders. It is a process characterized by excessive apprehension or unease arising out of anticipation of danger. This phenomenon of anxiety causes stress which may result in significant impairment of normal functions of life. When it becomes pathological medical interventions may be required.
The symptoms of anxiety include: tremors, restlessness, muscle twitches, facial expressions of fear, palpitations, tachycardia, sweating, dry mouth, headaches, dizziness, and diarrhea. Other symptoms include poor concentration, unrealistic view of a condition, depersonalization, hyper-arousal, vigilance, distractibility, fearfulness, irritability, and insomnia.
Psychiatrists classify anxiety into two main types: general anxiety disorder and panic disorder. When symptoms of anxiety last for more then 6 months a diagnosis of generalized anxiety disorder is considered. Panic disorder is typically characterized by discrete episodes of acute anxiety. There may or may not be underlying GAD (Generalized Anxiety Disorder). The episode is usually sudden in onset, lasts for a few minutes and is characterized by very severe anxiety.