Are you struggling with anxiety? It’s a common challenge these days. While a normal, everyday experience, anxiety can also grow into an eventual anxiety disorder. Anxiety disorders affect nearly 30% of adults at some point in their lives, shares the American Psychiatric Association (APA), making them the most common of the various mental health disorders. Considering their prevalence in society today, let’s explore the different types of anxiety disorders out there—and why they can sometimes lead to addiction.
A Quick Definition of Anxiety Disorders
What’s the difference between anxiety and an anxiety disorder? If you find yourself regularly anxious in certain seasons, it doesn’t mean you have an anxiety disorder. Anxiety is a natural reaction to stress and can be helpful in staying alert and prepared for oncoming danger, explains the APA.
On the other hand, an anxiety disorder is associated with excessive fear or anxiety. To be diagnosed with an anxiety disorder, your anxiety must be disproportionate to the situation at hand or be age-inappropriate. Your level of anxiety also needs to be so great that it interferes with your ability to function normally. Consequently, your anxiety disorder will drive you to avoid triggering situations or places that cause anxiety disorder symptoms to occur.
What Are the Different Types of Anxiety Disorders?
With anxiety disorder defined, what are the different types of anxiety disorders you may be facing? Some of the main types of anxiety disorders include:
Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)
According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), generalized anxiety disorder is associated with regular, exaggerated worrying around your everyday life. People with GAD will deal with persistent dread or anxious thoughts. Such thoughts may even last for months or years, shares the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Some physical anxiety warning signs associated with GAD may include:
- Sleep difficulties
- Restlessness
- Muscle tension
- Concentration issues
- Fatigue
Panic Disorder
Among the different types of anxiety disorders, panic disorder is most associated with panic attacks. According to NIH, panic attacks are sudden, intense feelings of terror or fear when no immediate danger is present. Consequently, people struggling with panic disorder will experience regular, unexpected panic attacks, often out of nowhere. Because of this, they’ll worry regularly about getting another panic attack and may alter their lives in significant ways to avoid them in the future.
Social Anxiety Disorder
Social anxiety disorder produces intense self-consciousness and uneasiness in social settings, often due to a deep fear of being negatively judged or humiliated by others, shares Harvard Health Publishing. As a result, people with social anxiety disorder may skip out on conversations, avoid social situations, and struggle with social isolation. Some may even experience panic attacks as they anticipate required social interactions with others, according to NAMI.
Phobias
Of the various types of anxiety disorders out there, phobias may be more widely known due to their representation in various forms of media and entertainment. However, they are serious struggles for the people who have them. According to the APA, a specific phobia involves a persistent and excessive fear of a certain object, activity, or situation that isn’t generally harmful. Someone with a real phobia may take extreme lengths to avoid whatever they fear. Common phobias include:
- Fear of spiders
- Fear of public speaking
- Fear of flying
Connecting Addiction to the Different Types of Anxiety Disorders
How does addiction come into play with the different types of anxiety disorders? While addiction and anxiety can intersect, it’s important to understand that having an anxiety disorder doesn’t mean you’ll struggle with addiction, too. At the same time, about 20% of Americans with an anxiety or mood disorder also have a substance use disorder, shares the Anxiety & Depression Association of America (ADAA). In fact, having an anxiety disorder means you’re about two to three times more likely to have a substance use disorder than the general population.
So what’s the connection? Struggling with an anxiety disorder can produce difficult, unwanted symptoms, leaving you searching for ways to cope in the moment. Some may begin to seek out addictive substances like alcohol or drugs to provide relief and self-medication. But repeated use of these substances can generate a chemical dependence in your brain, causing addiction.
Unfortunately, however, addictive substances don’t help your anxiety in the long run. In reality, they can make it worse. Weed exacerbates anxiety, for example. Alcohol worsens anxiety, too. So you end up seeking out more of the addictive substance to self-medicate for your increased anxiety. It sadly can become a vicious cycle, leading you to struggle with co-occurring disorders that feed off each other in the process.
Compassionate Dual Diagnosis Treatment in New England
You may feel like you’re at a crossroads if you have a diagnosed anxiety disorder and have been using substances to cope with it. Maybe you’ve noticed that you’re using more substances than you would like, or that you can’t seem to get going each day without them. If you think you may have an addiction on top of your anxiety disorder, you don’t have to remain in this vicious cycle. There is a healthy way out, and it starts with seeking professional help from dual diagnosis treatment centers.
At Sana at Stowe in Stowe, Vermont, we offer compassionate, holistic dual diagnosis treatment that addresses your anxiety and substance abuse simultaneously. With our help, you can heal the root causes of your addiction and learn to manage your anxiety in a healthy, substance-free way. To start reclaiming your life, call our team today.
