There are many anxiety disorders, but probably the most common is obsessive compulsive disorder, often called OCD. And just as it’s name suggests it involves obsessions and compulsions. The thoughts which are brought on by the obsessions are impossible for sufferers to stop. This leads them to perform the compulsions. Most of the people that are sufferers of OCD find that if they are feeling anxious and about to have a panic attack the obsessions and compulsions are the only way they know to stop these feelings. When people become totally dependant on this ritual to prevent their anxiety, it often becomes very difficult to overcome this anxiety disorder.
Almost as common as OCD is an anxiety disorder that we know as social anxiety disorder. Although at first glance this disorder might be mistaken for shyness, it is something completely different. Whereas shyness is perfectly normal and really does not prevent a person from living a fairly normal life, social anxiety on the other hand is a debilitating mental disorder. Many sufferers find it Almost impossible to attend any form of social gathering and some have even been known to become house-bound such is the fear of meeting people. This sadly means a much lower quality of life for any person who suffers from social anxiety.
There is a belief among experts that the health anxiety disorder is becoming more common than many people realise. We probably know this condition better by it’s more usual name of hypochondria. This is a condition where a person becomes obsessively concerned about their health. They fear that each little symptom that they have, no matter how small can be some terrible, even life threatening disease. Sufferers can become so convinced that they are seriously ill that they spend endless time researching their symptoms on the internet. This has now become known as cyberchondria. But it is a habit that can only increase a person’s anxiety.
Most people will have heard of the anxiety disorder agoraphobia, but might not be aware as to how common this condition is. It is always widely assumed by most people that agoraphobia is a fear of large open spaces and that this fear often prevents people from leaving their homes. In fact, what a person suffering with agoraphobia actually fears is having a panic attack or something equally frightening happening to them in public. So it’s not actually the leaving of their home that makes them anxious but just the worry of what could happen when they are out in public. This fear can lead to extreme anxiety and so many sufferers decide not to venture out in public.