Anxiety Disorders Research Paper

“The term Anxiety Disorders refers to a category of psychiatric illnesses that are generally more chronic than substance use or affective (mood) disorders. It is estimated that 25% of the population have had some type of anxiety disorder in their lifetime. The fourth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) classifies 12 anxiety disorders: panic disorder without agoraphobia, panic disorder with agoraphobia, agoraphobia without history of panic disorder, specific phobia, social phobia, obsessive-compulsive disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), acute stress disorder, anxiety disorder due to a general medical condition, substance-induced anxiety disorder, and anxiety …show more content…
Social phobia has a thirteen percent chance of persisting for the full extent of the individual’s life. Simple phobia has an eleven percent chance that the disorder will persist the entire extent of the individual’s lifetime. (Ayres)
There are many risk factors that occur for anxiety disorders including lower social standing, being of the female gender, and also living in the Northeast part of the United States. Women are also twice as likely to develop one of the many different anxiety disorders. Adults within the age range of 25 and 34 have the highest prevalence of anxiety disorders. Individuals who have an anxiety disorder are also highly likely to have an already existing mental condition, which only a small number of people sought out treatment for. (Ayres)
Anxiety affects all types of people, but is most harmful to teenagers. Anxiety is a normal part of life and is common during stressful times such as the days leading up to a big test. For many individuals anxiety will serve as motivation to perform well at the task that is ahead of them. There are also some individuals for which their anxiety extends past those stressful times. While having occasional anxiety is normal and should be nothing to worry about, there are still many individuals who experience ongoing or long lasting symptoms of anxiety. People who experience this long lasting form of anxiety, especially teenagers, find that their …show more content…
When teenagers are flooded with anxiety they may appear to be shy. They may begin avoiding to participate in their usual activities or even refuse to experience new things. When they are apart from their friends they may begin to fight with the people that are around them. Or they may attempt to get rid of those fears and worries by engaging themselves in certain risky behaviors including drug experimentation or acts of impulsive sexual behavior

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