Five Categories Of Anxiety

Anxiety is a type of mental illness when a person worries continuously. Although almost everyone experiences anxiety at one time in their life in order to get the diagnosis it must interfere with a person’s daily lifestyle. There are five categories that fall under anxiety which are general anxiety, social anxiety, panic attacks, agoraphobia and specific phobias. All of these categories can be found in the DSM 5. After reading the required reading, I realized that although each diagnosis is different one thing in common is the person who is experiencing anxiety has a sense of fear whether it is potentially a threat or not. It has been my experience whenever working with clients who have certain types of anxiety that, that the clients really …show more content…
Anxiety may look like a person avoiding the experience all together, increased distress, sweaty hands, racing heart rate, or even shortness of breath. For example, I have worked with a client who experiences anxiety around social issues, she is afraid that people won’t accept her or like her so whenever you met with her she is always agonizing over something. Many times when you go to visit her she is also looking for reassurance by asking “Are you mad at me? “or Do I sound weird to you?” Some of the first symptoms you recognize with her are her rapid speech, then she is always fidgeting with her hands or hair. Some of the things she says verbally are her continuously apologizing for her apartment being dirty, (when it‘s not), or being sorry for calling you or that you have to come over for a visit by stating that it’s an imposition (when really it’s your job), or stating that the neighbor is getting a new front door so that the neighbor can’t be see her, when many times these thoughts are not rational at all. Although, she may go on and on feeling anxious it is clear that at this time she does not have any insight into her anxiety and as a therapist we can offer insight whenever