Anxiety is an emotional state characterized by feelings of worry, nervousness, or fear. While some anxiety is normal and even helpful in certain situations, an anxiety disorder involves excessive, persistent anxiety that disrupts daily life and functioning.

Common types of anxiety disorders include:

Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) - Chronic, uncontrollable worrying about many areas of life like work, health, family, finances, etc.

Social Anxiety Disorder - Overwhelming fear of judgment or embarrassment in social situations.

Panic Disorder - Recurrent panic attacks with physical symptoms like chest pain, shortness of breath, dizziness, and intense fear of having another panic attack.

Phobias - Irrational and excessive fears triggered by specific objects or situations like heights, flying, insects, etc.

Anxiety disorders are often accompanied by physical symptoms like muscle tension, fatigue, restlessness, and difficulty concentrating. Left untreated, they can take a major toll on relationships, work performance, and overall quality of life.

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

OCD is characterized by two components: obsessions and compulsions. Obsessions are unwanted, intrusive thoughts, urges, or images that cause significant anxiety or distress. Common obsessions relate to themes like contamination, losing control, harm, perfectionism, and morality.

To cope with these obsessions, individuals develop compulsions - repetitive behaviors or mental acts aimed at reducing anxiety or preventing a feared outcome. Examples include excessive cleaning, checking, counting, ordering/arranging, and seeking reassurance.

While most people experience minor obsessive thoughts or compulsive habits, OCD causes these symptoms to become time-consuming and significantly disrupt daily routines, work, social activities and relationships.

Both anxiety disorders and OCD are highly treatable with professional therapy, especially cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) which helps change unhelpful thought patterns and behaviors. Medications may also be prescribed in some cases. With proper treatment, it's possible to break free from the vicious cycle and regain control. David is an OCD, Anxiety and addiction therapist in Houston, TX.