Wiktionary
n. A disorder characterised by excessive anxiety.
WordNet
n. a cover term for a variety of mental disorders in which severe anxiety is a salient symptom
Wikipedia
Anxiety disorders are a group of mental disorders characterized by feelings of anxiety and fear. Anxiety is a worry about future events and fear is a reaction to current events. These feelings may cause physical symptoms, such as a fast heart rate and shakiness. There are a number of anxiety disorders: including generalized anxiety disorder, specific phobia, social anxiety disorder, separation anxiety disorder, agoraphobia, and panic disorder. The disorder differs by what results in the symptoms. People often have more than one anxiety disorder.
The cause of anxiety disorders is a combination of genetic and environmental factors. Risk factors include a history of child abuse, a family history of mental disorders, and poverty. They often occur with other mental disorders, particularly major depressive disorder, personality disorder, and substance use disorder. To be diagnosed symptoms typically need to be present at least six months, be more than would be expected for the situation, and decrease functioning. Other psychiatric and medical problems that may result in similar symptoms including hyperthyroidism, heart disease, caffeine , alcohol or cannabis use, and withdrawal from certain drugs.
Without treatments anxiety disorders tend to remain. Treatment may include lifestyle changes, counselling, and medications. Counselling is typically with a type of cognitive behavioural therapy. Medications, such as antidepressants or beta blockers, may improve symptoms. Anxiety disorders occur about twice as often in females as males, and generally begin before the age of 25. About 12% of people are affected by an anxiety disorder in a given year. The most common are specific phobia which affects nearly 12% and social anxiety disorder which affects 10% at some point in their life. They affect those between the ages of 15 and 35 the most and become less common after the age of 55. Rates appear to be higher in the United States and Europe.
Usage examples of "anxiety disorder".
Both worry and body tension are central features of a Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD).
There may be other disorders that we are now finding that may be genetically linked, like obsessive-compulsive disorders, and certain forms of anxiety disorder.
A lot of the social anxiety disorder is not wanting to go to a psychiatrist either, because you just relate to him as another stranger.