Anxiety Disorders — Study Material for BAMS Students | Ayurveda | Compilation.

Childhood-onset disorder with excessive fear about separation from parents or attachment figures.

• Nightmares about separation
• Physical distress symptoms when separated
• Refusal to leave attachment figures
• Repeated temper tantrums
• Persistent worry about unexpected events causing separation

Failure to speak in certain social situations (e.g. school) despite speaking normally elsewhere.

• Excessive shyness and social isolation
• Fear of embarrassment; clinging to caregivers
• Temper tantrums; lack of social communication
• Interference with academic performance

Persistent, unrealistic fear of a specific object/situation beyond voluntary control, causing significant distress or impaired functioning.

• Natural environment — storms, water (Hydrophobia), trees (Dendrophobia)
• Animals — dogs (Cynophobia), frogs (Batrachophobia), horses (Equinophobia)
• Medical/Mutilation — needles (Trypanophobia), dentists (Dentophobia), blood (Hemophobia)
• Situational — enclosed spaces (Claustrophobia), heights (Aerophobia), public speaking (Glossophobia)

Fear of social situations where the person may be scrutinised, embarrassed, or judged negatively.

• Strong, persistent fear of interpersonal situations
• Fear of meeting unfamiliar people or public eating/drinking
• Fear of public speaking or performance
• Physical signs: sweating, blushing, rapid heartbeat, trembling, shortness of breath

Fear of places where rapid exit is impossible or help is unavailable — being trapped and helpless.

• Enclosed spaces (cinemas, elevators, stores)
• Open spaces (parking lots, bridges)
• Public transport (bus, train, aeroplane)
• Crowds or waiting in lines

Recurring, unexpected panic attacks — begin abruptly, peak within ~10 minutes, usually short-lived (<1 hour).

• Sweating, trembling, palpitations
• Shortness of breath, chest pain
• Sensation of choking or impending heart attack
• Fear of dying; altered sense of reality

Chronic, persistent, unrealistic worry interfering with daily activities. More common in women.

Diagnosis: anxiety/worry ≥ 6 months AND 3+ of — tension/restlessness, fatigue, difficulty concentrating, irritability, sleep difficulties.

Risk factors: family history, stress, emotional trauma, unemployment/poverty, drug abuse.

Develops after exposure to psychological trauma — natural disasters, war, assault, rape.

Nervousness or panic directly caused by use, abuse, or withdrawal of a substance or medication. Medical conditions such as hyperthyroidism, hypothyroidism, hyperparathyroidism, vitamin B12 deficiency, and pheochromocytoma can also trigger anxiety symptoms.

Chronic disorder with uncontrollable, recurring obsessions (thoughts/impulses) and compulsions (repetitive behaviours).

Common obsessions: contamination, need for symmetry, forbidden thoughts.

Common compulsions: cleaning, checking, ordering, counting, repeating.

Diagnosis: MRI/CT may show enlarged basal ganglia; PET shows increased glucose metabolism in basal ganglia.