Generalized Anxiety Disorder is a condition in which people feel constantly stressed. Patients with generalized anxiety have a tendency to worry and feelings of tension increase considerably under comparatively mild levels of pressure. Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder is a condition in which distressing senseless thoughts intrude and patients cannot rid these thoughts from their minds. The thoughts are foreign and often repulsive. Most obsessive-compulsive persons also have compulsions. For example, they may need to check and recheck to see whether the stove is off or doors are closed. Or they may need to wash their hands over and over, or clean the house constantly because they fear germs and contamination. Panic Disorder is a condition in which persons experience sudden, severe attacks of anxiety. Symptoms consist of heart palpitations, shortness of breath, sweating, dizziness, upset stomach and fear of dying or losing control. Some patients have such attacks only occasionally, while others may have several attacks a day. Since the attacks are very frightening, many patients start to avoid situations in which the attacks have occurred, such as driving on an expressway or over bridges, shopping in large department stores or malls, etc.
Agoraphobia is the term for such avoidance, which in severe cases can lead to being completely housebound. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder is a condition which occurs after a person has experienced unusual stress. A severe accident, robbery or rape can cause such stress. People with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder become very anxious whenever reminded of the incident which has caused the initial distress. Frequently they have nightmares or become fearful, depressed and irritable and function less well at work or in social situations. Social Phobias are unreasonable fears experienced in social situations. Some people become very tense when speaking in public, eating in a restaurant or asking someone for a date. Unlike Panic Disorder, in which panic attacks may occur out of the blue, Social Phobia is characterized by feelings of anxiety when people believe they are being observed or evaluated by others. | 
