Anxiety Disorders

US psychiatry gets makeover in new manual

The latest makeover to a massive psychiatric tome honored by some, reviled by others and even called the "Bible" of mental disorders is being released Saturday with a host of new changes.

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One in five U.S. kids has a mental health disorder, CDC reports

(HealthDay)—As many as one in five American children under the age of 17 has a diagnosable mental disorder in a given year, according to a new federal report.

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Chronic pain sufferers likely to have anxiety

Patients coping with chronic pain should also be evaluated for anxiety disorders, according to new research published in General Hospital Psychiatry.

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Study finds gender, employment status and social conditions key factors in development of mental disorders

Being a woman, unemployed and living in a situation of social adversity are the three strongest trigger influences in subjects with a genetic predisposition to mental disorder. Moreover, in Andalusia, over 20% of the population ...

Psychology & Psychiatry created May 13, 2013 | popularity 4 / 5 (1) | comments 0

World first clinical trial supports use of Kava to treat anxiety

(Medical Xpress)—A world-first completed clinical study by an Australian team has found Kava, a medicinal South Pacific plant, significantly reduced the symptoms of people suffering anxiety.

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To suppress or to explore? Emotional strategy may influence anxiety

When trouble approaches, what do you do? Run for the hills? Hide? Pretend it isn't there? Or do you focus on the promise of rain in those looming dark clouds? New research suggests that the way you regulate ...

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Many US teens struggle with extreme fatigue, survey shows

(HealthDay)—Extreme fatigue is common in U.S. teens and often goes untreated, a new study finds.

Psychology & Psychiatry created May 02, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 1

Antidepressants may hasten bypass recovery, study finds

(HealthDay)—Depression is relatively common in patients who undergo heart bypass surgery, and a new study finds that short-term use of antidepressants may aid patients' recovery.

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Integrating mental health care: New series

The first article in a landmark series to help health care workers and providers, donors, and decision makers understand the importance of including mental health care in global health programs is being published in this ...

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Intranasal neuropeptide Y may offer therapeutic potential for post-traumatic stress disorder

Stress triggered neuropsychiatric disorders take an enormous personal, social and economic toll on society. In the US more than half of adults are exposed to at least one traumatic event throughout their lives. Post-traumatic ...

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Helping children make sense of the senseless

(HealthDay)—It's the day after the Boston Marathon bombings and three people are dead, including an 8-year-old boy who came to cheer on friends during the race. The boy's mother and sister are both seriously ...

Psychology & Psychiatry created Apr 17, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 1

Severely injured vets may need ongoing emotional care

(HealthDay)—U.S. veterans who suffered major limb injuries in combat showed little improvement with mental health problems such as depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in the two ...

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Reframing stress: Stage fright can be your friend

Fear of public speaking tops death and spiders as the nation's number one phobia. But new research shows that learning to rethink the way we view our shaky hands, pounding heart, and sweaty palms can help ...

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New research shows how our bodies interact with our minds in response to fear and other emotions

New research has shown that the way our minds react to and process emotions such as fear can vary according to what is happening in other parts of our bodies.

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Study identifies co-factors critical to PTSD development

Research led by Ya-Ping Tang, MD, PhD, Associate Professor of Cell Biology and Anatomy at LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans, has found that the action of a specific gene occurring during exposure to adolescent trauma ...

Psychology & Psychiatry created Apr 03, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0 | with audio podcast


Anxiety disorder is a blanket term covering several different forms of a type of mental illness of abnormal and pathological fear and anxiety. Conditions now considered anxiety disorders only came under the aegis of psychiatry at the end of the 19th century. Gelder, Mayou & Geddes (2005) explains that anxiety disorders are classified in two groups: continuous symptoms and episodic symptoms. Current psychiatric diagnostic criteria recognize a wide variety of anxiety disorders. Recent surveys have found that as many as 18% of Americans may be affected by one or more of them.

The term anxiety covers four aspects of experiences an individual may have: mental apprehension, physical tension, physical symptoms and dissociative anxiety. Anxiety disorder is divided into generalized anxiety disorder, phobic disorder, and panic disorder; each has its own characteristics and symptoms and they require different treatment (Gelder et al. 2005). The emotions present in anxiety disorders range from simple nervousness to bouts of terror (Barker 2003).

Standardized screening clinical questionnaires such as the Taylor Manifest Anxiety Scale or the Zung Self-Rating Anxiety Scale can be used to detect anxiety symptoms, and suggest the need for a formal diagnostic assessment of anxiety disorder.

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