The 5 Types of Anxiety Disorders

 Today, many people face acute anxiety. And, with this said, many people have found significant relief and have even been cured of their anxiety. So, in all cases, there is hope.

This article provides an overview of the 5 different types of anxiety disorders. If you believe you are suffering from anxiety, maybe you will be able to identify which type of anxiety you may be suffering from (this article is in no way a substitute for professional care.)

In the realm of human emotional and physical conditions, there are various problems which are harmful to our well-being. Anxiety is one such condition.

The problem of anxiety is often related to the issue of fear control. In general, our ingrained flight or fight response gets put into high gear, and no longer functions properly. The result is anxiety.

Types of Anxiety Disorders

Generally, there are 5 types of anxiety disorders which are based on psychical and emotional symptoms. Each type of anxiety have their respective characteristic which often need different forms of treatments.

1. One of the common type of anxiety disorder is generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) which is the most common type. It is characterized by long-lasting anxiety leading to continuous stress, worry and chronic depression.

2. Phobias are another type of anxiety. Here a specific situation is likely to cause fear. For example, the fear of enclosed spaces in called claustrophobia.

3. Another type of anxiety disorder is Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). It is largely associated with an individual experiencing a certain traumatic event, such as a life threatening situation. The aftermath of the event can bring upon flashbacks, as well as avoidance of any stimuli which reminds an individual of the event.

4. Panic attacks are another form of anxiety. Panic attacks are largely characterized by sudden panic and feelings of dread. Often, an individuals feels as though the may be experiencing a heart attack. Trembling, shaking, sweating and feeling as though one is going crazy are all possible symptoms of a panic attack.

5. Finally, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is also considered an anxiety disorder. The major symptoms of OCD include an individual experiencing intrusive and unwanted thoughts, sometimes of a sexual or aggressive nature. In order to try and avoid, or negate such thoughts (either consciously or unconsciously) a person then begins to engage in rituals (compulsions) which are repeated behaviors such, as is a common example, of washing one's hands over and over again.

The above explanations are broad strokes which outline the types of anxiety disorders. To learn more, I recommend you visit some government website's like the National Institute for Mental Health, which provides extensive free and highly reliable information. The American Psychological Association in another good source of information.

Best,

Adam Lukeman, LMSW

Psychotherapist New York
New York Dynamic Psychology
http://www.mentalhealthnyc.org 
topspeaker@yahoo.com

What is Therapy?

By Rachel Rush, LMSW

“Once his brother asked Ryokan to visit his house and speak to his delinquent son.  Ryokan came but did not say a word of admonition to the boy.  He stayed overnight and prepared to leave the next morning.  As the wayward nephew was lacing up Ryokan’s sandals, he felt a drop of warm water.  Glancing up, he saw Ryokan looking down at him, his eyes full of tears.  Ryokan then returned home and the nephew changed for the better.”

This story captures the essence of what great therapy is.  Ryokan’s nephew may have been a boy living in Japan at the end of the 18^th century, but his experience of transformation captures the heart of what therapy is in today’s modern world.    

Like Ryokan in the story, a skilled therapist knows when to speak and when to stay quiet, when to witness another, and then, when to participate and use one’s own emotions in the service of transforming another human being’s experience of him or herself.

Therapy is in essence, the art of experiencing one’s own ability to change for the better, as Ryokan’s nephew experienced in the story.  And therapy, like the story shows, is having someone accompany you- and at times, guide you- through that process.

Psychotherapist New York
New York Dynamic Psychology
http://www.mentalhealthnyc.org 
topspeaker@yahoo.com

6 conditions needed to create personal change

Person-centered therapy (PCT) is also known as person-centered psychotherapy, person-centered counseling, client-centered therapy and Rogerian psychotherapy. PCT is a form of talk-psychotherapy developed by psychologist Carl Rogers in the 1940s and 1950s. The goal of PCT is to provide patients with an opportunity to develop a sense of self wherein they can realize how their attitudes, feelings and behavior are being negatively affected and make an effort to find their true positive potential.^[1] In this technique, therapists create a comfortable, non-judgmental environment by demonstrating congruence (genuineness), empathy, and unconditional positive regard toward their patients while using a non-directive approach. This aids patients in finding their own solutions to their problems.^[2]


Person-centered therapy, now considered a founding work in the humanistic school of psychotherapies, began formally with Carl Rogers.^[8] "Rogerian" psychotherapy is identified as one of the major school groups, along with psycho-dynamic, psychoanalytic (most famously Sigmund Freud), Adlerian, Cognitive-behavioral therapy, and Existential therapy (such as that pioneered by Rollo May).^[9]
Others^[who?] acknowledge Rogers' broad influence on approach, while naming a humanistic or humanistic-existentialist school group; there is large debate ^[10] over what constitute major schools and cross-influences with more tangential candidates such as feminist, Gestalt, British school, self psychology, interpersonal, family systems, integrative, systemic and communicative, with several historical influences seeding them such as object-relations.^{[citation needed]}

Rogers affirmed ^[8] individual personal experience as the basis and standard for living and therapeutic effect. Rogers identified 6 conditions which are needed to produce personality changes in clients: relationship, vulnerability to anxiety (on the part of the client), genuineness (the therapist is truly himself or herself and incorporates some self-disclosure), the client's perception of the therapist's genuineness, the therapist's unconditional positive regard for the client, and accurate empathy.^[11] This emphasis contrasts with the dispassionate position which may be intended in other therapies, particularly the more extreme behavioral therapies. Living in the present rather than the past or future, with organismic trust, naturalistic faith in your own thoughts and the accuracy in your feelings, and a responsible acknowledgment of your freedom, with a view toward participating fully in our world, contributing to other peoples' lives, are hallmarks of Roger's Person-centered therapy. Rogers also claims that the therapeutic process is essentially the accomplishments made by the client. The client having already progressed further along in their growth and maturation development, only progresses further with the aid of a psychologically favored environment.^[12]

Rogers believed that the most important factor in successful therapy is the therapist's attitude. There are three interrelated attitudes on the part of the therapist:

1. Congruence -the willingness to relate to clients without hiding behind a professional facade.
2. Unconditional Positive Regard - therapist accepting client for who he or she is without disapproving feelings, actions or characteristics. It shows the willingness to listen without interrupting, judging or giving advice.
3. Empathy -Understand and appreciate the client's feeling throughout the therapy session.

According to Rogers, a therapist with these three attitudes would allow the client to express their feelings freely without having the feeling that they are being judged. The therapist does not attempt to change the client's way of thinking in order to explore the issues that are most important to them. ^[13]

Psychotherapy Treatment in New York
New York Dynamic Psychology

http://www.mentalhealthnyc.org
 topspeaker@yahoo.com